| Names | |
|---|---|
| IUPAC name
2-Amino-3-[2-(3-carbamoyl-3-trimethylammonio-propyl)-3H-imidazol-4-yl]propanoate | |
| Identifiers | |
3D model (JSmol) |
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| ChemSpider | |
PubChem CID |
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| UNII | |
CompTox Dashboard (EPA) |
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| Properties | |
| C13H23N5O3 | |
| Molar mass | 297.354 g/mol |
Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa).
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Diphthamide is a post-translationally modified histidine amino acid found in archaeal and eukaryotic elongation factor 2 (eEF-2).
Dipthamide is named after the toxin produced by the bacterium Corynebacterium diphtheriae, which targets diphthamide. Besides this toxin, it is also targeted by exotoxin A from Pseudomonas aeruginosa. It is the only target of these toxins.
Diphthamide is proposed to be a 2-[3-carboxyamido-3-(trimethylammonio)propyl]histidine. Though this structure has been confirmed by X-ray crystallography, its stereochemistry is uncertain.
Diphthamide is biosynthesized from histidine and S-adenosyl methionine (SAM). The side chain bound to imidazole group and all methyl groups come from SAM. The whole synthesis takes place in three steps:
In eukaryotes, this biosynthetic pathway contains a total of seven genes (Dph1–7).
Diphthamide ensures translation fidelity.
The presence or absence of diphthamide is known to affect NF-κB or death receptor pathways.