Succinyl-coenzyme A, abbreviated as succinyl-CoA () or SucCoA, is a

thioester In organic chemistry, thioesters are organosulfur compounds with the molecular structure . They are analogous to carboxylate esters () with the sulfur in the thioester replacing oxygen in the carboxylate ester, as implied by the thio- prefix ...

succinic acid Succinic acid () is a dicarboxylic acid with the chemical formula (CH2)2(CO2H)2. In living organisms, succinic acid takes the form of an anion, succinate, which has multiple biological roles as a metabolic intermediate being converted into fum ...

and

coenzyme A Coenzyme A (CoA, SHCoA, CoASH) is a coenzyme, notable for its role in the Fatty acid metabolism#Synthesis, synthesis and Fatty acid metabolism#.CE.B2-Oxidation, oxidation of fatty acids, and the oxidation of pyruvic acid, pyruvate in the citric ac ...

Sources

It is an important intermediate in the

citric acid cycle The citric acid cycle—also known as the Krebs cycle, Szent–Györgyi–Krebs cycle, or TCA cycle (tricarboxylic acid cycle)—is a series of chemical reaction, biochemical reactions that release the energy stored in nutrients through acetyl-Co ...

, where it is synthesized from α-ketoglutarate by

α-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase The oxoglutarate dehydrogenase complex (OGDC) or α-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase complex is an enzyme complex, most commonly known for its role in the citric acid cycle. Units Much like pyruvate dehydrogenase complex (PDC), this enzyme forms a com ...

through

decarboxylation Decarboxylation is a chemical reaction that removes a carboxyl group and releases carbon dioxide (CO2). Usually, decarboxylation refers to a reaction of carboxylic acids, removing a carbon atom from a carbon chain. The reverse process, which is ...

. During the process,

is added. With B12 as an enzymatic cofactor, it is also synthesized from propionyl CoA, the odd-numbered fatty acid, which cannot undergo beta-oxidation. Propionyl-CoA is carboxylated to D-methylmalonyl-CoA, isomerized to L-methylmalonyl-CoA, and rearranged to yield succinyl-CoA via a vitamin B₁₂-dependent enzyme. While Succinyl-CoA is an intermediate of the

, it cannot be readily incorporated there because there is no net consumption of Succinyl-CoA. Succinyl-CoA is first converted to malate, and then to pyruvate where it is then transported to the matrix to enter the citric acid cycle.

Fate

It is converted into

succinate Succinic acid () is a dicarboxylic acid with the chemical formula (CH2)2(CO2H)2. In living organisms, succinic acid takes the form of an anion, succinate, which has multiple biological roles as a metabolic intermediate being converted into Fuma ...

through the

hydrolytic Hydrolysis (; ) is any chemical reaction in which a molecule of water breaks one or more chemical bonds. The term is used broadly for substitution, elimination, and solvation reactions in which water is the nucleophile. Biological hydrolysis ...

release of coenzyme A by succinyl-CoA synthetase (succinate thiokinase). Another fate of succinyl-CoA is

porphyrin synthesis Porphyrins ( ) are heterocyclic, macrocyclic, organic compounds, composed of four modified pyrrole subunits interconnected at their α carbon atoms via methine bridges (). In vertebrates, an essential member of the porphyrin group is heme, wh ...

, where succinyl-CoA 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. Glycine is one of the proteinogenic amino acids. It is encoded by all the codons starting with GG (G ...

are combined by

ALA synthase Aminolevulinic acid synthase (ALA synthase, ALAS, or delta-aminolevulinic acid synthase) is an enzyme () that catalyzes the synthesis of δ-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) the first common precursor in the biosynthesis of all tetrapyrroles such as hemes ...

to form

δ-aminolevulinic acid δ-Aminolevulinic acid (also dALA, δ-ALA, 5ALA or 5-aminolevulinic acid), an endogenous non-proteinogenic amino acid, is the first compound in the porphyrin synthesis pathway, the pathway that leads to heme in mammals, as well as chlorophyl ...

(dALA). This process is the committed step in the biosynthesis of porfobilinogen and thus hemoglobin.

Formation

Succinyl CoA can be formed from

methylmalonyl CoA Methylmalonyl-CoA is the thioester consisting of coenzyme A linked to methylmalonic acid. It is an important intermediate in the biosynthesis of succinyl-CoA, which plays an essential role in the tricarboxylic acid cycle (aka the Citric Acid Cycl ...

through the utilization of deoxyadenosyl-B₁₂ (deoxyadenosylcobalamin) by the enzyme

methylmalonyl-CoA mutase Methylmalonyl-CoA mutase (, MCM), mitochondrial, also known as methylmalonyl-CoA isomerase, is a protein that in humans is encoded by the ''MUT'' gene. This vitamin B12-dependent enzyme catalyzes the isomerization of methylmalonyl-CoA to succin ...

. This reaction, which requires vitamin B₁₂ as a cofactor, is important in the catabolism of some branched-chain amino acids as well as odd-chain fatty acids.

Interactive pathway map

References

{{Amino acid metabolism intermediates Thioesters of coenzyme A Citric acid cycle compounds Metabolic intermediates