Purification and characterization of a ketimine-reducing enzyme.

An NAD(P)H-dependent reductase able to reduce a new class of cyclic unsaturated compounds named ketimines has been detected and purified 2500-fold from pig kidney. Some molecular and kinetic properties of this enzyme have been determined. The enzymatic reduction proceeds with a classical ping-pong mechanism and some results suggest that the true substrate has the ketiminic structure and is in equilibrium with the enaminic and keto-open forms. As previously described, ketimines arise from the deamination of a number of sulfur-containing amino acids, i.e. L-cystathionine, L-lanthionine and S-aminoethyl-L-cysteine, catalyzed by a widespread mammalian transaminase. The enzymatic reduction products of ketimines have been identified as cyclothionine, 1,4-thiomorpholine 3,5-dicarboxylic acid and 1,4-thiomorpholine 3-carboxylic acid. Some of these compounds have been detected in mammals, thus suggesting a possible role of this enzyme in their biosynthesis.