Aminolevulinic acid synthase (ALA synthase, ALAS, or delta-aminolevulinic acid synthase) is an enzyme (EC 2.3.1.37) that catalyzes the synthesis of δ-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) the first common precursor in the biosynthesis of all tetrapyrroles such as hemes, cobalamins and chlorophylls. [1]

Dec 17, 2018 · One of the small signaling molecules utilized is 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) that has been shown to enhance plant growth under abiotic stress. As a metabolic intermediate in higher plants, ALA is a precursor of all tetrapyrroles such as chlorophyll, heme and siroheme.

ALAS is the key enzyme for 5-ALA synthesis via the C4 pathway, and its isoenzymes are encoded by different redundant genes (Kang et al., 2012). Tai et al. (1988) identified the two genes hemA and hemT as potentially encoding ALAS in R. sphaeroides, which was further confirmed by Neidle et al., as well as Neidle and Kaplan (1993).

In non-photosynthetic eukaryotes such as animals, fungi, and protozoa, as well as the class Alphaproteobacteria of bacteria, it is produced by the enzyme ALA synthase, from glycine and succinyl-CoA. This reaction is known as the Shemin pathway, which occurs in mitochondria.

There are good reasons for two synchronous control mechanisms of ALA synthesis in plants. In angiosperms, ALA biosynthesis is repressed during darkness, to prevent excessive accumulation of the Chl precursor protochlorophyllide (Pchlide).

Nov 1, 2022 · With the development of metabolic engineering and synthetic biology, the biosynthesis of 5-ALA has attracted increasing attention. 5-Aminolevulinic acid synthase (ALAS), the key enzyme for 5-ALA synthesis in the C4 pathway, is …

In non-plant eukaryotes, 5-aminolevulinic acid synthase (ALAS) catalyzes the first committed step of heme biosynthesis, the condensation of glycine and succinyl-CoA to yield 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA), within the mitochondrial matrix (Gibson et al., 1958; Kikuchi et al., 1958).

Feb 26, 2015 · 5-Aminolevulinic acid (ALA), the committed intermediate of the heme biosynthesis pathway, shows significant promise for cancer treatment. Here, we identified that in addition to hemA and...

The first step enzyme, 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) synthase, is coded for by two genes, one erythroid-specific (ALA synthase-2 on chromosome X) and one ubiquitous (ALA synthase-1 on chromosome 3) [3].

ALA synthase catalyzes the condensation of glycine and succinyl coenzyme A to form ALA using pyridoxal phosphate as a cofactor (Figure 3). The enzymology of mammalian ALA synthase is worked out in detail, and is generally applicable to the synthases from other organisms based on structural similarities.