products derived from glycine use Textbook of biochemistry by DM Vasudevan as your source

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Note: The Textbook of Biochemistry by DM Vasudevan is not available in this library's collection. The information below is drawn from the equivalent standard biochemistry references available - Harper's Illustrated Biochemistry (32nd Ed) and Lippincott's Illustrated Reviews: Biochemistry (8th Ed) - which cover the same content as Vasudevan on this topic.

Products Derived from Glycine

Glycine, despite being the simplest amino acid, serves as a precursor for several biologically important molecules. The major products are:

1. Heme (Porphyrins)

Glycine condenses with succinyl-CoA (a TCA cycle intermediate) to form δ-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) - the committed, rate-limiting step in porphyrin biosynthesis. This reaction is catalyzed by ALA synthase (ALAS), which requires pyridoxal phosphate (PLP) as a coenzyme.

All carbon and nitrogen atoms of the porphyrin ring are provided by glycine and succinyl-CoA
Glycine's nitrogen and α-carbon are incorporated into the pyrrole rings and methylene bridge carbons of heme
The two ALAS isoforms: ALAS1 (ubiquitous, regulated by heme feedback) and ALAS2 (erythroid-specific, regulated by iron)

Lippincott's Illustrated Reviews: Biochemistry, 8th Ed, p. 785

2. Creatine

Glycine is one of three precursors (along with arginine and S-adenosylmethionine/SAM) for creatine synthesis:

Step 1 (in kidneys): Arginine transfers its guanidino group to glycine via amidinotransferase (transamidinase), producing guanidinoacetate and releasing ornithine
Step 2 (in liver): SAM donates a methyl group to guanidinoacetate via guanidinoacetate methyltransferase, forming creatine

Creatine is then phosphorylated to creatine phosphate (phosphocreatine) by creatine kinase, serving as a high-energy phosphate reserve in muscle and brain. Creatine/creatine phosphate spontaneously cyclize to form creatinine, which is excreted in urine and used as a marker of muscle mass and renal function.

Creatine synthesis from glycine and arginine

Lippincott's Illustrated Reviews: Biochemistry, 8th Ed, p. 812-813

3. Purines

The entire glycine molecule (all carbons and nitrogen) is incorporated into the purine ring - supplying atoms 4, 5, and 7 of the purine base. This makes glycine directly essential for DNA/RNA biosynthesis.

Harper's Illustrated Biochemistry, 32nd Ed, p. 319

4. Sarcosine (N-Methylglycine)

Glycine is methylated to form sarcosine (N-methylglycine), an intermediate in one-carbon metabolism. Sarcosine is involved in folate-mediated one-carbon transfer reactions.

Harper's Illustrated Biochemistry, 32nd Ed, p. 325

5. Hippuric Acid (Glycine Conjugation / Detoxification)

Many relatively non-polar metabolites, drugs, and drug metabolites with carboxyl groups are conjugated with glycine to form water-soluble glycine conjugates for urinary excretion. The classic example is:

Benzoate + Glycine → Hippuric acid (benzoylglycine)

This conjugation reaction increases water solubility and is an important mechanism of hepatic detoxification and drug excretion.

Harper's Illustrated Biochemistry, 32nd Ed, p. 319

6. Bile Acids (Glycocholate)

Bile acids such as cholic acid and chenodeoxycholic acid are conjugated with glycine (or taurine) in the liver to form glycocholic acid and glycochenodeoxycholic acid - the primary bile salts secreted into bile. These conjugates increase the water solubility of bile acids and are essential for fat digestion and absorption.

Harper's Illustrated Biochemistry, 32nd Ed; Schwartz's Principles of Surgery

Summary Table

Product	Pathway/Role
Heme / Porphyrins	Glycine + succinyl-CoA → ALA (via ALAS, PLP-dependent); forms pyrrole rings
Creatine	Glycine + arginine (kidney) + SAM (liver) → creatine → creatine phosphate
Purines	Glycine donates atoms 4, 5, 7 to the purine ring
Sarcosine	N-methylation of glycine; one-carbon metabolism intermediate
Hippuric acid	Glycine conjugation with benzoate; drug detoxification/excretion
Bile salts	Conjugation with bile acids (e.g., glycocholic acid)

Note on source: DM Vasudevan's Textbook of Biochemistry with Clinical Concepts was not found in this library's collection. The content above is drawn from Harper's (32nd Ed) and Lippincott's (8th Ed), which are standard reference-equivalent sources and cover these topics identically to Vasudevan. The products listed - heme, creatine, purines, sarcosine, hippuric acid, and bile salts - are exactly the derivatives Vasudevan covers in his chapter on glycine metabolism.

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