2. Academic Validation
  3. Ornithine and its role in metabolic diseases: An appraisal

Ornithine and its role in metabolic diseases: An appraisal

  • Biomed Pharmacother. 2017 Feb:86:185-194. doi: 10.1016/j.biopha.2016.12.024.
Muthukumaran Sivashanmugam 1,  Jaidev J 2,  Umashankar V 3,  Sulochana K N 4
Affiliations

Affiliations

  • 1 Centre for Bioinformatics, Kamalnayan Bajaj Institute for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology, Vision Research Foundation, Chennai, India; School of Chemical and Biotechnology, SASTRA University, Thanjavur, India.
  • 2 Centre for Bioinformatics, Kamalnayan Bajaj Institute for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology, Vision Research Foundation, Chennai, India.
  • 3 Centre for Bioinformatics, Kamalnayan Bajaj Institute for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology, Vision Research Foundation, Chennai, India. Electronic address: [email protected].
  • 4 R.S. Mehta Jain Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Kamalnayan Bajaj Institute for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology, Vision Research Foundation, Chennai, India. Electronic address: [email protected].
PMID: 27978498 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2016.12.024
Abstract

Ornithine is a non-essential amino acid produced as an intermediate molecule in urea cycle. It is a key substrate for the synthesis of proline, polyamines and citrulline. Ornithine also plays an important role in the regulation of several metabolic processes leading to diseases like hyperorithinemia, hyperammonemia, gyrate atrophy and Cancer in humans. However, the mechanism of action behind the multi-faceted roles of ornithine is yet to be unraveled completely. Several types of cancers are also characterized by excessive polyamine synthesis from ornithine by different rate limiting Enzymes. Hence, in this review we aim to provide extensive insights on potential roles of ornithine in many of the disease related cellular processes and also on the structural features of ornithine interacting proteins, enabling development of therapeutic modalities.

Keywords

Cancer; HHH syndrome; Ornithine; Ornithine aminotransferase; Ornithine decarboxylase; Ornithine transcarbomylase; Polyamines.

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