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Chirality is the most intriguing yet essential facet of nature, governing life’s biochemical processes and precision. It can be observed from a snail shell pattern in a macroscopic world to an amino acid, the minutest building block of life. Most of the snails around the world have right-coiled shells because of the intrinsic chirality in their genes. All the amino acids present in the human body exist in an enantiomerically pure state, except for glycine - the sole achiral amino acid.
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Amino Acid Chirality: Stereospecific Conversion and Physiological Implications.

Kuladeep Das1, Hemalatha Balaram1, Kaustuv Sanyal1

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Summary

Chiral amino acid configurations (l- and d-) are vital in biology. This review explores amino acid racemases, enzymes that interconvert these forms, detailing their mechanisms, roles, and applications.

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Area of Science:

  • Biochemistry
  • Enzymology
  • Molecular Biology

Background:

  • Chiral molecules, particularly amino acids, have distinct biological roles based on their absolute configuration (l- or d-).
  • While proteins primarily use l-amino acids, d-amino acids are crucial in bacterial cell walls, neurotransmission, and metabolic pathways.
  • The presence of both enantiomers necessitates stereoselective enzymes for their interconversion and recognition.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the mechanistic insights into the interconversion of l- and d-amino acids by amino acid racemases.
  • To discuss the structural, mechanistic, and evolutionary aspects of key enzymes involved in amino acid oxidative deamination.
  • To highlight the physiological and pathological roles of specific d-amino acid enzymes and their potential as drug targets.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review focusing on mechanistic studies of amino acid racemases.
  • Analysis of structural, mechanistic, and evolutionary relationships of enzymes catalyzing amino acid interconversion.
  • Examination of the physiological roles and implications of d-amino acid oxidase and d-aspartate oxidase.

Main Results:

  • Amino acid racemases are key enzymes facilitating the interconversion of l- and d-amino acid enantiomers.
  • Four crucial enzymes involved in oxidative deamination of amino acids exhibit distinct structural, mechanistic, and evolutionary characteristics.
  • d-amino acid oxidase and d-aspartate oxidase have significant physiological implications in human health and disease.

Conclusions:

  • Understanding amino acid racemase mechanisms is crucial for comprehending chiral molecule roles in biological systems.
  • d-amino acid oxidase and d-aspartate oxidase represent potential therapeutic targets for various diseases.
  • Microbially derived chiral-selective enzymes offer promising applications as biocatalysts in industrial processes.