Multifarious Beneficial Effect of Nonessential Amino Acid, Glycine: A Review

Figure 2

Sequential reactions of enzymes in the glycine cleavage system (GCS) in animal cells. The glycine cleavage system (GCS) is also known as the glycine decarboxylase complex or GDC. The system is a series of enzymes that are triggered in response to high concentrations of the amino acid glycine. The same set of enzymes is sometimes referred to as glycine synthase when it runs in the reverse direction to form glycine. The glycine cleavage system is composed of four proteins: the T-protein, P-protein, L-protein, and H-protein. They do not form a stable complex, so it is more appropriate to call it a “system” instead of a “complex.” The H-protein is responsible for interacting with the three other proteins and acts as a shuttle for some of the intermediate products in glycine decarboxylation. In both animals and plants the GCS is loosely attached to the inner membrane of the mitochondria [1].