Pterin is a heterocycle compound composed of a pteridine ring system, with a "keto group" (a lactam) and an amino group on positions 4 and 2 respectively. It is structurally related to the parent bicyclic heterocycle called pteridine. Pterins, as a group, are compounds related to pterin with additional substituents. Pterin itself is of no biological significance.
Pterins were first discovered in the pigments of butterfly wings
Chemistry
Pterins exhibit a wide range of
tautomerism in water, beyond what is assumed by just keto-enol tautomerism. For the unsubstituted pterin, at least five tautomers are commonly cited.
For 6-methylpterin, seven tautomers are theoretically predicted to be important in solution.
The pteridine ring system contains four nitrogen atoms, reducing its aromaticity to the point that it can be attacked by nucleophile. Pterins can take three on the ring system: the unprefixed oxidized form, the 7,8-dihydro semi-reduced form (among other, less stable tautomers), and finally the 5,6,7,8-tetrahydro fully-reduced form. The latter two are more common in biological systems.
Tautomers
|
| | | | | |
| 2-aminopteridin-4(1 H)-one | 2-aminopteridin-4(3 H)-one | 2-aminopteridin-4(8 H)-one | 2-imino-2,3-dihydropteridin-4(1 H)-on | 2-aminopteridin-4-ol |
The above series of structures shows 5 of the possible tautomers of pterin. They only differ in the position of hydrogen atoms on oxygen or nitrogen. In water, and thus biological systems, this structures are in a fast equilibrium, meaning each of the structures might be present to perform a reaction. Although the pattern of single and double bonds in the ring system changes with the position of the hydrogen atoms, the overall π-system does not change.
[By accepting a hydrogen ion on its lone pair, nitrogen still has a p-orbital perfectly in line with the others in the ring system.] What does change is the charge distribution and hence the possible reactions of the species. With respect to reaction speed, if a single tautomer is required, each molecule spends part of its time as one of the tautomers. This might reduce the speed of reaction, leaving a very fast (enzymatic!) reaction just to be fast.
Biosynthesis
Pterin rings are either salvaged from existing ones or produced
de novo in living organisms. The ring comes from rearrangement of
guanosine in bacteria
and humans.
Pterin cofactors
Pterin derivatives are common cofactors in all domains of life.
Folates
One important family of pterin derivatives are
folate. Folates are pterins that contain
p-aminobenzoic acid connected to the methyl group at position 6 of the pteridine ring system (known as pteroic acid) conjugated with one or more
L-
. They participate in numerous biological group transfer reactions. Folate-dependent biosynthetic reactions include the transfer of
from 5-methyltetrahydrofolate to
homocysteine to form
methionine, and the transfer of
from 10-formyltetrahydrofolate to
methionine to form
N-formylmethionine in initiator
. Folates are also essential for the biosynthesis of
and one
pyrimidine.
Substituted are intermediates in the biosynthesis of dihydrofolic acid in many microorganisms.
The enzyme dihydropteroate synthetase converts pteridine and 4-aminobenzoic acid to dihydrofolic acid in the presence of
glutamate. The enzyme dihydropteroate synthetase is inhibited by sulfonamide antibiotics.
Molybdopterin
Molybdopterin is a cofactor found in virtually all molybdenum and tungsten-containing proteins.
[ It binds molybdenum to yield involved in biological hydroxylations, reduction of nitrate, and respiratory oxidation.]
Tetrahydrobiopterin
Tetrahydrobiopterin, the major unconjugated pterin in vertebrates, is involved in three families of enzymes that effect hydroxylation. The aromatic amino acid hydroxylases include phenylalanine hydroxylase, tyrosine hydroxylase, and tryptophan hydroxylases. They are involved in the synthesis of neurotransmitters catecholamine and serotonin. Tetrahydrobiopterin is also required for the functioning of alkylglycerol monooxygenase, whereby monoalkylglycerols are broken down to glycerol and an aldehyde. In the synthesis of nitric oxide the pterin-dependent nitric oxide synthase converts arginine to its N-hydroxy derivative, which in turn releases nitric oxide.
Other pterins
Tetrahydromethanopterin is a cofactor in methanogenesis, which is a metabolism adopted by many organisms, as a form of anaerobic respiration.
Pterin pigments
Cyanopterin is a glycosylated derivative of pteridine, having an unknown function in cyanobacteria.
See also
Notes
Sources
External links
