Catabolic pathway of arginine in Anabaena involves a novel bifunctional enzyme that produces proline from arginine

What is it about?

The heterocyst-forming cyanobacterium Anabaena catabolizes arginine generating proline and glutamate as major products. This pathway involves only two enzymes, AgrE and PutA. PutA is a conventional bifunctional proline oxidase that produces glutamate from proline, whereas AgrE is a novel bifunctional enzyme that produces proline from arginine with ornithine as an intermediate. An enzyme homologous to the second domain of AgrE that catalyzes the cyclodeamination of ornithine is also found in Methanococcus.

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