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An Overview of Homocysteine Metabolism

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Homocysteine in Protein Structure/Function and Human Disease

Abstract

Mammals, in contrast to bacteria and plants, cannot make their own methionine (Met). Thus, in humans and animals, Met is an essential amino acid that is provided in the form of proteins ingested as food. In our digestive tract dietary proteins are hydrolyzed to amino acids. Met released from dietary proteins is taken up by the epithelium of the digestive tract and transported in the blood to cells of various organs. In every cell of the body Met is metabolized by two major pathways (Fig. 1.1): (1) as a building block to make new proteins in the ribosomal protein biosynthetic apparatus and (2) as a precursor of S-adenosylmethionine (AdoMet), a universal donor that provides methyl groups for biological methylation reactions and propyl groups for polyamine biosynthesis (both derived from Met). In metabolic pathways (1) and (2), Met is activated by reactions with ATP, albeit in a pathway-specific manner: the carboxyl group of Met is activated in pathway (1), while the thioether sulfur atom is activated in pathway (2).

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  1. Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, UMDNJ-New Jersey Medical School International Center for Public Health, Newark, NJ, USA

    Hieronim Jakubowski

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Jakubowski, H. (2013). An Overview of Homocysteine Metabolism. In: Homocysteine in Protein Structure/Function and Human Disease. Springer, Vienna. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-7091-1410-0_2

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