Chem*4570 Applied Biochemistry

Chem*4570 Applied biochemistry: Lecture 1

Applied Biochemistry

Products and tools.

Products - compounds produced by biochemical means

use of biomass to supersede use of petrochemicals

exploit complex synthesis reactions that occur efficiently in organisms

Primary metabolism

plant products e.g. gluose, starch, fats, oils
fermentation products, e.g. ethanol, glycerol, glucose, butanol, butyric acid, acetone,		tonne scale
glutamate, lysine, other amino acids, nucleotides, vitamins		100 kg scale

Primary metabolism refers to the pathways involved in energy metabolism and biosynthesis precursors for major structural components such as proteins (hence amino acids as product). Most organisms produce these compounds, but choice of organism is dictated by efficiency and scale of production, sometimes helped along by human manipulation

Secondary metabolism

plant products
e.g. alkaloids, steroids and isoprenoids,
fermentation products,
e.g antibiotics

1-10 kg scale

Secondary metabolism refers to specialized pathways generating a product not required for general metabolic purposes, often unique to a particular organism. These may be related to chemical defense or confer a competitive advantage to the producing organism, e.g. insect repellant or growth inhibitors, growth inhibitors for competing species etc. Compounds of this type may be produced for pharmaceutical use.

Enzymes and proteins

Single cell protein	used for nutrients, production of amino acid mixtures	tonne scale
Enzymes	used for in vitro processing forensic and diagnostic uses	g to kg scale
antibodies	medical, diagnostic, forensic	g scale
blood factors	medical	kg scale
Peptide and protein hormones	medical	g to kg scale

An objective in the industrial setting is that value of product must exceed the cost of production (not a common factor in a research setting!) Different considerations for

Ethanol - costing about 75 cents per litre from petrochemicals

Antibody based diagnostic kits - $$$$ pe microgram.

Examples of products of secondary metabolism

Alkaloids

Nitrogen bases, often synthetically derived from amino acids, or from amino acid precursors. Many ring compounds are derived either from phenylalanine or tyrosine or from their precursors shikimate and prephenate.

examples

Vinblastine, vincristine antimitotic, anticancer drugs

Atropine muscle relaxant, anti nerve gas

Ephedrine bronchiodilator
morphine narcotic (Lehninger p.843)
caffeine, theophylline,
theobromine stimulant, cAMP phosphodiesterase inhibitors
theophylline - no m⁷
theobromine - no m¹

Isoprenoids

Compounds derived from condensation reactions of acetyl-CoA, which appear to be derived from the five-carbon unit isoprene (Lehninger pp.799-813)

Antibiotics

Not to be confused with antibodies, which are proteins.

penicillin type amino acid derivatives Lehninger p.746-747

Streptomycin type aminoglycosides,
sugar derivatives Lehninger p. 1056

Tetracycline type Anthraquinone
acetyl CoA condensation Lehninger p.1056

Erythromycin macrolides
acetyl CoA condensation

Valinomycin cyclic peptides Lehninger p.423

Vinblastine, vincristine		antimitotic, anticancer drugs
Atropine		muscle relaxant, anti nerve gas
Ephedrine		bronchiodilator
morphine		narcotic (Lehninger p.843)
caffeine, theophylline, theobromine		stimulant, cAMP phosphodiesterase inhibitors
		theophylline - no m⁷ theobromine - no m¹

penicillin type	amino acid derivatives	Lehninger p.746-747
Streptomycin type	aminoglycosides, sugar derivatives	Lehninger p. 1056
Tetracycline type	Anthraquinone acetyl CoA condensation	Lehninger p.1056
Erythromycin	macrolides acetyl CoA condensation
Valinomycin	cyclic peptides	Lehninger p.423