Dyspropterin (6-pyruvoyltetrahydropterin, 6-PTHB) is an intermediate in

tetrahydrobiopterin Tetrahydrobiopterin (BH4, THB), also known as sapropterin ( INN), is a cofactor of the three aromatic amino acid hydroxylase enzymes, used in the metabolism of amino acid phenylalanine and in the biosynthesis of the neurotransmitters serotoni ...

biosynthesis Biosynthesis, i.e., chemical synthesis occurring in biological contexts, is a term most often referring to multi-step, enzyme-Catalysis, catalyzed processes where chemical substances absorbed as nutrients (or previously converted through biosynthe ...

. It is the product of the enzyme 6-pyruvoyltetrahydropterin synthase and the substrate of two enzymes,

6-pyruvoyltetrahydropterin 2'-reductase In enzymology, a 6-pyruvoyltetrahydropterin 2'-reductase () is an enzyme that catalyzes the chemical reaction :6-lactoyl-5,6,7,8-tetrahydropterin + NADP+ \rightleftharpoons 6-pyruvoyltetrahydropterin + NADPH + H+ Thus, the two substrates of thi ...

and sepiapterin reductase. Dyspropterin exists in all living organisms, ranging from bacteria to humans. Dyspropterin has been detected, but not quantified in, a few different foods, such as ducks (

Anatidae The Anatidae are the biological family (biology), family of water birds that includes ducks, goose, geese, and swans. The family has a cosmopolitan distribution, occurring on all the world's continents except Antarctica. These birds are adapted f ...

), chickens (Gallus gallus), and domestic pigs (Sus scrofa domestica). This could make dyspropterin a potential biomarker for the consumption of these foods.

References

Pteridines {{organic-compound-stub

See also

References