Urocanic acid is an intermediate in the

catabolism Catabolism () is the set of metabolic pathways that breaks down molecules into smaller units that are either oxidized to release energy or used in other anabolic reactions. Catabolism breaks down large molecules (such as polysaccharides, li ...

of L-

histidine Histidine (symbol His or H) is an essential amino acid that is used in the biosynthesis of proteins. It contains an α-amino group (which is in the protonated –NH3+ form under biological conditions), a carboxylic acid group (which is in the ...

Metabolism

It is formed from L-histidine through the action of histidine ammonialyase (also known as histidase or histidinase) by elimination of ammonium. In the liver, urocanic acid is transformed by

urocanate hydratase Urocanase (also known as imidazolonepropionate hydrolase or urocanate hydratase) is the enzyme () that catalyzes the second step in the degradation of histidine, the hydration of urocanate into imidazolonepropionate. Urocanase is coded for by the ...

(or

urocanase Urocanase (also known as imidazolonepropionate hydrolase or urocanate hydratase) is the enzyme () that catalyzes the second step in the degradation of histidine, the hydration of urocanate into imidazolonepropionate. Urocanase is coded for by the ...

) to 4-imidazolone-5-propionic acid and subsequently to

glutamic acid Glutamic acid (symbol Glu or E; the ionic form is known as glutamate) is an α-amino acid that is used by almost all living beings in the biosynthesis of proteins. It is a non-essential nutrient for humans, meaning that the human body can synt ...

Clinical significance

Inherited deficiency of urocanase leads to elevated levels of urocanic acid in the urine, a condition known as urocanic aciduria. An important role for the onset of

atopic dermatitis Atopic dermatitis (AD), also known as atopic eczema, is a long-term type of inflammation of the skin ( dermatitis). It results in itchy, red, swollen, and cracked skin. Clear fluid may come from the affected areas, which often thickens over tim ...

and asthma has been attributed to

filaggrin Filaggrin (filament aggregating protein) is a filament-associated protein that binds to keratin fibers in epithelial cells. Ten to twelve filaggrin units are post-translationally hydrolyzed from a large profilaggrin precursor protein during termi ...

, a skin precursor of urocanic acid. Urocanic acid is thought to be a significant attractant of the nematode parasite '' Strongyloides stercoralis'', in part because of relatively high levels in the plantar surfaces of the feet, the site through which this parasite often enters the body.

Function

Urocanic acid was detected in animal sweat and skin where, among other possible functions, it acts as an endogenous sunscreen or photoprotectant against UVB-induced DNA damage. Urocanic acid is found predominantly in the

stratum corneum The stratum corneum (Latin for 'horny layer') is the outermost layer of the epidermis. The human stratum corneum comprises several levels of flattened corneocytes that are divided into two layers: the ''stratum disjunctum'' and ''stratum compa ...

of the skin and it is likely that most of it is derived from filaggrin catabolism (a histidine-rich protein). When exposed to UVB irradiation, trans-urocanic acid is converted ''in vitro'' and ''in vivo'' to the cis isomer. The cis form is known to activate

regulatory T cells The regulatory T cells (Tregs or Treg cells), formerly known as suppressor T cells, are a subpopulation of T cells that modulate the immune system, maintain tolerance to self-antigens, and prevent autoimmune disease. Treg cells are immunosu ...

. Some studies attribute filaggrin an important role in keeping the skin surface slightly acidic, through a breaking down mechanism to form histidine and subsequently trans-urocanic acid, however others have shown that the filaggrin–histidine–urocanic acid cascade is not essential for skin acidification.

History

Urocanic acid was first isolated in 1874 by the chemist

Max Jaffé The Jaffe reaction is a colorimetric method used in clinical chemistry to determine creatinine levels in blood and urine. In 1886, Max Jaffe (1841–1911) wrote about its basic principles in the paper ''Über den Niederschlag, welchen Pikrinsäur ...

from the urine of a dog, hence the name ( la, urina = urine, and ''canis'' = dog).

References

External links