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Phosphorylation of pyridoxal 5′-phosphate enzymes: an intriguing and neglected topic

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Abstract

Pyridoxal 5′-phosphate (PLP)-dependent enzymes catalyze a wide range of reactions of amino acids and amines, with the exception of glycogen phosphorylase which exhibits peculiar both substrate preference and chemical mechanism. They represent about 4% of the gene products in eukaryotic cells. Although structure–function investigations regarding these enzymes are copious, their regulation by post-translational modifications is largely unknown. Protein phosphorylation is the most common post-translational modification fundamental in mediating diverse cellular functions. This review aims at summarizing the current knowledge on regulation of PLP enzymes by phosphorylation. Starting from the paradigmatic PLP-dependent glycogen phosphorylase, the first phosphoprotein discovered, we collect data in literature regarding functional phosphorylation events of eleven PLP enzymes belonging to different fold types and discuss the impact of the modification in affecting their activity and localization as well as the implications on the pathogenesis of diseases in which many of these enzymes are involved. The pivotal question is to correlate the structural consequences of phosphorylation among PLP enzymes of different folds with the functional modifications exerted in terms of activity or conformational changes or others. Although the literature shows that the phosphorylation of PLP enzymes plays important roles in mediating diverse cellular functions, our recapitulation of clue findings in the field makes clear that there is still much to be learnt. Besides mass spectrometry-based proteomic analyses, further biochemical and structural studies on purified native proteins are imperative to fully understand and predict how phosphorylation regulates PLP enzymes and to find the relationship between addition of a phosphate moiety and physiological response.

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Abbreviations

PLP:

Pyridoxal 5′-phosphate

PTM:

Post-translational modification

TAT:

Tyrosine aminotransferase

GABA:

γ-Aminobutyric acid

GABA-T:

γ-Aminobutyric acid transaminase

SPT:

Serine palmitoyl transferase

GAD:

Glutamate decarboxylase

DDC:

DOPA decarboxylase

AADC :

Aromatic amino acid decarboxylase

HDC:

Histidine decarboxylase

CSAD:

Cysteine sulfinic acid decarboxylase

SR:

Serine racemase

CBS:

Cystathionine β-synthase

ODC:

Ornithine decarboxylase

PD:

Parkinson’s disease

PKA:

Protein kinase A

PKC:

Protein kinase C

PKG:

Protein kinase G

CaMKII:

Calcium–calmodulin dependent protein kinase II

LBC1:

Long-chain base 1

LBC2:

Long-chain base 2

HSAN1:

Autonomic neuropathy type 1

NMDA:

N-methyl-d-aspartate

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by FUR2016, University of Verona, to MB.

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Correspondence to Mariarita Bertoldi.

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The authors declare no conflict of interests.

Ethical statement

The manuscript complies to the ethical rules applicable for the journal and the research does not involve data regarding humans or animals.

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Handling Editor: P. R. Jungblut.

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Rossignoli, G., Phillips, R.S., Astegno, A. et al. Phosphorylation of pyridoxal 5′-phosphate enzymes: an intriguing and neglected topic. Amino Acids 50, 205–215 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00726-017-2521-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00726-017-2521-3

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