The use of intramolecular isotope effects to distinguish between deprotonation and hydrogen atom abstraction mechanisms in cytochrome P-450- and peroxidase-catalyzed N-demethylation reactions

Intramolecular isotope effects were determined for the N-demethylation of N-methyl-N-trideuteriomethylaniline catalyzed by two isozymes of cytochrome P-450 and several peroxidases in order to differentiate between deprotonation and hydrogen atom abstraction steps. Lactoperoxidase, hemoglobin, myoglobin, and two isozymes of horseradish peroxidase catalyzed the hydroperoxide-dependent N-demethylation at initial rates ranging from 20 to 1700 min-1. These hemeproteins exhibited large and comparable intramolecular isotope effects (kH/kD = 8.6 to 10.1). In contrast, two isozymes of cytochrome P-450 as well as chloroperoxidase (v = 1.5 to 1700 min-1) gave low isotope effects (kH/kD = 1.7 to 3.1) under identical conditions. Catalase exhibited an intermediate intramolecular isotope effect (kH/kD = 5.4). These results have been interpreted to indicate that most of the hemeproteins investigated catalyze N-demethylation reactions via alpha-carbon hydrogen atom abstraction, while the reactions catalyzed by cytochrome P-450 and chloroperoxidase proceed via alpha-carbon deprotonation.     

Kinetic isotope effects on cytochrome P-450-catalyzed oxidation reactions. The oxidative O-dealkylation of 7-ethoxycoumarin

The primary deuterium and tritium isotope effects on Vm/Km and on Vm have been measured for the O-deethylation of 7-ethoxycoumarin catalyzed by two purified isozymes of cytochrome P-450. From these data the intrinsic isotope effects have been calculated as described by D. B. Northrop (Biochemistry (1975) 14, 2644-2651). The observed deuterium isotope effects on Vm/Km are 3.79 and 1.90 for the isozymes isolated from the livers of rats induced by phenobarbital and 3-methylcholanthrene, respectively. The calculated intrinsic isotope effects, however, are similar and much larger (kH/kD = 12.8 to 14.0) than the observed isotope effects on Vm/Km for the two enzymes. This demonstrates that the intrinsic isotope effects are attenuated by various steps preceding the isotopically sensitive C-H bond cleavage step resulting in the low values for the observed isotope effects. Thus, the observed isotope effects do not accurately reflect the magnitude of the intrinsic isotope effect associated with this reaction. No incorporation of 18O into the 7-hydroxycoumarin product was observed in studies employing H218O or 18O2 demonstrating that the phenolic oxygen arises exclusively from the substrate. Taken together, these data provide compelling evidence that both cytochrome P-450 isozymes catalyze the O-dealkylation of this substrate by an identical radical recombination mechanism during the obligatory formation of a hemiacetal intermediate.     

Oxidation of deuterated compounds by high specific activity methane monooxygenase from Methylosinus trichosporium. Mechanistic implications

Hydrocarbon oxidations catalyzed by methane monooxygenase purified to high specific activity from the type II methanotroph Methylosinus trichosporium OB3b were compared to the same reactions catalyzed by methane monooxygenase from the type I methanotroph Methylococcus capsulatus Bath and liver microsomal cytochrome P-450. The two methane monooxygenases produced nearly identical product distributions, in accord with physical studies of the enzymes which have shown them to be very similar. The products obtained from the oxidation of a series of deuterated substrates by the M. trichosporium methane monooxygenase were very similar to those reported for the same reaction catalyzed by liver microsomal cytochrome P-450, suggesting that the enzymes use similar mechanisms. However, differences in the product distributions and other aspects of the reactions indicated the mechanisms are not identical. Methane monooxygenase epoxidized propene in D2O and d6-propene in H2O without exchange of substrate protons or deuterons with solvent, in contrast to cytochrome P-450 (Groves, J. T., Avaria-Neisser, G. E., Fish, K. M., Imachi, M., and Kuczkowski, R. L. (1986) J. Am. Chem. Soc. 108, 3837-3838), suggesting that the mechanism of epoxidation of olefins by methane monooxygenase differs at least in part from that of cytochrome P-450. Hydroxylation of alkanes by methane monooxygenase revealed close similarities to hydroxylations by cytochrome P-450. Allylic hydroxylation of 3,3,6,6-d4-cyclohexene occurred with approximately 20% allylic rearrangement in the case of methane monooxygenase, whereas 33% was reported for this reaction catalyzed by cytochrome P-450 (Groves, J. T., and Subramanian, D. V. (1984) J. Am. Chem. Soc. 106, 2177-2181). Similarly, hydroxylation of exo,exo,exo,exo-2,3,5,6-d4-norbornane by methane monooxygenase occurred with epimerization, but to a lesser extent than reported for cytochrome P-450 (Groves, J. T., McClusky, G. A., White, R. E., and Coon, M. J. (1978) Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 81, 154-160). A large intramolecular isotope effect, kH,exo/kD,exo greater than or equal to 5.5, was calculated for this reaction. However, the intermolecular kinetic isotope effect on Vm for methane oxidation was small, suggesting that steps other than C-H bond breakage were rate limiting in the overall enzymatic reaction. Similar isotope effects have been observed for cytochrome P-450. These observations indicate a stepwise mechanism of hydroxylation for methane monooxygenase analogous to that proposed for cytochrome P-450.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)     

Determination of intra- and intermolecular tritium isotope effects in the reaction of thymine 7-hydroxylase

Different [7-3H]thymine preparations have been used to determine the inter- and intramolecular isotope effects of the 2-oxoglutarate-dependent thymine hydroxylation, catalyzed by thymine 7-hydroxylase (thymine, 2-oxoglutarate:oxygen oxidoreductase, EC 1.14.11.6). Specific activity ratios of products, viz., 3H2O and 5-hydroxymethyluracil, and remaining substrate to initial substrate have been determined. The influence on these ratios of intra- and intermolecular isotope effects at different degrees of tritium substitution has been analyzed. An intramolecular isotope effect with a kH/kT of about 6.5 has been found. No intermolecular isotope effect of TV/K could be detected when oxygen concentration was varied from 0.4 to 0.01 mM. This agrees with a mechanism in which 2-oxoglutarate is irreversibly changed before the bond-breaking in thymine takes place.     

Cytochrome P-450-catalyzed desaturation of valproic acid in vitro. Species differences, induction effects, and mechanistic studies

The cytochrome P-450-mediated desaturation of valproic acid (VPA) to its hepatotoxic metabolite, 2-n-propyl-4-pentenoic acid (4-ene-VPA), was examined in liver microsomes from rats, mice, rabbits and humans. The highest substrate turnover was found with microsomes from rabbits (44.2 +/- 2.7 pmol of product/nmol P-450/15 min), while lower activities were observed in preparations from human, mouse, and rat liver, in that order. Pretreatment of animals with phenobarbital led to enhanced rates of formation of 4-ene-VPA in vitro and yielded induction ratios for desaturation ranging from 2.5 to 8.4, depending upon the species. Comparative studies in the rat showed that phenobarbital is a more potent inducer of olefin formation than either phenytoin or carbamazepine. The mechanism of the desaturation reaction was studied by inter- and intramolecular deuterium isotope effect experiments, which demonstrated that removal of a hydrogen atom from the subterminal C-4 position of VPA is rate limiting in the formation of both 4-ene- and 4-hydroxy-VPA. Hydroxylation at the neighboring C-5 position, on the other hand, was highly sensitive to deuterium substitution at that site, but not to deuteration at C-4. Based on these findings, it is proposed that 4-ene- and 4-hydroxy-VPA are products of a common P-450-dependent metabolic pathway, in which a carbon-centered free radical at C-4 serves as the key intermediate. 5-Hydroxy-VPA, in contrast, derives from an independent hydroxylation reaction.     

Catalytic reaction profile for alcohol oxidation by galactose oxidase

Galactose oxidase is a remarkable enzyme containing a metalloradical redox cofactor capable of oxidizing a variety of primary alcohols during enzyme turnover. Recent studies using 1-O-methyl alpha-D-galactopyranoside have revealed an unusually large kinetic isotope effect (KIE) for oxidation of the alpha-deuterated alcohol (kH/kD = 22), demonstrating that cleavage of the 6,6'-di[2H]hydroxymethylene C-H bond is fully rate-limiting for oxidation of the canonical substrate. This step is believed to involve hydrogen atom transfer to the tyrosyl phenoxyl in a radical redox mechanism for catalysis [Whittaker, M. M., Ballou, D. P., and Whittaker, J. W. (1998) Biochemistry 37, 8426-8436]. In the work presented here, the enzyme's unusually broad substrate specificity has allowed us to extend these investigations to a homologous series of benzyl alcohol derivatives, in which remote (meta or para) substituents are used to systematically perturb the properties of the hydroxyl group undergoing oxidation. Quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) correlations over the steady state rate data reveal a shift in the character of the transition state for substrate oxidation over this series, reflected in a change in the magnitude of the observed KIE for these reactions. The observed KIE values have been shown to obey a log-linear correlation over the substituent parameter, Hammett sigma. For the relatively difficult to oxidize nitro derivative, the KIE is large (kH/kD = 12.3), implying rate-limiting C-H bond cleavage for the oxidation reaction. This contribution becomes less important for more easily oxidized substrates (e.g., methoxy derivatives) where a much smaller KIE is observed (kH/kD = 3.6). Conversely, the solvent deuterium KIE is vanishingly small for 4-nitrobenzyl alcohol, but becomes significant for the 4-methoxy derivative (kH2O/kD2O = 1.2). These experiments have allowed us to develop a reaction profile for substrate oxidation by galactose oxidase, consisting of three components (hydroxylic proton transfer, electron transfer, and hydrogen atom transfer) comprising a single-step proton-coupled electron transfer mechanism. Each component exhibits a distinct substituent and isotope sensitivity, allowing them to be identified kinetically. The proton transfer component is unique in being sensitive to the isotopic character of the solvent (H2O or D2O), while hydrogen atom transfer (C-H bond cleavage) is independent of solvent composition but is sensitive to substrate labeling. In contrast, electron transfer processes will in general be less sensitive to isotopic substitution. Our results support a mechanism in which initial proton abstraction from a coordinated substrate activates the alcohol toward inner sphere electron transfer to the Cu(II) metal center in an unfavorable redox equilibrium, forming an alkoxy radical which undergoes hydrogen atom abstraction by the tyrosine-cysteine phenoxyl free radical ligand to form the product aldehyde.     

Magnitude of intrinsic isotope effects in the dopamine beta-monooxygenase reaction

Intrinsic primary hydrogen isotope effects (kH/kD) have been obtained for the carbon-hydrogen bond cleavage step catalyzed by dopamine beta-monooxygenase. Irreversibility of this step is inferred from the failure to observe back-exchange of tritium from TOH into substrate under conditions of dopamine turnover; this result cannot be due to solvent inaccessibility at the enzyme active site, since we will demonstrate [Ahn, N., & Klinman, J. P. (1983) Biochemistry (following paper in this issue)] that a solvent-derived proton or triton must be at the enzyme active site prior to substrate activation. As shown by Northrop [Northrop, D. B. (1975) Biochemistry 14, 2644], for enzymatic reactions in which the carbon-hydrogen bond cleavage step is irreversible, comparison of D(V/K) to T(V/K) allows an explicit solution for kH/kD. Employing a double-label tracer method, we have been able to measure deuterium isotope effects on Vmax/Km with high precision, D(V/K) = 2.756 +/- 0.054 at pH 6.0. The magnitude of the tritium isotope effect under comparable experimental conditions is T(V/K) = 6.079 +/- 0.220, yielding kH/kD = 9.4 +/- 1.3. This result was obtained in the presence of saturating concentrations of the anion activator fumarate. Elimination of fumarate from the reaction mixture leads to high observed values for isotope effects on Vmax/Km, together with an essentially invariant value for kH/kD = 10.9 +/- 1.9. Thus, the large disparity between isotope effects, plus or minus fumarate, cannot be accounted for by a change in kH/kD, and we conclude a role for fumarate in the modulation of the partitioning of enzyme-substrate complex between catalysis and substrate dissociation. On the basis of literature correlations of primary hydrogen isotope effects and the thermodynamic properties of hydrogen transfer reactions, the very large magnitude of kH/kD = 9.4-10.9 for dopamine beta-monooxygenase suggests an equilibrium constant not very far from unity for the carbon-hydrogen bond cleavage step. This feature, together with the failure to observe re-formation of dopamine from enzyme-bound intermediate or product and overall rate limitation of enzyme turnover by product release, leads us to propose a stepwise mechanism for norepinephrine formation from dopamine in which carbon-hydrogen bond cleavage is uncoupled from the oxygen insertion step.     

Mechanism of 1,4-dehydrogenation catalyzed by a fatty acid (1,4)-desaturase of Calendula officinalis.

The mechanism by which the fatty acid (1,4)-desaturase of Calendula officinalis produces calendic acid from linoleic acid has been probed through the use of kinetic isotope effect (KIE) measurements. This was accomplished by incubating appropriate mixtures of linoleate and regiospecifically dideuterated isotopomers with a strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae expressing a functional (1,4)-desaturase. GC-MS analysis of methyl calendate obtained in these experiments showed that the oxidation of linoleate occurs in two discrete steps since the cleavage of the C11-H bond is very sensitive to isotopic substitution (kH/kD = 5.7 +/- 1.0) while no isotope effect (kH/kD = 1.0 +/- 0.1) was observed for the C8-H bond breaking step. These data indicate that calendic acid is produced via initial H-atom abstraction at C11 of a linoleoyl substrate and supports the hypothesis that this transformation represents a regiochemical variation of the more common C12-initiated Delta12 desaturation process.     

Mechanism of azide binding to chloroperoxidase and horseradish peroxidase: use of an iodine laser temperature-jump apparatus

The kinetics of azide binding to chloroperoxidase have been studied at eight pH values ranging from 3.0 to 6.6 at 9.5 +/- 0.2 degrees C and ionic strength of 0.4 M in H2O. The same reaction was studied in D2O at pD 4.36. In addition, results were obtained on azide binding to horseradish peroxidase at pD 4.36 and pH 4.56. Typical relaxation times were in the range 10-40 microseconds. The value of kH/kD(on) for chloroperoxidase is 1.16, and kH/kD(off) is 1.7; corresponding values for horseradish peroxidase are 1.10 and 2.4. The H/D solvent isotope effects indicate proton transfer is partially rate controlling and is more important in the dissociation of azide from the enzyme-ligand complex. A mechanism is proposed in which hydrazoic acid binds to chloroperoxidase in a concerted process in which its proton is transferred to a distal basic group. Hydrogen bonding from the newly formed distal acid to the bound azide facilitates formation of hydrazoic acid as the leaving group in the dissociation process. The binding rate constant data, kon, can be fit to the equation kon = k3/(1 + KA/[H+]), where k3 = 7.6 X 10(7) M-1 S-1 and KA, the dissociation constant of hydrazoic acid, is 2.5 X 10(-5) M. The same mechanism probably is valid for the ligand binding to horseradish peroxidase.     

Mechanism of fatty acid desaturation in the green alga Chlorella vulgaris.

The hypothesis that the Delta9 desaturase of Chlorella vulgaris might operate by a synchronous mechanism has been tested using a kinetic isotope effect (KIE) approach. Thus the intermolecular primary deuterium KIE on the individual C-H bond cleavage steps involved in Delta9 desaturation have been determined by incubating growing cultures of C. vulgaris (strain 211/8K) with mixtures of the appropriate regiospecifically deuterated fatty acid analogues. Our analysis shows that the introduction of a double bond between C-9 and C-10 occurs in two discrete steps as the cleavage of the C9-H bond is very sensitive to isotopic substitution (kH/kD = 6.6 +/- 0.3) whereas a negligible isotope effect (kH/kD = 1.05 +/- 0.05) was observed for the C10-H bond-breaking step. Similar results were obtained for linoleic acid biosynthesis (Delta12 desaturation). These data clearly rule out a synchronous mechanism for these reactions.     

Thiazolium C(2)-proton exchange: structure-reactivity correlations and the pKa of thiamin C(2)-H revisited

Rate constants for C(2)-proton exchange from thiamin, N(1')-methylthiamin, and several 3-substituted-4-methylthiazolium ions catalyzed by D2O and deuterioxide ion were determined by 1H NMR at 30 degrees C and ionic strength 2.0 M. Values of pKa for the thiazolium ions, including thiamin itself, were found to be in the range pKa = 17-19; the pKa values for N(1')-protonated thiamin and free thiamin C(2)-H in H2O are 17.7 and 18.0, respectively. The pKa value for N(1')-protonated thiamin was calculated from the observed rate constant for the pD-independent reaction with D2O after correction for a secondary solvent deuterium isotope effect of kH2O/kD2O = 2.6. The pKa value for free thiamin was calculated from the rate constant for catalysis by OD- after correction by a factor of 3.3 = 8/2.4 for an 8-fold negative deviation of kOD from the Br?nsted plot of slope 1.0 for general base catalysis and a secondary solvent isotope effect of kOD/kOH = 2.4. Values of k-a = 2 X 10(10) and 3 X 10(9) M-1 s-1 were assumed for diffusion-controlled protonation of the C(2) ylide in the reverse direction by H3O+ and H2O, respectively. The Hammett rho I value for the exchange reaction catalyzed by deuterioxide ion or D2O is 8.4 +/- 0.2. There is no positive deviation of the rate constants for free or N(1')-substituted thiamin analogues in either Hammett correlation. This shows that the aminopyrimidinyl group does not provide significant intramolecular catalysis of nonenzymic C(2)-proton removal in the coenzyme.     

Solvent isotope effects and the pH dependence of laccase activity under steady-state conditions

Solvent isotope effects and the pH dependence of laccase catalysis under steady-state conditions were examined with a rapid reductant to assess the potential roles of protein protic groups and the catalytic mechanism. The pH dependence of both reductant-dependent and reductant-independent steps showed bell-shaped profiles implicating at least two protic groups in each case. The apparent pKa values were: for the reductant-independent step(s), pK alpha 1 = 8.98 +/- 0.02 and pK alpha 2 = 5.91 +/- 0.03; for the reductant-dependent step(s), pK' alpha 1 = 7.55 +/- 0.12, pK' alpha 2 = 8.40 +/- 0.23. No solvent isotope effect on reductant-dependent steps was detected other than a standard shift effect. However, a significant solvent isotope effect on a reductant-independent step(s) was observed; kH/kD = 2.12 at the pH optimum of 7.5. The concentration dependence of the D2O effect indicated that a single proton was involved. Simulations of the p(H,D) data suggested that the solvent isotope effect was associated with the protein protic group required in its undissociated form (pK alpha 2). The pH effects on reductant-dependent steps are apparently associated with reductant-dependent steps that occur between O2 binding and water formation in the catalytic reaction sequence.     

Mechanism of O2 activation by cytochrome P450cam studied by isotope effects and transient state kinetics

The early steps in dioxygen activation by the monooxygenase cytochrome P450cam (CYP101) include binding of O2 to ferrous P450cam to yield the ferric-superoxo form (oxyP450cam) followed by an irreversible, long-range electron transfer from putidaredoxin to reduce the oxyP450cam. The steady state kinetic parameter kcat/Km(O2) has been studied by a variety of probes that indicate a small D2O solvent isotope effect (1.21 +/- 0.08), a very small solvent viscosogen effect, and a 16O/18O isotope effect of 1.0147 +/- 0.0007. This latter value, which can be compared with the 16O/18O equilibrium isotope effect of 1.0048 +/- 0.0003 measured for oxyP450cam formation, is attributed to a primarily rate-limiting outer-sphere electron transfer from the heme iron center as O2 that has prebound to protein approaches the active site cofactor. The electron transfer from putidaredoxin to oxyP450cam was investigated by rapid mixing at 25 degrees C to complement previous lower-temperature measurements. A rate of 390 +/- 23 s-1 (and a near-unity solvent isotope effect) supports the view that the long-range electron transfer from reduced putidaredoxin to oxyP450cam is rapid relative to dissociation of O2 from the enzyme. P450cam represents the first enzymatic reaction of O2 in which both equilibrium and kinetic 16O/18O isotope effects have been measured.     

Mechanism and activation for allosteric adenosine 5'-monophosphate nucleosidase. Kinetic alpha-deuterium isotope effects for the enzyme-catalyzed hydrolysis of adenosine 5'-monophosphate and nicotinamide mononucleotide

The kinetic alpha-deuterium isotope effect on Vmax/Km for hydrolysis of NMN catalyzed by AMP nucleosidase at saturating concentrations of the allosteric activator MgATP2- is kH/kD = 1.155 +/- 0.012. This value is close to that reported previously for the nonenzymatic hydrolysis of nucleosides of related structure, suggesting that the full intrinsic isotope effect for enzymatic NMN hydrolysis is expressed under these conditions; that is, bond-changing reactions are largely or completely rate-determining and the transition state has marked oxocarbonium ion character. The kinetic alpha-deuterium isotope effect for this reaction is unchanged when deuterium oxide replaces water as solvent, corroborating this conclusion. Furthermore, this isotope effect is independent of pH over the range 6.95-9.25, for which values of Vmax/Km change by a factor of 90, suggesting that the isotope-sensitive and pH-sensitive steps for AMP-nucleosidase-catalyzed NMN hydrolysis are the same. Values of kH/kD for AMP nucleosidase-catalyzed hydrolysis of NMN decrease with decreasing saturation of enzyme with MgATP2- and reach unity when the enzyme is less than half-saturated with this activator. This requires that the rate-determining step changes from cleavage of the covalent C-N bond to one which is isotope-independent. In contrast to the case for NMN hydrolysis, AMP nucleosidase-catalyzed hydrolysis of AMP at saturating concentrations of MgATP2- shows a kinetic alpha-deuterium isotope effect of unity. Thus, covalent bond-changing reactions are largely or completely rate-determining for hydrolysis of a poor substrate, NMN, but make little or no contribution to rate-determining step for hydrolysis of a good substrate, AMP, by maximally activated enzyme. This behavior has several precedents.     

Cytochrome P-450-catalyzed dehydrogenation of 1,4-dihydropyridines

A variety of different 4-substituted 1,4-dihydropyridine Hantzsch esters are substrates for ring dehydrogenation by a cytochrome P-450 (P-450) enzyme (P-450 UT-A); the substitutent could be varied from a hydrogen to a naphthalenyl, but a pyrenyl derivative was not dehydrogenated. When a 4-alkyl group is present, both the P-450 which oxidizes the substrate and other P-450s can be inactivated (by putative alkyl radicals). P-450s did not discriminate with regard to removal of the 4-H atoms from an enantiomeric pair of dihydropyridines. Losses of the 4-proton and N-methyl from a N-methyl-1,4-dihydropyridine occur at similar rates. The calculated intrinsic kinetic hydrogen isotope effect (Dk) for dehydrogenation of 1,4-dihydro-2,6-dimethyl-4-phenyl-3,5-pyridinedicarboxylic acid dimethyl ester was 2.9 in a reconstituted P-450 UT-A enzyme system. No significant kinetic hydrogen isotope effect was observed in microsomal incubations for the dehydrogenation of this compound or 1,4-dihydro-2,6-dimethyl-3,5-pyridinedicarboxylic acid diethyl ester in a variety of competitive and noncompetitive experiments. In light of previous studies on the magnitude of kinetic hydrogen isotope effects in P-450 systems (e.g. Miwa et al., 1983 (Miwa, G. T., Walsh, J. S., Kedderis, G. L., and Hollenberg, P. F. (1983) J. Biol. Chem. 258, 14445-14449], the mechanistic proposals of Augusto et al., 1982 (Augusto, O., Beilan, H. S., and Ortiz de Montellano, P. R. (1982) J. Biol. Chem. 257, 11288-11295)) for enzyme inactivation by 4-alkyl-substituted Hantzsch pyridine esters, and other precedents for sequential electron transfer in amine oxidation by P-450s, we interpret these results as being consistent with P-450-mediated 1-electron oxidation of dihydropyridines followed by the facile loss of the 4-proton, with subsequent electron transfer to complete the reaction.     

On the mechanism of the acid-catalyzed hydrolysis of uridine to uracil. Evidence for 6-hydroxy-5,6-dihydrouridine intermediates

In acidic media, the 5,6-double bond of uridine is rapidly hydrated to give a small amount of 6-hydroxy-5,6-dihydrouridine (Urd-H2O), the mechanism of which is known from studies of the acid-catalyzed dehydration of Urd-H2O (Prior, J. J., Maley, J., and Santi, D. V. (1984) J. Biol. Chem. 258, 2422-2428). In addition to dehydration, Urd-H2O also undergoes direct hydrolysis of the N-glycosidic bond in acidic solution. The kinetics of the above reaction demonstrates that Urd-H2O, or an intermediate in the pathway leading from Urd to Urd-H2O, is kinetically competent to account for the hydrolysis of the N-glycosidic bond of Urd. The hydrolysis of (1'-2H)Urd proceeds with an alpha-secondary deuterium isotope effect of kH/kD of 1.11 at 25 degrees C. This isotope effect is sufficiently large to implicate carbonium ion character at the 1'-carbon during hydrolysis but, since it is not the maximal value expected, suggests that N-glycoside cleavage is rate-determining with a transition state intermediate between reactant and products. Importantly, the hydrolysis of [6-3H]Urd proceeds with a substantial inverse secondary isotope effect of kT/kH = 1.15 at 25 degrees C which indicates some degree of sp2 to sp3 rehybridization of C-6 of the pyrimidine moiety during hydrolysis. From the data available, it appears that an important pathway in the hydrolysis of the N-glycoside bond of Urd involves either spontaneous cleavage of Urd which is protonated at the 5-carbon or a protonated species of Urd-H2O. The studies described here, together with the known susceptibility of the 6-position of pyrimidine heterocycles toward nucleophiles, permits the proposal of chemically reasonable mechanisms for enzyme-catalyzed cleavage of N-glycosidic bonds of pyrimidines.     

Electronic and steric factors in regioselective hydroxylation catalyzed by purified cytochrome P-450.

A reconstituted hydroxylation system consisting of electrophoretically homogeneous phenobarbital-inducible rabbit liver microsomal cytochrome P-450 (P-450 LM2), NADPH-cytochrome P-450 reductase, phospholipid, buffer, NADPH, and O2 was used to oxidize four cyclohexane derivatives: cyclohexene, methylcyclohexane, norcarane and norbornane. Cyclohexene gave only cyclohexene oxide and allylic cyclohexenol, while methylcyclohexane yielded all possible monohydric alcohols, but with 1 degrees:2 degrees:3 degrees ratios of 0.072:1:1.25. Norcarane yielded 2-norcaranol. While oxidation of norbornane produced exo-2- and endo-2-norborneols in a ratio of 3.4:1, replacement of all four exo-hydrogens by deuterium led to a reversal of the exo:endo ratio to 0.76:1. These and other observations are interpreted as evidence for a selective, hydrogen-abstracting enzyme-bound oxidant exhibiting a large intramolecular deuterium isotope effect. A transient substrate carbon radical is a probable intermediate in the hydroxylation process.     

Acid-base catalysis in the yeast alcohol dehydrogenase reaction.

The effect of pH on steady state kinetic parameters for the yeast alcohol dehydrogenase-catalyzed reduction of aldehydes and oxidation of alcohols has been studied. The oxidation of p-CH3 benzyl alcohol-1,1-h2 and -1,1-d2 by NAD+ was found to be characterized by large deuterium isotope effects (kH/kD = 4.1 plus or minus 0.1) between pH 7.5 and 9.5, indicating a rate-limiting hydride trahsfer step in this pH range; a plot of kCAT versus pH could be fit to a theoretical titration curve, pK = 8.25, where kCAT increases with increasing pH. The Michaelis constnat for p-CH3 benzyl alcohol was independent of pH. The reduction of p-CH3 benzaldehyde by NADH and reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide with deuterium in the 4-A position (NADD) cound not be studied below pH 8.5 due to substrate inhibition; however, between pH 8.5 and 9.5, kCAT was found to decrease with increasing pH and to be characterized by significant isotope effects (kH/kD = 3.3 plus or minus 0.3). In the case of acetaldehyde reduction by NADH and NADD, isotope effects were found to be small and exxentially invariant (kH/kD = 2.O plus or minus 0.4) between pH 7.2 and 9.5, suggesting a partially rate-limiting hydride transger step for this substrate; a plot of kCAT/K'b (where K'b is the Michaelis constant for acetaldehyde) versus pH could be fit to a titration curve, pK = 8.25. The titration curve for acetaldehyde reduction has the same pK but is opposite in direction to that observed for p-CH3 benzyl alcohol oxidation. The data presented in this paper indicate a dependence on different enzyme forms for aldehyde reduction and alcohol oxidation and are consistent with a single active site side chain, pK = 8.25, which functions in acid-base catalysis of the hydride transfer step.     

Cytochrome P-450 dependent ethanol oxidation. Kinetic isotope effects and absence of stereoselectivity

Deuterium isotope effects [D(V/K)] and stereoselectivity of ethanol oxidation in cytochrome P-450 containing systems and in the xanthine-xanthine oxidase system were compared with those of yeast alcohol dehydrogenase. The isotope effects were determined by using both a noncompetitive method, including incubation of unlabeled or [1,1-2H2]ethanol at various concentrations, and a competitive method, where 1:1 mixtures of [1-13C]- and [2H6]ethanol or [2,2,2-2H3]- and [1,1-2H2]ethanol were incubated and the acetaldehyde formed was analyzed by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. The D(V/K) isotope effects of the cytochrome P-450 dependent ethanol oxidation were about 4 with liver microsomes from imidazole-, phenobarbital- or acetone-treated rabbits or with microsomes from acetone- or ethanol-treated rats. Similar isotope effects were reached with reconstituted membranes containing the rabbit ethanol-inducible cytochrome P-450 (LMeb), whereas control rat microsomes and membranes containing rabbit phenobarbital-inducible P-450 LM2 oxidized the alcohol with D(V/K) of about 2.8 and 1.8, respectively. Addition of FeIIIEDTA either to microsomes from phenobarbital-treated rabbits or to membranes containing P-450 LMeb significantly lowered the isotope effect, which approached that of the xanthine-xanthine oxidase system (1.4), whereas desferrioxamine had no significant effect. Incubations of all cytochrome P-450 containing systems or the xanthine-xanthine oxidase systems with (1R)- and (1S)-[1-2H]ethanol, revealed, taking the isotope effects into account, that 44-66% of the ethanol oxidized had lost the 1-pro-R hydrogen.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Isotopically labeled chlorobenzenes as probes for the mechanism of cytochrome P-450 catalyzed aromatic hydroxylation

Noncompetitive and competitive intermolecular deuterium isotope effects were measured for the cytochrome P-450 catalyzed hydroxylation of a series of selectively deuterated chlorobenzenes. An isotope effect of 1.27 accompanied the meta hydroxylation of chlorobenzene-2H5 as determined by two totally independent methods (EC-LC and GC-MS assays). All isotope effects associated with the meta hydroxylation of chlorobenzenes-3,5-2H2 and -2,4,6-2H3 were approximately 1.1. In contrast, competitive isotope studies on the ortho and para hydroxylation of chlorobenzenes-4-2H1, -3,5-2H2, and -2,4,6-2H3 resulted in significant inverse isotope effects (approximately 0.95) when deuterium was substituted at the site of oxidation whereas no isotope effect was observed for the oxidation of protio sites. These results eliminate initial epoxide formation and initial electron abstraction (charge transfer) as viable mechanisms for the cytochrome P-450 catalyzed hydroxylation of chlorobenzene. The results, however, can be explained by a mechanism in which an active triplet-like oxygen atom adds to the pi system in a manner analogous to that for olefin oxidation. The resulting tetrahedral intermediate can then rearrange to phenol directly or via epoxide or ketone intermediates.