Chemical Properties
white to light yellow crystalline powder
Uses
L-Homoserine is used in the biosynthesis of methionine, threonine and isoleucine. It is also used as an internal standard for neurotransmitter analysis and amino acids quantification.
Definition
ChEBI: L-homoserine is the L-enantiomer of homoserine. It has a role as a human metabolite, an algal metabolite, a Saccharomyces cerevisiae metabolite and an Escherichia coli metabolite. It is an enantiomer of a D-homoserine. It is a tautomer of a L-homoserine zwitterion.
General Description
L-Homoserine is a variant of serine with an additional carbon on its side chain.
Biochem/physiol Actions
L-Homoserine is synthesized by deoxidation process, catalysed by homoserine dehydrogenase. This is one of the steps in the synthesis of L-threonine. The carbon flux in in bacteria such as E. coli is maintained by this reaction.
Purification Methods
Likely impurities are N-chloroacetyl-L-homoserine, N-chloroacetyl-D-homoserine, L-homoserine, homoserine lactone, homoserine anhydride (formed in strong solutions of homoserine if slightly acidic). It cyclises to the lactone in strongly acidic solution. It crystallises from water by adding 9 volumes of EtOH. [Greenstein & Winitz The Chemistry of the Amino Acids J. Wiley, Vol 3 pp 2612-2616 1961, Beilstein 4 IV 3187.]
