Tryptophan hydroxylase (TPH) is an
enzyme
Enzymes () are proteins that act as biological catalysts by accelerating chemical reactions. The molecules upon which enzymes may act are called substrates, and the enzyme converts the substrates into different molecules known as products. A ...
() involved in the synthesis of the neurotransmitter
serotonin
Serotonin () or 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) is a monoamine neurotransmitter. Its biological function is complex and multifaceted, modulating mood, cognition, reward, learning, memory, and numerous physiological processes such as vomiting and vas ...
.
Tyrosine hydroxylase
Tyrosine hydroxylase or tyrosine 3-monooxygenase is the enzyme responsible for catalyzing the conversion of the amino acid L-tyrosine to L-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (L-DOPA). It does so using molecular oxygen (O2), as well as iron (Fe2+) and t ...
,
phenylalanine hydroxylase
Phenylalanine hydroxylase. (PAH) () is an enzyme that catalyzes the hydroxylation of the aromatic side-chain of phenylalanine to generate tyrosine. PAH is one of three members of the biopterin-dependent aromatic amino acid hydroxylases, a class ...
, and tryptophan hydroxylase together constitute the family of biopterin-dependent
aromatic amino acid hydroxylase
Biopterin-dependent aromatic amino acid hydroxylases (AAAH) are a family of aromatic amino acid hydroxylase enzymes which includes phenylalanine 4-hydroxylase (), tyrosine 3-hydroxylase (), and tryptophan 5-hydroxylase (). These enzymes primaril ...
s. TPH catalyzes the following chemical reaction
: L-
tryptophan
Tryptophan (symbol Trp or W)
is an α-amino acid that is used in the biosynthesis of proteins. Tryptophan contains an α-amino group, an α- carboxylic acid group, and a side chain indole, making it a polar molecule with a non-polar aromatic ...
+
tetrahydrobiopterin
Tetrahydrobiopterin (BH4, THB), also known as sapropterin (INN), is a cofactor of the three aromatic amino acid hydroxylase enzymes, used in the degradation of amino acid phenylalanine and in the biosynthesis of the neurotransmitters serotonin ...
+ O
2 5-Hydroxytryptophan
5-Hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP), also known as oxitriptan, is a naturally occurring amino acid and chemical precursor as well as a metabolic intermediate in the biosynthesis of the neurotransmitter serotonin.
Uses
5-HTP is sold over the counter i ...
+
dihydrobiopterin
Dihydrobiopterin (BH2) is a pteridine compound produced in the synthesis of L-DOPA, dopamine, serotonin, norepinephrine and epinephrine. It is restored to the required cofactor tetrahydrobiopterin by dihydrobiopterin reductase.
See also
* Pt ...
+ H
2O
It employs one additional
cofactor,
iron
Iron () is a chemical element with symbol Fe (from la, ferrum) and atomic number 26. It is a metal that belongs to the first transition series and group 8 of the periodic table. It is, by mass, the most common element on Earth, right in f ...
.
Function
It is responsible for addition of the -OH group (
hydroxylation
In chemistry, hydroxylation can refer to:
*(i) most commonly, hydroxylation describes a chemical process that introduces a hydroxyl group () into an organic compound.
*(ii) the ''degree of hydroxylation'' refers to the number of OH groups in a ...
) to the 5 position to form the
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 ...
5-hydroxytryptophan
5-Hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP), also known as oxitriptan, is a naturally occurring amino acid and chemical precursor as well as a metabolic intermediate in the biosynthesis of the neurotransmitter serotonin.
Uses
5-HTP is sold over the counter i ...
(5-HTP), which is the initial and rate-limiting step in the synthesis of the neurotransmitter serotonin. It is also the first enzyme in the synthesis of melatonin.
Tryptophan hydroxylase (TPH),
tyrosine hydroxylase
Tyrosine hydroxylase or tyrosine 3-monooxygenase is the enzyme responsible for catalyzing the conversion of the amino acid L-tyrosine to L-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (L-DOPA). It does so using molecular oxygen (O2), as well as iron (Fe2+) and t ...
(TH) and
phenylalanine hydroxylase
Phenylalanine hydroxylase. (PAH) () is an enzyme that catalyzes the hydroxylation of the aromatic side-chain of phenylalanine to generate tyrosine. PAH is one of three members of the biopterin-dependent aromatic amino acid hydroxylases, a class ...
(PAH) are members of a superfamily of
aromatic amino acid hydroxylase
Biopterin-dependent aromatic amino acid hydroxylases (AAAH) are a family of aromatic amino acid hydroxylase enzymes which includes phenylalanine 4-hydroxylase (), tyrosine 3-hydroxylase (), and tryptophan 5-hydroxylase (). These enzymes primaril ...
s, catalyzing key steps in important metabolic pathways.
Analogously to
phenylalanine hydroxylase
Phenylalanine hydroxylase. (PAH) () is an enzyme that catalyzes the hydroxylation of the aromatic side-chain of phenylalanine to generate tyrosine. PAH is one of three members of the biopterin-dependent aromatic amino acid hydroxylases, a class ...
and
tyrosine hydroxylase
Tyrosine hydroxylase or tyrosine 3-monooxygenase is the enzyme responsible for catalyzing the conversion of the amino acid L-tyrosine to L-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (L-DOPA). It does so using molecular oxygen (O2), as well as iron (Fe2+) and t ...
, this enzyme uses (6R)-L-erythro-5,6,7,8-
tetrahydrobiopterin
Tetrahydrobiopterin (BH4, THB), also known as sapropterin (INN), is a cofactor of the three aromatic amino acid hydroxylase enzymes, used in the degradation of amino acid phenylalanine and in the biosynthesis of the neurotransmitters serotonin ...
(BH
4) and dioxygen as cofactors.
In humans, the stimulation of serotonin production by administration of tryptophan has an antidepressant effect
and inhibition of tryptophan hydroxylase (e.g. by
p-Chlorophenylalanine
Fenclonine, also known as ''para''-chlorophenylalanine (PCPA), acts as a selective and irreversible inhibitor of tryptophan hydroxylase, which is a rate-limiting enzyme in the biosynthesis of serotonin.
It has been used experimentally to treat c ...
) may precipitate depression.
The
activity of tryptophan hydroxylase (i.e. the rate at which it converts L-tryptophan into the serotonin precursor L-5-hydroxytryptophan) can be increased when it undergoes
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 ...
.
Protein Kinase A
In cell biology, protein kinase A (PKA) is a family of enzymes whose activity is dependent on cellular levels of cyclic AMP (cAMP). PKA is also known as cAMP-dependent protein kinase (). PKA has several functions in the cell, including regulatio ...
, for example, can phosphorylate tryptophan hydroxylase, thus increasing its activity.
Isoforms
In humans, as well as in other mammals, there are two distinct TPH genes. In humans, these genes are located on chromosomes 11 and 12 and encode two different homologous enzymes ''
TPH1
Tryptophan hydroxylase 1 (TPH1) is an isoenzyme of tryptophan hydroxylase which in humans is encoded by the ''TPH1'' gene.
TPH1 was first discovered to synthesize serotonin in 1988 and was thought that there only was a single ''TPH'' gene until ...
'' and ''
TPH2
Tryptophan hydroxylase 2 (TPH2) is an isozyme of tryptophan hydroxylase found in vertebrates. In humans, TPH2 is primarily expressed in the serotonergic neurons of the brain, with the highest expression in the raphe nucleus of the midbrain. Until ...
'' (sequence identity 71%).
*TPH1 is mostly expressed in tissues that express serotonin (a neurotransmitter) in the periphery (
skin
Skin is the layer of usually soft, flexible outer tissue covering the body of a vertebrate animal, with three main functions: protection, regulation, and sensation.
Other cuticle, animal coverings, such as the arthropod exoskeleton, have diffe ...
,
gut,
pineal gland
The pineal gland, conarium, or epiphysis cerebri, is a small endocrine gland in the brain of most vertebrates. The pineal gland produces melatonin, a serotonin-derived hormone which modulates sleep, sleep patterns in both circadian rhythm, circ ...
) but it is also expressed in the central nervous system.
*On the other hand, TPH2 is exclusively expressed in
neuronal
A neuron, neurone, or nerve cell is an electrically excitable cell that communicates with other cells via specialized connections called synapses. The neuron is the main component of nervous tissue in all animals except sponges and placozoa. No ...
cell types and is the predominant isoform in the
central nervous system
The central nervous system (CNS) is the part of the nervous system consisting primarily of the brain and spinal cord. The CNS is so named because the brain integrates the received information and coordinates and influences the activity of all par ...
.
Additional images
Image:5htsynt 2.png , The pathway for the synthesis of serotonin from tryptophan
Image:Trp-5ht-pathway.svg , Metabolic pathway from tryptophan to serotonin
See also
*
References
Further reading
*
*
*
*
*
*
External links
*
* See als
tryptophan hydroxylasei
Proteopedia
EC 1.14.16
{{1.14-enzyme-stub