Substrate specificity in thiamin diphosphate-dependent decarboxylases
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Updated: May 25, 2026

Defining Substrate Specificities for Lipase and Phospholipase Candidates
Published on: November 23, 2016
Forest H Andrews1, Michael J McLeish
1Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA.
Abstract:
Thiamin diphosphate (ThDP) is the biologically active form of vitamin B(1), and ThDP-dependent enzymes are found in all forms of life. The catalytic mechanism of this family requires the formation of a common intermediate, the 2α-carbanion-enamine, regardless of whether the enzyme is involved in C-C bond formation or breakdown, or even formation of C-N, C-O and C-S bonds. This demands that the enzymes must screen substrates prior to, and/or after, formation of the common intermediate. This review is focused on the group for which the second step is the protonation of the 2α-carbanion, i.e., the ThDP-dependent decarboxylases. Based on kinetic data, sequence/structure alignments and mutagenesis studies the factors involved in substrate specificity have been identified.
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