THE SYNTHESIS OF Se-(3-AMINOPROPYL)-SELENOSULFURIC ACID

Abstract

Recently, it has been shown that Se-(2-aminoethyl)selenosulfuric acid (H₂NCH₂CH₂—SeSO₃H) or Se-sulfoselenocysteamine (SeSC) may undergo transamination with α-ketoglutaric acid in the presence of sonicated rat liver mitochondria giving acetaldehyde and selenosulfate as final products, in addition to glutamate.¹ In the same conditions selenohypotaurine may also transaminate² whereas other analogues, e.g. hypotaurine, taurine, selenotaurine and S-sulfocysteamine do not react. This is a very interesting example of an enzymic reaction in which the substitution of a selenium atom by a sulfur atom in the substrate molecule significantly affects the substrate specificity of the enzyme.