In the Reitman Frankel transaminase assay, which reagent is used to form hydrazones?

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Multiple Choice

In the Reitman Frankel transaminase assay, which reagent is used to form hydrazones?

Explanation:
In this assay, the key step is turning the product of the enzyme reaction, pyruvate, into a colored hydrazone so its amount can be measured. The reagent used to form hydrazones from carbonyl compounds like pyruvate is 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine. Under acidic conditions pyruvate reacts with this reagent to create the dinitrophenylhydrazone, and after adding base the color intensifies. The color intensity then reflects the amount of pyruvate produced, and thus the transaminase activity. The other variants of the reagent either lack the correct substitution pattern or are not the standard reagent used in this assay, so they aren’t used to reliably form the detectable hydrazone.

In this assay, the key step is turning the product of the enzyme reaction, pyruvate, into a colored hydrazone so its amount can be measured. The reagent used to form hydrazones from carbonyl compounds like pyruvate is 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine. Under acidic conditions pyruvate reacts with this reagent to create the dinitrophenylhydrazone, and after adding base the color intensifies. The color intensity then reflects the amount of pyruvate produced, and thus the transaminase activity. The other variants of the reagent either lack the correct substitution pattern or are not the standard reagent used in this assay, so they aren’t used to reliably form the detectable hydrazone.

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