Biochemistry 4th Edition by Reginald Garrett, Charles Grisham

Exercise 16

A deficiency in 3-phosphoglycerate dehydrogenase can affect amino acid metabolism
Although serine is a nonessential amino acid, serine deficiency syndrome has been observed in humans. One such form of the syndrome is traceable to a deficiency in 3-phosphoglycerate dehydrogenase (see Figure 25.31). Individuals with this syndrome not only are serine-deficient, but also are impaired in their ability to synthesize another common amino acid, as well as a class of lipids. Describe why.