Biochemistry of Amino Acids - A. Maister 1961
Intermediate Metabolism of Amino Acids
Alanine
The METABOLISM of L-alanine is discussed in numerous other sections of this book. For instance, the reversible formation of L- and D-alanine from Pyruvate via Transamination (p. 210) and the Racemization of Alanine (p. 240) were examined above. Alanine can also be synthesized from aspartic acid through ß-decarboxylation (p. 208) and from kynurenine under the action of kynureninase (p. 401).
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Fig. 6. Summary scheme of alanine transformations.
The optical isomers of alanine are deaminated by their respective amino acid oxidases (p. 183). The formation of alanine during the Enzymatic Cleavage of cysteinesulfinic acid (p. 381) and in the tryptophanase reaction (p. 408) should presumably be attributed to a Transamination reaction involving pyruvic acid. At the same time, in some organisms, the synthesis of alanine from pyruvic acid via direct amination is also possible (p. 191).
Last update: 06/08/2026
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