Threonine (symbol Thr or T) is an

amino acid Amino acids are organic compounds that contain both amino and carboxylic acid functional groups. Although hundreds of amino acids exist in nature, by far the most important are the alpha-amino acids, which comprise proteins. Only 22 alpha am ...

that is used in the

biosynthesis Biosynthesis is a multi-step, enzyme-catalyzed process where substrates are converted into more complex products in living organisms. In biosynthesis, simple compounds are modified, converted into other compounds, or joined to form macromolecules. ...

protein Proteins are large biomolecules and macromolecules that comprise one or more long chains of amino acid residues. Proteins perform a vast array of functions within organisms, including catalysing metabolic reactions, DNA replication, respo ...

s. It contains an α-amino group (which is in the protonated −NH form under biological conditions), a

carboxyl group In organic chemistry, a carboxylic acid is an organic acid that contains a carboxyl group () attached to an R-group. The general formula of a carboxylic acid is or , with R referring to the alkyl, alkenyl, aryl, or other group. Carboxylic ...

(which is in the deprotonated −COO⁻ form under biological conditions), and a side chain containing a

hydroxyl group In chemistry, a hydroxy or hydroxyl group is a functional group with the chemical formula and composed of one oxygen atom covalently bonded to one hydrogen atom. In organic chemistry, alcohols and carboxylic acids contain one or more hydroxy g ...

, making it a polar, uncharged amino acid. It is essential in humans, meaning the body cannot synthesize it: it must be obtained from the diet. Threonine is synthesized from

aspartate Aspartic acid (symbol Asp or D; the ionic form is known as aspartate), is an α-amino acid that is used in the biosynthesis of proteins. Like all other amino acids, it contains an amino group and a carboxylic acid. Its α-amino group is in the pro ...

in bacteria such as ''E. coli''. It is

encoded In communications and information processing, code is a system of rules to convert information—such as a letter, word, sound, image, or gesture—into another form, sometimes shortened or secret, for communication through a communication ...

by all the

codon The genetic code is the set of rules used by living cells to translate information encoded within genetic material ( DNA or RNA sequences of nucleotide triplets, or codons) into proteins. Translation is accomplished by the ribosome, which links ...

s starting AC (ACU, ACC, ACA, and ACG). Threonine sidechains are often hydrogen bonded; the most common small motifs formed are based on interactions with

serine Serine (symbol Ser or S) is an α-amino acid that is used in the biosynthesis of proteins. It contains an α-amino group (which is in the protonated − form under biological conditions), a carboxyl group (which is in the deprotonated − form un ...

ST turn The ST turn is a structural feature in proteins and polypeptides. Each consists of three amino acid residues (labeled ''i'', ''i'' + 1 and ''i'' + 2) in which residue ''i'' is a serine (S) or threonine (T) that forms a hydrogen b ...

ST motif The ST motif is a commonly occurring feature in proteins and polypeptides. It consists of four or five amino acid residues with either serine or threonine as the first residue (residue ''i''). It is defined by two internal hydrogen bonds. One is bet ...

s (often at the beginning of alpha helices) and

ST staple The ST staple is a common four- or five-amino acid residue motif in proteins and polypeptides with serine or threonine as the C-terminal residue. It is characterized by a single hydrogen bond between the hydroxyl group of the serine or threoni ...

s (usually at the middle of alpha helices).

Modifications

The threonine residue is susceptible to numerous

posttranslational modification Post-translational modification (PTM) is the covalent and generally enzymatic modification of proteins following protein biosynthesis. This process occurs in the endoplasmic reticulum and the golgi apparatus. Proteins are synthesized by ribosome ...

s. The

hydroxyl In chemistry, a hydroxy or hydroxyl group is a functional group with the chemical formula and composed of one oxygen atom covalently bonded to one hydrogen atom. In organic chemistry, alcohols and carboxylic acids contain one or more hydroxy ...

side-chain can undergo ''O''-linked glycosylation. In addition, threonine residues undergo

phosphorylation In chemistry, phosphorylation is the attachment of a phosphate group to a molecule or an ion. This process and its inverse, dephosphorylation, are common in biology and could be driven by natural selection. Text was copied from this source, wh ...

through the action of a threonine

kinase In biochemistry, a kinase () is an enzyme that catalyzes the transfer of phosphate groups from high-energy, phosphate-donating molecules to specific substrates. This process is known as phosphorylation, where the high-energy ATP molecule don ...

. In its phosphorylated form, it can be referred to as

phosphothreonine Threonine (symbol Thr or T) is an amino acid that is used in the biosynthesis of proteins. It contains an α-amino group (which is in the protonated −NH form under biological conditions), a carboxyl group (which is in the deprotonated −COO� ...

. Phosphothreonine has three potential coordination sites (carboxyl, amine and phosphate group) and determination of the mode of coordination between phosphorylated ligands and metal ions occurring in an organism is important to explain the function of the phosphothreonine in biological processes.

History

Threonine was the last of the 20 common

proteinogenic Proteinogenic amino acids are amino acids that are incorporated biosynthetically into proteins during translation. The word "proteinogenic" means "protein creating". Throughout known life, there are 22 genetically encoded (proteinogenic) amino aci ...

amino acids to be discovered. It was discovered in 1936 by

William Cumming Rose William Cumming Rose (April 4, 1887 – September 25, 1985) was an American biochemist and nutritionist. He discovered the amino acid threonine, and his research determined the necessity for essential amino acids in diet and the minimum daily re ...

, collaborating with Curtis Meyer. The amino acid was named threonine because it was similar in structure to

threonic acid Threonic acid is a sugar acid derived from threose. The -isomer is a metabolite of ascorbic acid (vitamin C). One study suggested that because -threonate inhibits DKK1 expression ''in vitro'', it may have potential in treatment of androgenic alope ...

, a four-carbon

monosaccharide Monosaccharides (from Greek ''monos'': single, '' sacchar'': sugar), also called simple sugars, are the simplest forms of sugar and the most basic units (monomers) from which all carbohydrates are built. They are usually colorless, water-solub ...

with

molecular formula In chemistry, a chemical formula is a way of presenting information about the chemical proportions of atoms that constitute a particular chemical compound or molecule, using chemical element symbols, numbers, and sometimes also other symbols, ...

C₄H₈O₅

Stereoisomers

Threonine is one of two proteinogenic amino acids with two

stereogenic In stereochemistry, a stereocenter of a molecule is an atom (center), axis or plane that is the focus of stereoisomerism; that is, when having at least three different groups bound to the stereocenter, interchanging any two different groups cr ...

centers, the other being

isoleucine Isoleucine (symbol Ile or I) is an α-amino acid that is used in the biosynthesis of proteins. It contains an α-amino group (which is in the protonated −NH form under biological conditions), an α-carboxylic acid group (which is in the deprot ...

. Threonine can exist in four possible

stereoisomer In stereochemistry, stereoisomerism, or spatial isomerism, is a form of isomerism in which molecules have the same molecular formula and sequence of bonded atoms (constitution), but differ in the three-dimensional orientations of their atoms in ...

s with the following configurations: (2''S'',3''R''), (2''R'',3''S''), (2''S'',3''S'') and (2''R'',3''R''). However, the name L-threonine is used for one single

, (2''S'',3''R'')-2-amino-3-hydroxybutanoic acid. The second stereoisomer (2''S'',3''S''), which is rarely present in nature, is called L-allothreonine. The two stereoisomers (2''R'',3''S'')- and (2''R'',3''R'')-2-amino-3-hydroxybutanoic acid are only of minor importance.

Biosynthesis

As an essential amino acid, threonine is not synthesized in humans, and needs to be present in proteins in the diet. Adult humans require about 20 mg/kg body weight/day. In plants and microorganisms, threonine is synthesized from

aspartic acid Aspartic acid (symbol Asp or D; the ionic form is known as aspartate), is an α-amino acid that is used in the biosynthesis of proteins. Like all other amino acids, it contains an amino group and a carboxylic acid. Its α-amino group is in the pro ...

via α-aspartyl-semialdehyde and

homoserine Homoserine (also called isothreonine) is an α-amino acid with the chemical formula HO2CCH(NH2)CH2CH2OH. -Homoserine is not one of the common amino acids encoded by DNA. It differs from the proteinogenic amino acid serine by insertion of an additi ...

. Homoserine undergoes ''O''-phosphorylation; this phosphate

ester In chemistry, an ester is a compound derived from an oxoacid (organic or inorganic) in which at least one hydroxyl group () is replaced by an alkoxy group (), as in the substitution reaction of a carboxylic acid and an alcohol. Glycerides ar ...

undergoes hydrolysis concomitant with relocation of the OH group. Enzymes involved in a typical biosynthesis of threonine include: #

aspartokinase Aspartate kinase or aspartokinase (AK) is an enzyme that catalyzes the phosphorylation of the amino acid aspartate. This reaction is the first step in the biosynthesis of three other amino acids: methionine, lysine, and threonine, known as the " ...

# β-aspartate semialdehyde dehydrogenase #

homoserine dehydrogenase In enzymology, a homoserine dehydrogenase () is an enzyme that catalyzes the chemical reaction :L-homoserine + NAD(P)+ \rightleftharpoons L-aspartate 4-semialdehyde + NAD(P)H + H+ The 2 substrates of this enzyme are L-homoserine and NAD+ ( ...

homoserine kinase In enzymology, a homoserine kinase () is an enzyme that catalyzes the chemical reaction :ATP + L-homoserine \rightleftharpoons ADP + O-phospho-L-homoserine Thus, the two substrates of this enzyme are ATP and L-homoserine, whereas its two pro ...

threonine synthase The enzyme threonine synthase (EC 4.2.3.1) catalyzes the chemical reaction :''O''-phospho-L-homoserine + H2O \rightleftharpoons L-threonine + phosphate This enzyme belongs to the family of lyases, specifically those carbon-oxygen lyases acting ...

Metabolism

Threonine is metabolized in at least three ways: * In many animals it is converted to

pyruvate Pyruvic acid (CH3COCOOH) is the simplest of the alpha-keto acids, with a carboxylic acid and a ketone functional group. Pyruvate, the conjugate base, CH3COCOO−, is an intermediate in several metabolic pathways throughout the cell. Pyruvic aci ...

via

threonine dehydrogenase In enzymology, a L-threonine 3-dehydrogenase () is an enzyme that catalyzes the chemical reaction :L-threonine + NAD+ \rightleftharpoons L-2-amino-3-oxobutanoate + NADH + H+ Thus, the two substrates of this enzyme are L-threonine and NAD+, ...

. An intermediate in this pathway can undergo

thiolysis Thiolysis is a reaction with a thiol (R-SH) that cleaves one compound into two. Thiolysis involves the addition of coenzyme A to one of the products. This reaction is similar to hydrolysis, which involves water instead of a thiol. This reaction is s ...

with CoA to produce

acetyl-CoA Acetyl-CoA (acetyl coenzyme A) is a molecule that participates in many biochemical reactions in protein, carbohydrate and lipid metabolism. Its main function is to deliver the acetyl group to the citric acid cycle (Krebs cycle) to be oxidized for ...

and

glycine Glycine (symbol Gly or G; ) is an amino acid that has a single hydrogen atom as its side chain. It is the simplest stable amino acid (carbamic acid is unstable), with the chemical formula NH2‐ CH2‐ COOH. Glycine is one of the proteinogeni ...

. * In humans the gene for threonine dehydrogenase is an inactive

pseudogene Pseudogenes are nonfunctional segments of DNA that resemble functional genes. Most arise as superfluous copies of functional genes, either directly by DNA duplication or indirectly by Reverse transcriptase, reverse transcription of an mRNA trans ...

, so threonine is converted to α-ketobutyrate. The mechanism of the first step is analogous to that catalyzed by

serine dehydratase Serine dehydratase or L-serine ammonia lyase (SDH) is in the β-family of pyridoxal phosphate-dependent (PLP) enzymes. SDH is found widely in nature, but its structural and properties vary among species. SDH is found in yeast, bacteria, and the ...

, and the serine and threonine dehydratase reactions are probably catalyzed by the same enzyme. * In many organisms it is O-phosphorylated by a kinase preparatory to further metabolism. This is especially important in

bacteria Bacteria (; singular: bacterium) are ubiquitous, mostly free-living organisms often consisting of one biological cell. They constitute a large domain of prokaryotic microorganisms. Typically a few micrometres in length, bacteria were among ...

as part of the

biosynthesis of cobalamin Cobalamin biosynthesis is the process by which bacteria and archea make cobalamin, vitamin B12. Many steps are involved in converting aminolevulinic acid via uroporphyrinogen III and adenosylcobyric acid to the final forms in which it is used by ...

(

Vitamin B12 Vitamin B12, also known as cobalamin, is a water-soluble vitamin involved in metabolism. It is one of eight B vitamins. It is required by animals, which use it as a cofactor in DNA synthesis, in both fatty acid and amino acid metabolism. It ...

), as the product is converted to (R)-1-aminopropan-2-ol for incorporation into the vitamin's sidechain. *Threonine is used to synthesize glycine during the endogenous production of L-carnitine in the brain and liver of rats.

Sources

Foods high in threonine include

cottage cheese Cottage cheese is a curdled milk product with a mild flavor and a creamy, non-homogeneous, soupy texture. It is made from skimmed milk by draining the cheese, as opposed to pressing it to make cheese curd—retaining some of the whey and keeping ...

poultry Poultry () are domesticated birds kept by humans for their eggs, their meat or their feathers. These birds are most typically members of the superorder Galloanserae (fowl), especially the order Galliformes (which includes chickens, quails, a ...

fish Fish are aquatic, craniate, gill-bearing animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish as well as various extinct related groups. Approximately 95% of li ...

meat Meat is animal flesh that is eaten as food. Humans have hunted, farmed, and scavenged animals for meat since prehistoric times. The establishment of settlements in the Neolithic Revolution allowed the domestication of animals such as chic ...

lentil The lentil (''Lens culinaris'' or ''Lens esculenta'') is an edible legume. It is an annual plant known for its lens-shaped seeds. It is about tall, and the seeds grow in pods, usually with two seeds in each. As a food crop, the largest pro ...

black turtle bean The black turtle bean is a small, shiny variety of the common bean ('' Phaseolus vulgaris'') especially popular in Latin American cuisine, though it can also be found in the Cajun and Creole cuisines of south Louisiana. Like all varieties of th ...

and

sesame Sesame ( or ; ''Sesamum indicum'') is a flowering plant in the genus ''Sesamum'', also called benne. Numerous wild relatives occur in Africa and a smaller number in India. It is widely naturalized in tropical regions around the world and is cu ...

seeds.

Racemic In chemistry, a racemic mixture, or racemate (), is one that has equal amounts of left- and right-handed enantiomers of a chiral molecule or salt. Racemic mixtures are rare in nature, but many compounds are produced industrially as racemates. ...

threonine can be prepared from

crotonic acid Crotonic acid ((2''E'')-but-2-enoic acid) is a short-chain unsaturated carboxylic acid, described by the formula CH3CH=CHCO2H. It is called crotonic acid because it was erroneously thought to be a saponification product of croton oil. It crysta ...

by alpha-functionalization using

mercury(II) acetate Mercury(II) acetate is the chemical compound with the formula Hg( O2 CC H3)2. Commonly abbreviated Hg(OAc)2, this compound is employed as a reagent to generate organomercury compounds from unsaturated organic precursors. It is a white water-solu ...

References

External links

Threonine biosynthesisCID 205CID 6288
{{Glycinergics Proteinogenic amino acids Glucogenic amino acids Ketogenic amino acids Essential amino acids Glycine receptor agonists