From vitamers Animals are
auxotroph for this enzyme co-factor and require it or an intermediate to be supplemented, hence its classification as a vitamin, unlike
MoCo or
CoQ10 for example. PLP is synthesized from pyridoxal by the enzyme
pyridoxal kinase (gene
PDXK), requiring one ATP molecule. PDXK can also produce 5'-phosphates of the other vitamers (
pyridoxine and
pyridoxamine), with
pyridoxine 5′-phosphate oxidase converting these alternative 5'-phosphates into PLP. PLP is made and metabolized in the liver. PLP and other vitamin B6 phosphates can be broken down by
pyridoxal phosphatase, which removes the phosphate group.
DXP-dependent biosynthesis The DXP-dependent biosynthetic route requires several steps and a convergence of two branches, one producing
3-hydroxy-1-aminoacetone phosphate from
erythrose 4-phosphate, while the other (single enzyme) producing
deoxyxylulose 5-phosphate (DXP) from
glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate (GAP) and
pyruvate. The condensation product of
3-hydroxy-1-aminoacetone phosphate and
deoxyxylulose 5-phosphate is
pyridoxine 5'-phosphate. The condensation is catalyzed by
PNP synthase, encoded by
pdxJ, which creates PNP (pyridoxine 5' phosphate). The final enzyme is
PNP oxidase (
pdxH), which catalyzes the oxidation of the 4' hydroxyl group to an aldehyde using dioxigen, resulting in hydrogen peroxide. The first branch is catalyzed in
E. coli by enzymes encoded by
epd,
pdxB,
serC and
pdxA. These share mechanistical similarities and homology with the three enzymes in serine biosynthesis (
serA (homologue of
pdxB),
serC,
serB — however,
epd is a homologue of
gap), which points towards a shared evolutionary origin of the two pathways. In several species there are two homologues of the
E. coli serC gene, generally one in a ser operon (
serC), and the other in a pdx operon, in which case it is called
pdxF. A "serendipitous pathway" was found in an overexpression library that could suppress the auxotrophy caused by the deletion of pdxB (encoding erythronate 4 phosphate dehydrogenase) in
E. coli. The serendipitous pathway was very inefficient, but was possible due to the
promiscuous activity of various enzymes. It started with 3-phosphohydroxypyruvate (the product of the
serA-encoded enzyme in serine biosynthesis) and did not require erythronate-4-phosphate. 3PHP was dephosphorylated, resulting in an unstable intermediate that decarboxylates spontaneously (hence the presence of the phosphate in the serine biosynthetic pathway) to glycaldehyde. Glycaldehyde was condensed with glycine and the phosphorylated product was 4-phosphohydroxythreonine (4PHT), the canonical substrate for 4-PHT dehydrogenase (
pdxA).
DXP-independent biosynthesis The DXP-independent PLP-biosynthetic route consists of a step catalyzed by
Pyridoxal 5'-phosphate synthase (glutamine hydrolyzing), an enzyme composed of two subunits. PdxS catalyzes the condensation of ribulose 5-phosphate, glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate, and
ammonia, this latter molecules is produced by PdxT which catalyzes the production of ammonia from
glutamine. PdxS is a (β/α)8 barrel (also known as a TIM-barrel) that forms a dodecamer.
Abiotic synthesis The widespread utilization of PLP in central metabolism, especially in amino acid biosynthesis, and its activity in the absence of enzymes, suggests PLP may be a "prebiotic" compound—that is, one that predates the origin of organic life (not to be confused with
prebiotic compounds, substances which serve as a food source for beneficial bacteria). In fact, heating
NH3 and
Glycolaldehyde spontaneously forms a variety of pyridines, including pyridoxal. ==Inhibitors==