Kontakt 2009, 11(2):444-452 | DOI: 10.32725/kont.2009.067

Natural derivatives of beta-alanineBiomedicine

Jiří Patočka

Jihočeská univerzita v Českých Budějovicích, Zdravotně sociální fakulta, katedra radiologie a toxikologie

Amino acids are molecules having amino groups (-NH2), carboxylic groups (-COOH) and side chains. Amino acids play a central role as structural blocks of proteins and as intermediate metabolism products. Twenty amino acids present in proteins are carriers of their enormous chemical diversity. Natural amino acids in proteins are alpha-amino acids, which means that their amino group is located at the carbon atom bearing the carboxylic group, referred to as alpha position. However, there are also amino acids, whose amino group is located at more distant carbon atoms: beta, gamma, etc. This type of amino acid is also beta-alanine. Beta-alanine is a natural amino acid, which is, however, not used in the biosynthesis of important proteins and enzymes. In spite of this, beta-alanine is the most frequently occurring beta-amino acid. It was found in animals, plants, fungi and bacteria, since it is incorporated into substances of their primary and secondary metabolism. In mammals, beta-alanine is a part of natural dipeptides carnosine and anserine, which are important molecules in their primary metabolism and also in pantothenic acid (vitamin B5), which is a part of coenzyme A. Certain secondary metabolites of beta-alanine are biologically highly active compounds, which were first found in fungi and terrestrial bacteria and later, starting from 1980, in sponges and cyanobacteria, which became considerable subjects of research. These organisms very frequently contain cyclic and acyclic peptides and depsipeptides with unusual amino acids. Natural compounds with incorporated beta-alanine are substances, which are of interest to academic as well as industrial chemists, pharmacologists and toxicologists. These substances are very important for all the specialists who are interested in bioorganic and biological chemistry.

Keywords: beta-alanine; natural substances; anserine; carnosine; barangamide; destruxine; cryptophycine; leualacine; leucinostatin; theonellamide; theonellapeptolide; yanucamide

Received: July 17, 2009; Accepted: November 10, 2009; Published: December 18, 2009  Show citation