Biomaterial Database

delta-Aminolevulinic acid synthase from Euglena gracilis. 1981

S I Beale, and T Foley, and V Dzelzkalns

delta-Aminolevulinic acid (ALA) synthase [succinyl-CoA:glycine C-succinyltransferase (decarboxylating), EC 2.3.1.37] activity was detected in cell extracts of the unicellular green flagellate alga Euglena gracilis. The enzyme was identified by substrate and cofactor requirements, and activity was proportional to number of cells extracted and duration of incubation. The incubation product was spectrophotometrically and chromatographically identical to ALA. ALA synthase activity is present in two wild-type strains, Z and bacillaris, and in nongreening, aplastidic strains derived from them. When grown in the dark, wild-type strains have amounts of ALA synthase activity equal to the amounts in their aplastidic derivative strains. Growth in the light or dark does not affect the level of ALA synthase activity in the aplastidic strains, but the wild-type strains have only one-third as much activity when grown in the light. We propose that ALA synthase is responsible for nonplastid tetrapyrrole biosynthesis in Euglena.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D007700	Kinetics	The rate dynamics in chemical or physical systems.
D008027	Light	That portion of the electromagnetic spectrum in the visible, ultraviolet, and infrared range.	Light, Visible,Photoradiation,Radiation, Visible,Visible Radiation,Photoradiations,Radiations, Visible,Visible Light,Visible Radiations
D003624	Darkness	The absence of light.	Darknesses
D005055	Euglena	A genus of EUKARYOTES, in the phylum EUGLENIDA, found mostly in stagnant water. Characteristics include a pellicle usually marked by spiral or longitudinal striations.	Euglenas
D000624	5-Aminolevulinate Synthetase	An enzyme of the transferase class that catalyzes condensation of the succinyl group from succinyl coenzyme A with glycine to form delta-aminolevulinate. It is a pyridoxyal phosphate protein and the reaction occurs in mitochondria as the first step of the heme biosynthetic pathway. The enzyme is a key regulatory enzyme in heme biosynthesis. In liver feedback is inhibited by heme. EC 2.3.1.37.	Aminolevulinic Acid Synthetase,delta-Aminolevulinate Synthase,5-Aminolevulinate Synthase,delta-Aminolevulinic Acid Synthetase,5 Aminolevulinate Synthase,5 Aminolevulinate Synthetase,Acid Synthetase, Aminolevulinic,Acid Synthetase, delta-Aminolevulinic,Synthase, 5-Aminolevulinate,Synthase, delta-Aminolevulinate,Synthetase, 5-Aminolevulinate,Synthetase, Aminolevulinic Acid,Synthetase, delta-Aminolevulinic Acid,delta Aminolevulinate Synthase,delta Aminolevulinic Acid Synthetase
D013045	Species Specificity	The restriction of a characteristic behavior, anatomical structure or physical system, such as immune response; metabolic response, or gene or gene variant to the members of one species. It refers to that property which differentiates one species from another but it is also used for phylogenetic levels higher or lower than the species.	Species Specificities,Specificities, Species,Specificity, Species
D013053	Spectrophotometry	The art or process of comparing photometrically the relative intensities of the light in different parts of the spectrum.