• BMB Reports
• /
• v.31 no.1
• /
• pp.31-36
• /
• 1998

Phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL; EC 4.3.1.5), the first enzyme in the phenylpropanoid biosynthesis, catalyzes the elimination reaction of ammonium ion from L-phenylalanine. PAL was purified from the cytosolic fraction of Chinese cabbage (Brassica campestris ssp. napus var. pekinensis) through ammonium sulfate fractionation, DEAE-cellulose chromatography, Sephadex G-200 chromatography, and Q-Sepharose chromatography. It consists of four identical subunits, the molecular mass of which was estimated to be about 38,000 daltons on SDS-PAGE. The optimal pH and temperature of the purified enzyme are 8~9 and $45^{\circ}C$, respectively. Its activity is greatly inhibited by $Zn^{2+}$ ion, and strongly activated by caffeic acid. The purified PAL has some different characteristics compared to those obtained with other PALs.

• BMB Reports
• /
• v.31 no.6
• /
• pp.554-559
• /
• 1998

Activities of glutathione- and thioredoxin-related enzymes and phenylpropanoid-synthesizing enzymes were measured and compared in the developing leaves of Arabidopsis thaliana. Phenylalanine ammonia-lyase activity is maximal in the leaves of 2-wk-grown Arabidopsis. Tyrosine ammonia-lyase activity is maximal in the leaves of 3-wk-grown and 4-wk-grown Arabidopsis. Activity of thioitransferase, an enzyme involved in the reduction of various disulfide compounds, is higher in younger leaves than in older ones. A similar pattern was obtained in the activity of thioredoxin, a small protein known as a cofactor of ribonucleotide reductase and a regulator of photosynthesis. Activity of glutathione reductase is also higher in the younger leaves. Malate debydrogenase activity remains relatively constant during the development of Arabidopsis leaves. The results offer preliminary information for further approach to elucidate the mechanism of growth-dependent variations of these enzymes.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
• /
• v.17 no.1
• /
• pp.104-110
• /
• 2009

Phenylketonuria (PKU) is an inherited metabolic disorder caused by mutations in the phenylalanine catabolic enzyme, phenylalanine hydroxylase (PAH). The use of phenylalanine ammonia-lase (PAL) by oral and parenteral routes as a therapeutic drug for PKU has been severely limited due to inactivation by intestinal proteolysis and immune reactions. PEGylation was applied to PAL to reduce the degrees of antigenicity and proteolytic inactivation. Kinetic experiments with native PAL and pegylated PALs were performed, and pH stability, temperature stability, and protease susceptibility were evaluated. Enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was carried out to measure the immune complex between pegylated PALs and antiserum that had been extracted from a PAL-immunized mouse. Pegylated PAL, especially branched pegylated PAL (10 kDa, 1:32), was more active for phenylalanine and more stable in pancreatic proteases than native PAL. Native PAL was optimal at pH 8.5, corresponding to the average pH range of the small intestine; the same finding was noted for pegylated PALs. All linear and branched pegylated PALs had low reactivity with mouse antiserum, especially the 1:16 formulation with linear 5-kDa PEG and the 1:32 formulation with branched 10-kDa PEG. Therefore, we suggest the 1:32 formulation with branched 10-kDa PEG as the most promising formulation for enzyme replacement therapy.

• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
• /
• v.23 no.6
• /
• pp.535-540
• /
• 2010

Phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL), a key enzyme of the phenylpropanoid biosynthesis pathway, is activated by a number of developmental and environmental cues. The coding region of the NtPAL4 gene was 2,154 bp in length, and its deduced protein was composed of 717 amino acids. Sequence analysis of NtPAL4 cDNA from tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.) revealed high structural similarity to PAL genes of other plant species. The NtPAL4 gene exists as a single copy in the tobacco plant, and its transcripts were strongly expressed in flowers and leaves. NtPAL4 expression was significantly induced in response to NaCl, mannitol, and cold treatments, but it was not induced by abscisic acid (ABA). NtPAL4 expression decreased gradually after treatment with ABA and $H_2O_2$; however, NtPAL4 transcripts accumulated after treatment with methyl viologen (MV). Our results suggest that the NtPAL4 gene may function in response to abiotic stresses.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
• /
• v.6 no.3
• /
• pp.151-156
• /
• 2004

Soil-borne fungal pathogens such as Verticillium and Rhizoctonia can colonize in the stem tissue of plant through root and lead to wilting symptoms of plant by blocking. water transportation. During the colonization of Rhizoctonia solani in the vascular tissue of tomato stems, particularly, phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL) gene induction pattern was cyclized showing peak induction at two different time points (10 and 80 h) after fungal spores inoculation in vivo. In leaves or roots, however, no such cycling pattern was observed. The first induction peak may be due to an initial sporulation events leading to a second induction peak by a proliferation of fungal spores to the upper stems or other tissues from an initial spore trapping sites. Tomato PAL gene was also dramatically induced by wounding, light illumination and mercury chloride treatment but was not cyclized. Mercury chloride showed the earliest induction with all tissues even at half an hour after treatment.

• Mycobiology
• /
• v.43 no.3
• /
• pp.327-332
• /
• 2015

Phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL) gene is known to be expressed in plants, and is involved in the differentiation, growth and synthesis of secondary metabolites. However, its expression in fungi remains to be explored. To understand its expression in mushroom fungi, the PAL gene of the edible mushroom Flammulina velutipes (Fvpal) was cloned and characterized. The cloned Fvpal consists of 2,175 bp, coding for a polypeptide containing 724 amino acids and having 11 introns. The translated amino acid sequence of Fvpal shares a high identity (66%) with that of ectomycorrhizal fungus Tricholoma matsutake. Distinctively, the Fvpal expression in the mycelium was higher in minimal medium supplemented with L-tyrosine than with other aromatic amino acids. During cultivation of the mushroom on sawdust medium, Fvpal expression in the fruit body correspondingly increased as the mushroom grew. In the fruiting body, Fvpal was expressed more in the stipe than in the pileus. These results suggest that F. velutipes PAL activity differs in the different organs of the mushroom. Overall, this is first report to show that the PAL gene expression is associated with mushroom growth in fungi.

• Mycobiology
• /
• v.39 no.4
• /
• pp.257-265
• /
• 2011

L-Phenylalanine is one of the essential amino acids that cannot be synthesized in mammals in adequate amounts to meet the requirements for protein synthesis. Fungi and plants are able to synthesize phenylalanine via the shikimic acid pathway. L-Phenylalanine, derived from the shikimic acid pathway, is used directly for protein synthesis in plants or metabolized through the phenylpropanoid pathway. This phenylpropanoid metabolism leads to the biosynthesis of a wide array of phenylpropanoid secondary products. The first step in this metabolic sequence involves the action of phenylalanine ammonialyase (PAL). The discovery of PAL enzyme in fungi and the detection of $^{14}CO_2$ production from $^{14}C$-ring-labeled phenylalanine and cinnamic acid demonstrated that certain fungi can degrade phenylalanine by a pathway involving an initial deamination to cinnamic acid, as happens in plants. In this review, we provide background information on PAL and a recent update on the presence of PAL genes in fungi.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.30 no.4
• /
• pp.622-632
• /
• 2020

Phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL) catalyzes the reversible deamination of phenylalanine to cinnamic acid and ammonia. Algae have been considered as biofactories for PAL production, however, biochemical characterization of PAL and its potency for myristicin biotransformation into MMDA (3-methoxy-4, 5-methylenedioxyamphetamine) has not been studied yet. Thus, PAL from Anabaena flos-aquae and Spirulina platensis has been purified, comparatively characterized and its affinity to transform myristicin was assessed. The specific activity of purified PAL from S. platensis (73.9 μmol/mg/min) and A. flos-aquae (30.5 μmol/mg/min) was increased by about 2.9 and 2.4 folds by gel-filtration comparing to their corresponding crude enzymes. Under denaturing-PAGE, a single proteineous band with a molecular mass of 64 kDa appeared for A. flos-aquae and S. platensis PAL. The biochemical properties of the purified PAL from both algal isolates were determined comparatively. The optimum temperature of S. platensis and A. flos-aquae PAL for forward or reverse activity was reported at 30℃, while the optimum pH for PAL enzyme isolated from A. flos-aquae was 8.9 for forward and reverse activities, and S. platensis PAL had maximum activities at pH 8.9 and 8 for forward and reverse reactions, respectively. Luckily, the purified PALs have the affinity to hydroaminate the myristicin to MMDA successfully in one step. Furthermore, a successful method for synthesis of MMDA from myristicin in two steps was also established. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis was conducted to track the product formation.

• Applied Biological Chemistry
• /
• v.42 no.1
• /
• pp.34-38
• /
• 1999

We observed the structure of phenylalanine ammonia-lyase gene (PAL) which is one of the best studied plant defense-related genes responding to pathogen infection by producing suberin, lignin, and phytoalexins. In tomato, at least 5 different genetic loci have been identified by genomic southern blot hybridization and nucleotide sequence analyses of partially cloned gene fragments (Lee et al. 1992). However, our results suggest that two other isoforms designated as PAL X1 and PAL X2 are located on the chromosome in tomato plant. Furthermore, the preliminary results obtained from southern blot hybridization analyses of subcloned fragment digested with several restriction endonuclease indicated that PAL X1 and PAL X2 clones contain at least two copies of PAL gene and partial nucleotide sequence analyses of each subcloned fragment with the same primer taken from known nucleotide sequence of PAL5 gene indicated that they are located side by side on the same chromosome.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.8 no.3
• /
• pp.237-244
• /
• 1998

A study was carried out to elucidate the relation between the production of flavonol glycosides and the change of phenylalanine ammonia-lyase activity in cell suspension cultures of Ginkgo biloba by the unassisted and synergistic effects of various factors. The quercetin production showed a mixed-growth-associated pattern in cell suspension cultures. Fluorescent light and UV radiation increased phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL) activity, and resulted in the increase of the production of quercetin and kaempferol ten- and four-fold, respectively, as compared to that obtained in the normal culture condition. The cell growth of Ginkgo biloba was enhanced .at higher temperatures whereas the quercetin production was at its maximum at low temperatures. Moreover, the quercetin production was increased by temperature change during the culture period. In particular, the quercetin production was at the highest level when the culture temperature was elevated from $10^{\circ}C\;to\;30^{\circ}C$. The addition of phenylalanine as a precursor in the culture medium stimulated an 8-fold increase in the production of quercetin; the addition of naringenin caused a l0-fold increase. The quercetin production was also greatly increased by feeding enzyme cofactors such as 2-ketoglutarate and ascorbic acid in the culture medium, but specific PAL activity was not increased except with phenylalanine feeding. The synergistic effect of UV radiation and naringenin feeding was observed, resulting in the increase of flavonol glycoside production at a rate higher than in any other case investigated.