Butanoate or butyrate is the traditional name for the conjugate base of butanoic acid (also known as butyric acid). Butanoate metabolism includes L-glutamate degradation into the signal molecule GABA followed by subsequent reactions to make further products. Glutamate decarboxylase is an enzyme in the cytosol that catalyzes the conversion of L-glutamate into 4-aminobutanoate (GABA). It requires pyridoxal 5'-phosphate as a cofactor. This is followed by GABA permease, belonging to the APC Family of transport proteins, transporting GABA from the cytosol into the mitochondria matrix. Next, gamma-aminobutyrate transaminase degrades gamma-amino butyric acid (GABA) into succinate semialdehyde and uses either pyruvate or glyoxylate as an amino-group acceptor. The pyruvate-dependent activity is reversible while the glyoxylate-dependent activity is irreversible. Afterwards, succinate-semialdehyde dehydrogenase oxidizes succinate semialdehyde into succinate. A predicted succinate semialdehyde transporter in the mitochondria inner membrane is theorized to export succinate semialdehyde from the mitochondrial matrix into the cytosol. There, glyoxylate/succinic semialdehyde reductase catalyzes the reversible conversion of succinate semialdehyde into 4-hydroxybutanoate. Butanoate metabolism in Arabidopsis thaliana also includes reactions involving acetyl-CoA and acetoacetyl-CoA. 3-hydroxybutyryl-CoA dehydrogenase is a predicted enzyme (coloured orange in the image) in the cytosol that is theorized to catalyze the reversible conversion of 3-hydroxybutanoyl-CoA into acetoacetyl-CoA. Acetyl-CoA acetyltransferase then catalyzes the reversible conversion of acetoacetyl-CoA into acetyl-CoA. Then, hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA synthase condenses acetyl-CoA with acetoacetyl-CoA to form 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA. This is followed by a predicted 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA transporter localized to the mitochondria inner membrane that is theorized to import 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA into the mitochondrial matrix from the cytosol. Once there, hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA lyase catalyzes the synthesis of acetoacetate and acetyl-CoA from 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA.

Butanoate Metabolism References