This enzyme catalyses the first step in the degradation of histidine and the product, urocanic acid, is further metabolized to glutamate, the first step of the subpathway that synthesizes N-formimidoyl-L-glutamate from L-histidine. It is a member of the aromatic amino acid lyase family.
The enzyme contains the cofactor 3,5-dihydro-5-methylidene-4H-imidazol-4-one (MIO), which is common to this family [PMID:17185228]. This unique cofactor is formed autocatalytically by cyclization and dehydration of the three amino-acid residues alanine, serine and glycine [PMID:10220322].
histidine ammonia-lyases (HAL) triggers the abstraction of the nonacidic beta protons of histidine, leaving the much more acidic ammonium hydrogen atoms untouched.
Defined by 7 residues: TYR:A-53HIS:A-83LEU:A-193 [auth A-195]ASP:A_2-278 [auth A_2-280]SER:A_2-281 [auth A_2-283]GLY:A-327 [auth A-329]ASN:A-412 [auth A-414]