This enzyme belongs to the family of lyases, specifically the aldehyde-lyases, which cleave carbon-carbon bonds. The systematic name of this enzyme class is L-threonine acetaldehyde-lyase (glycine-forming). This enzyme is also called L-threonine acetaldehyde-lyase. This enzyme participates in glycine, serine and threonine metabolism. It employs one cofactor, pyridoxal phosphate.

Structural studies

As of late 2007, 5 structures have been solved for this class of enzymes, with PDB accession codes 1JG8, 1LW4, 1LW5, 1M6S, and 1SVV.

Presence in human and mouse

The enzyme is synthesized and functional in mice.^[1]

Humans also have the remnants of the gene, coding this enzyme (GLY1), however it is damaged by past mutations and inactive.^[1] Human gene contains two single nucleotide deletions causing frameshifts and premature stop codons. Also, the encoded protein would not be active anyway due mutations in other highly conserved regions. Human gene is no longer transcribed into RNA.

References

^ ^a ^b Alasdair J Edgar (2005) Mice have a transcribed L-threonine aldolase/GLY1 gene, but the human GLY1 gene is a non-processed pseudogene. BMC Genomics March 2005, 6:32. pdf

Bell SC; Turner JM (1973). "Bacterial threonine aldolase and serine hydroxymethyltransferase enzyme". Biochem. Soc. Trans. 1 (3): 678–681. doi:10.1042/bst0010678.
KARASEK MA, GREENBERG DM (1957). "Studies on the properties of threonine aldolases". J. Biol. Chem. 227 (1): 191–205. doi:10.1016/S0021-9258(18)70806-5. PMID 13449064.
Kumagai H, Nagate T, Yoshida H, Yamada H (1972). "Threonine aldolase from Candida humicola. II. Purification, crystallization and properties". Biochim. Biophys. Acta. 258 (3): 779–90. doi:10.1016/0005-2744(72)90179-9. PMID 5017702.

Metabolism: Protein metabolism, synthesis and catabolism enzymes

Essential amino acids are in Capitals

K→acetyl-CoA

LYSINE→	Saccharopine dehydrogenase Glutaryl-CoA dehydrogenase
LEUCINE→	3-Hydroxybutyryl-CoA dehydrogenase Branched-chain amino acid aminotransferase Branched-chain alpha-keto acid dehydrogenase complex Enoyl-CoA hydratase HMG-CoA lyase HMG-CoA reductase Isovaleryl coenzyme A dehydrogenase α-Ketoisocaproate dioxygenase Leucine 2,3-aminomutase Methylcrotonyl-CoA carboxylase Methylglutaconyl-CoA hydratase (See Template:Leucine metabolism in humans – this diagram does not include the pathway for β-leucine synthesis via leucine 2,3-aminomutase)
TRYPTOPHAN→	Indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase/Tryptophan 2,3-dioxygenase Arylformamidase Kynureninase 3-hydroxyanthranilate oxidase Aminocarboxymuconate-semialdehyde decarboxylase Aminomuconate-semialdehyde dehydrogenase
PHENYLALANINE→tyrosine→	(see below)

G

G→pyruvate
→citrate

glycine→serine→	Serine hydroxymethyltransferase Serine dehydratase glycine→creatine: Guanidinoacetate N-methyltransferase Creatine kinase
alanine→	Alanine transaminase
cysteine→	D-cysteine desulfhydrase
threonine→	L-threonine dehydrogenase

G→glutamate→
α-ketoglutarate

HISTIDINE→	Histidine ammonia-lyase Urocanate hydratase Formiminotransferase cyclodeaminase
proline→	Proline oxidase Pyrroline-5-carboxylate reductase 1-Pyrroline-5-carboxylate dehydrogenase/ALDH4A1 PYCR1
arginine→	Ornithine aminotransferase Ornithine decarboxylase Agmatinase
→alpha-ketoglutarate→TCA	Glutamate dehydrogenase
Other	cysteine+glutamate→glutathione: Gamma-glutamylcysteine synthetase Glutathione synthetase Gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase glutamate→glutamine: Glutamine synthetase Glutaminase

G→propionyl-CoA→
succinyl-CoA

VALINE→	Branched-chain amino acid aminotransferase Branched-chain alpha-keto acid dehydrogenase complex Enoyl-CoA hydratase 3-hydroxyisobutyryl-CoA hydrolase 3-hydroxyisobutyrate dehydrogenase Methylmalonate semialdehyde dehydrogenase
ISOLEUCINE→	Branched-chain amino acid aminotransferase Branched-chain alpha-keto acid dehydrogenase complex 3-hydroxy-2-methylbutyryl-CoA dehydrogenase
METHIONINE→	generation of homocysteine: Methionine adenosyltransferase Adenosylhomocysteinase regeneration of methionine: Methionine synthase/Homocysteine methyltransferase Betaine-homocysteine methyltransferase conversion to cysteine: Cystathionine beta synthase Cystathionine gamma-lyase
THREONINE→	Threonine aldolase
→succinyl-CoA→TCA	Propionyl-CoA carboxylase Methylmalonyl CoA epimerase Methylmalonyl-CoA mutase

G→fumarate

PHENYLALANINE→tyrosine→	Phenylalanine hydroxylase Tyrosine aminotransferase 4-Hydroxyphenylpyruvate dioxygenase Homogentisate 1,2-dioxygenase Fumarylacetoacetate hydrolase tyrosine→melanin: Tyrosinase

G→oxaloacetate

asparagine→aspartate→	Asparaginase/Asparagine synthetase Aspartate transaminase

v t e Carbon–carbon lyases (EC 4.1)
4.1.1: Carboxy-lyases	Acetoacetate decarboxylase Adenosylmethionine decarboxylase Arginine decarboxylase Aromatic L-amino acid decarboxylase Glutamate decarboxylase Histidine decarboxylase Lysine decarboxylase Malonyl-CoA decarboxylase Ornithine decarboxylase Oxaloacetate decarboxylase Phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase Phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase Phosphoribosylaminoimidazole carboxylase Pyrophosphomevalonate decarboxylase Pyruvate decarboxylase RuBisCO Uridine monophosphate synthetase/Orotidine 5'-phosphate decarboxylase Uroporphyrinogen III decarboxylase
4.1.2: Aldehyde-lyases	Fructose-bisphosphate aldolase Aldolase A Aldolase B Aldolase C 2-hydroxyphytanoyl-CoA lyase Threonine aldolase
4.1.3: Oxo-acid-lyases	Isocitrate lyase 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA lyase
4.1.99: Other	Tryptophanase Photolyase CPD lyase Spore photoproduct lyase

v t e Enzymes
Activity	Active site Binding site Catalytic triad Oxyanion hole Enzyme promiscuity Diffusion-limited enzyme Cofactor Enzyme catalysis
Regulation	Allosteric regulation Cooperativity Enzyme inhibitor Enzyme activator
Classification	EC number Enzyme superfamily Enzyme family List of enzymes
Kinetics	Enzyme kinetics Eadie–Hofstee diagram Hanes–Woolf plot Lineweaver–Burk plot Michaelis–Menten kinetics
Types	EC1 Oxidoreductases (list) EC2 Transferases (list) EC3 Hydrolases (list) EC4 Lyases (list) EC5 Isomerases (list) EC6 Ligases (list) EC7 Translocases (list)