L-Homoserine

Chemical properties

white to light yellow crystalline powder

The Uses of L-Homoserine

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.

Synthesis Reference(s)

Journal of the American Chemical Society, 80, p. 3147, 1958 DOI: 10.1021/ja01545a057
The Journal of Organic Chemistry, 24, p. 1794, 1959 DOI: 10.1021/jo01093a610

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.]