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Updated: Feb 8, 2026

Nucleoside Triphosphates - From Synthesis to Biochemical Characterization
Published on: April 3, 2014
α-Vinylic Amino Acids: Occurrence, Asymmetric Synthesis and Biochemical Mechanisms
David B Berkowitz1, Bradley D Charette1, Kannan R Karukurichi1
1Department of Chemistry, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE 68588-0304.
Abstract:
This report presents an overview of the family of naturally occurring 'vinylic' amino acids, namely those that feature a C-C double bond directly attached to the α-carbon, along the side chain. Strategies that have been brought to bear on the stereocontrolled synthesis of these olefinic amino acids are surveyed. The mechanistic diversity by which such 'vinylic triggers' can be actuated in a PLP (pyridoxal phosphate) enzyme active site is then highlighted by discussions of vinylglycine (VG), its substituted congeners, particularly AVG [4E-(2'-aminoethoxy)vinylglycine], and a naturally occurring VG-progenitor, SMM (S-methylmethionine).
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