Human pyrroline-5-carboxylate reductase (PYCR1) acts on Δ(1)-piperideine-6-carboxylate generating L-pipecolic acid.

We have conducted biochemical studies with commercial available pyrroline-5-carboxylate (P5C) reductase (PYCR1) to investigate whether this enzyme plays a role in L-lysine degradation. Our recent studies with antiquitin/ALDH7A1 deficient fibroblasts revealed an alternative genesis of L-pipecolic acid, and we then hypothesized that PYCR1 was responsible for the conversion of Δ(1)-piperideine-6-carboxylate (P6C) into pipecolic acid. We here present evidence that PYCR1 is indeed able to produce L-pipecolic acid from P6C preparations, and the observed K m for this conversion is of the same magnitude as the K m described for the conversion of P5C to L-proline by PYCR1. Urine samples from antiquitin deficient individuals, who accumulate P6C, were also incubated with PYCR1 which resulted in a marked decrease of P6C and a huge increase of L-pipecolic acid as measured by LC-MS/MS, confirming that indeed PYCR1 generates L-pipecolic acid from P6C.