Pyroglutamic acid

Pyroglutamic acid
Names
Preferred IUPAC name
5-Oxoproline
Systematic IUPAC name
5-Oxopyrrolidine-2-carboxylic acid
Other names
  • 2-Pyrrolidone-5-carboxylic acid
  • Pidolic acid
  • 5-Oxo-proline
Identifiers
3D model (JSmol)
3DMet
Abbreviations Glp
82134
ChEBI
ChEMBL
ChemSpider
DrugBank
ECHA InfoCard 100.005.227 Edit this at Wikidata
EC Number
  • 205-748-3
1473408
KEGG
MeSH Pyrrolidonecarboxylic+acid
RTECS number
  • TW3710000
UNII
  • InChI=1S/C5H7NO3/c7-4-2-1-3(6-4)5(8)9/h3H,1-2H2,(H,6,7)(H,8,9) ☒N
    Key: ODHCTXKNWHHXJC-UHFFFAOYSA-N ☒N
  • InChI=1S/C5H7NO3/c7-4-2-1-3(6-4)5(8)9/h3H,1-2H2,(H,6,7)(H,8,9)/t3-/m0/s1
  • InChI=1S/C5H7NO3/c7-4-2-1-3(6-4)5(8)9/h3H,1-2H2,(H,6,7)(H,8,9)/t3-/m0/s1
    Key: ODHCTXKNWHHXJC-VKHMYHEASA-N
  • O=C(O)[C@H]1NC(=O)CC1
Properties
C5H7NO3
Molar mass 129.115 g·mol−1
Melting point 184 °C (363 °F; 457 K)
log P -0.89
Acidity (pKa) -1.76, 3.48, 12.76
Basicity (pKb) 15.76, 10.52, 1.24
Isoelectric point 0.94
Related compounds
Related compounds
proline
2-Pyrrolidone
Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa).
☒N verify (what is checkY☒N ?)

Pyroglutamic acid (also known as PCA, 5-oxoproline, pidolic acid) is a ubiquitous but understudied natural amino acid derivative in which the free amino group of glutamic acid or glutamine cyclizes to form a lactam.[1] The names of pyroglutamic acid conjugate base, anion, salts, and esters are pyroglutamate, 5-oxoprolinate, or pidolate.

Formation of pyroglutamic acid from N-terminal glutamine.

It is a metabolite in the glutathione cycle that is converted to glutamate by 5-oxoprolinase. Pyroglutamate is found in many proteins including bacteriorhodopsin. N-terminal glutamic acid and glutamine residues can spontaneously cyclize to become pyroglutamate, or enzymatically converted by glutaminyl cyclases.[2] This is one of several forms of blocked N-termini which present a problem for N-terminal sequencing using Edman chemistry, which requires a free primary amino group not present in pyroglutamic acid. The enzyme pyroglutamate aminopeptidase can restore a free N-terminus by cleaving off the pyroglutamate residue.[3]

Pyroglutamic acid exists as two distinct enantiomers:

  • (2R) or D which happens to be (+) or d
  • (2S) or L which happens to be (–) or l
  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference throwing was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Schilling, Stephan; Wasternack, Claus; Demuth, Hans-Ulrich (1 August 2008). "Glutaminyl cyclases from animals and plants: a case of functionally convergent protein evolution". Biological Chemistry. 389 (8): 983–91. doi:10.1515/BC.2008.111. PMID 18979624. S2CID 24074284.
  3. ^ Podell, David N.; Abraham, George N. (March 1978). "A technique for the removal of pyroglutamic acid from the amino terminus of proteins using calf liver pyroglutamate amino peptidase". Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications. 81 (1): 176–185. doi:10.1016/0006-291X(78)91646-7. PMID 26343.