BIOSYNTHESIS

OF ESSENTIAL
AMINO ACIDS
BY
MEROKA A,
BIOCHEMISTRY DEPARTMENT,
KEMU
SPECIFIC WAYS OF AMINO ACID SYNTHESIS

• PLANTS AND MICROORGANISMS CAN MAKE ALL 20 AMINO

ACIDS
• HUMANS CAN MAKE ONLY 11 OF THE 20 AMINO ACIDS
(“NONESSENTIAL” AMINO ACIDS) – HENCE THE NEED TO TAKE
A PROPER BALANCED DIET.
• NONESSENTIAL AMINO ACIDS FOR MAMMALS ARE USUALLY
DERIVED FROM INTERMEDIATES OF GLYCOLYSIS OR THE
CITRIC ACID CYCLE
• THE OTHERS ARE CLASSED AS "ESSENTIAL" AMINO ACIDS
AND MUST BE OBTAINED IN THE DIET
• A DEFICIENCY OF EVEN
ONE AMINO ACID
RESULTS IN A NEGATIVE
NITROGEN BALANCE.

• IN THIS STATE, MORE

PROTEIN IS DEGRADED
THAN IS SYNTHESIZED.
 • THE PATHWAYS FOR THE BIOSYNTHESIS OF AMINO ACIDS
ARE DIVERSE

• COMMON FEATURE: CARBON SKELETONS COME FROM

INTERMEDIATES OF
 GLYCOLYSIS,
 PENTOSE PHOSPHATE PATHWAY,
 CITRIC ACID CYCLE.

All amino acids are grouped into families according to the

intermediates that they are made from. These include;
THE BIOSYNTHETIC PATHWAYS CAN BE GROUPED INTO FAMILIES:
1. ASPARTATE KINASE/ ASPARTOKINASE
ASPARTATE FAMILY
2. ASPARTATE BETA SEMIALDEHYDE
DEHYDROGENASE
3. HOMOSERINE DEHYDROGENASE
4. HOMOSERINE KINASE
5. THREONINE SYNTHASE
6. HOMOSERINE ACYL TRANSFERASE
7. CYSTATHIONINE GAMMA SYNTHASE
8. CYSTATHIONINE BETA LYASE
9. METHIONINE SYNTHASE
10. DIHYDROPICOLINATE SYNTHASE
11. PIPERIDINE -2, 6-DICARBOXYLATE
DEHYDROGENASE
12. N-SUCCINYL-2-AMINO-6-KETOPIMELATE
SYNTHASE
13. SUCCINYL DIAMINOPIMELATE
AMINOTRANSFERASE
14. SUCCINYL DIAMINOPIMELATE
DESUCCINYLASE
15. DIAMINOPIMELATE EPIMERASE
16. DIAMINOPIMELATE DECARBOXYLASE
 PYRUVATE FAMILY
1. ACETOACETATE SYNTHASE
2. ACETOACETATE SYNTHASE
3. ACETOHYDROXY ACID
ISOMEROREDUCTASE
4. DIHYDROXY ACID DEHYDRATASE
5. AMINOTRANSFERASE
6. ALPHA ISOPROPYLMALATE SYNTHASE
7. ALPHA ISOPROPYLMALATE ISOMERASE
8. BETA ISOPROPYLMALATE
DEHYDROGENASE
9. ALPHA KETOISOCAPROATE
AMINOTRANSFERASE
10. DEAMINASE
 PHOSPHOENOL PYRUVATE & ERYTHROSE 4
PHOSPHATE FAMILY
• THE BIOSYNTHESIS OF CHORISMATE, THE AROMATIC AMINO ACID PRECURSOR

1. 2 keto-3 deoxy-D-
arabinoheptulosonate-7-
phosphate synthase
2. Dehydroquinate synthase
3. 3-dehydroquinate dehydratase
4. Shikimate dehydrogenase
5. Shikimate kinase
6. 3- Enolpyruvyl shikimate-5-
phosphate synthase
7. Chorismate synthase
 THE BIOSYNTHESIS OF PHENYLALANINE, TRYPTOPHAN,
AND TYROSINE FROM CHORISMATE

1. ANTHRANILATE SYNTHASE

2. ANTHRANILATE PHOSPHORIBOSYL
TRANSFERASE

3. N-(5’-PHOSPHORIBOSYL)
ANTHRANILATE ISOMERASE

4. INDOLE-3-GLYCEROL PHOSPHATE
SYNTHASE

5. TYRPTOPHAN SYNTHASE

6. TYRPTOPHAN SYNTHASE

7. CHORISMATE MUTASE

8. PREPHANATE DEHYDROGENASE

9. 4-HYDROXYPHENYLPYRUVATE AMINO
TRANSFERASE

10. PHEPHANATE DEHYDRATASE

 RIBOSE 5 PHOSPHATE FAMILY
1.ATP phosphoribosyltransferase
2.Pyrophosphohydrolase
3.Phosphoribosyl-AMP
cyclohydrolase
4.Phosphoribosylformimino-5-
aminoimidazole carboxamide
ribonucleotide isomerase
5.Imidazole glycerol phosphate
synthase
6.Imidazole glycerol phosphate
dehydratase
7.L-histidinol phosphate
aminotransferase
8.Histidinol phosphate phosphatase
9.Histidinol dehydrogenase