L-delta-(alpha-Aminoadipoyl)-L-cysteine-D-valine synthetase: production of dipeptides containing valine residue at its C-terminus.

L-delta-(alpha-Aminoadipoyl)-L-cysteine-D-valine synthetase (ACVS) has been recently studied as a model enzyme for peptide synthetases. It was found that in the absence of alpha-aminoadipic acid but in the presence of several cysteine analogues it was incorporated into several analogue dipeptides upon incubation of the potential cysteine analogues with ACVS. [(14)C]Cysteine was incorporated into the[(14)C]cysteinyl-valine analogue dipeptides. Notably, [(14)C]valine incorporation in the presence of N-acylated cysteine analogues was observed. The alpha-aminoadipic acid activation site is influential, inhibitory or promotive, on the production of these putative dipeptide products. The production of dipeptide analogues, containing valine or analogues at the C-terminus, leads to the speculation that the biosynthetic direction of ACV could be from the C-terminus to the N-terminus.