Synthesis of (Rp,Rp)-P1,P4-Bis(5'-adenosyl)-1[17O,18O2],4[17O,18O2] tetraphosphate from (Sp,Sp)-P1,P4-Bis(5'-adenosyl)-1[thio-18O2], 4[thio-18O2]tetraphosphate with retention at phosphorus and the stereochemical course of hydrolysis by the unsymmetrical Ap4A phosphodiesterase from lupin seeds

The three stereoisomers of P1,P4-bis(5'-adenosyl)-1,4-dithiotetraphosphate have been synthesized and their 31P NMR spectra investigated. The effect of temperature on the circular dichroic spectrum of the (Sp,Sp)-stereoisomer shows that unstacking of the molecule occurs as the temperature is raised. Treatment of the (Sp,Sp)-stereoisomer with cyanogen bromide in [18O]water leads to substitution of sulfur by 18O with predominant retention of configuration at P1 and P4. (Sp,Sp)-P1,P4-Bis(5'-adenosyl)-1[thio-18O2],4[thio-18O2]tetraphosphate was synthesized and on treatment with cyanogen bromide in [17O]water gave (Rp,Rp)-P1,P4-bis(5'-adenosyl)-1[17O,18O2],4[17O,18O2]tetraphosphate. Hydrolysis by unsymmetrical Ap4A phosphodiesterase from lupin seeds gave (Rp)-5'-[16O,17O,18O]AMP. The reaction therefore proceeds with inversion of configuration at phosphorus, indicating that the enzyme-catalyzed displacement by water occurs by a direct "in-line" mechanism.     

Gentamicin nucleotidyltransferase. Stereochemical inversion at phosphorus in enzymatic 2'-deoxyadenylyl transfer to tobramycin

Gentamicin nucleotidyltransferase-catalyzed reaction of (Sp)-[alpha-17O]dATP with tobramycin produced 2"-(2'-deoxyadenosine 5'-[17O]phosphoryl)tobramycin. The configuration at phosphorus in this product was shown to be Rp by chemical degradation to chiral [17O, 18O]dAMP using a stereochemically defined procedure, and determination of the configuration at phosphorus in this product. Periodate-base treatment of 2"-(2'-deoxyadenosine 5'-[17O]phosphoryl)tobramycin followed by NaBH4 reduction produced (2-glyceryl)-[17O]dAMP, which upon snake venom phosphodiesterase-catalyzed hydrolysis in H(2)18O produced [17O,18O] dAMP. The configuration at phosphorus in this product was shown to be S by enzymatic phosphorylation to [17O,18O]dATP, adenylylcyclase (Bordetella pertussis)-catalyzed cyclization to 3',5'-cyclic [17O,18O]dAMP, and 31P NMR analysis of the ethyl esters. Since snake venom phosphodiesterase-catalyzed hydrolyses proceed with retention of configuration at phosphorus, (Sp)-[17O,18O]dAMP must have been produced from (Rp)-(2-glyceryl)-[17O]dAMP; and since the chemical degradation to the latter compound did not involve cleavage of any bonds to phosphorus, the initial enzymatic product must have been (Rp)-2"-(2'-deoxyadenosine 5'-[17O]phosphoryl)tobramycin. Therefore, nucleotidyl transfer catalyzed by gentamicin nucleotidyl-transferase proceeds with inversion of configuration at phosphorus, and the reaction mechanism involves an uneven number of phosphotransfer steps. Inasmuch as this is an uncomplicated two-substrate group transfer reaction, the mechanism probably involves direct nucleotidyl transfer from the nucleoside triphosphate to the aminoglycoside. The B. pertussis adenylylcyclase reaction was shown to proceed with inversion at phosphorus, as has been established for other adenylylcyclases.     

Phospholipids chiral at phosphorus. Steric course of the reactions catalyzed by phosphatidylserine synthase from Escherichia coli and yeast

The steric courses of the reactions catalyzed by phosphatidylserine (PS) synthase from Escherichia coli and yeast were elucidated by the following procedure. RP and SP isomers of 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-[17O,18O]phosphoethanolamine ([17O,18O]DPPE) were synthesized with slight modification of the previous procedure [Bruzik, K., & Tsai, M.-D. (1984) J. Am. Chem. Soc. 106, 747-754] and converted to (RP)- and (SP)-1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-[16O,17O,18O]phosphoric acid ([16O,17O18O]DPPA), respectively, by incubating with phospholipase D. Condensation of [16O,17O,18O]DPPA with cytidine 5'-monophosphomorpholidate in pyridine gave the desired substrate for PS synthase, [17O,18O]cytidine 5'-diphospho-1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycerol ([17O,18O]CDP-DPG), as a mixture of several isotopic and configurational isomers. Incubation of [17O,18O]CDP-DPG with a mixture of L-serine, PS synthase (which converted [17O,18O]CDP-DPG to phosphatidylserine), and PS decarboxylase (which catalyzes decarboxylation of phosphatidylserine) gave [17O,18O]DPPE. The configuration and isotopic enrichments of the starting [17O,18O]DPPE and the product were analyzed by 31P NMR following trimethylsilylation of the DPPE. The results indicate that the reaction of E. coli PS synthase proceeds with retention of configuration at phosphorus, which suggests a two-step mechanism involving a phosphatidyl-enzyme intermediate, while the yeast PS synthase catalyzes the reaction with inversion of configuration, which suggests a single-displacement mechanism. Such results lend strong support to the ping-pong mechanism proposed for the E. coli enzyme and the sequential Bi-Bi mechanism proposed for the yeast enzyme, both based on previous isotopic exchange experiments.     

Stereochemistry of the hydrolysis of adenosine 5'-thiophosphate catalyzed by venom 5'-nucleotidase

The stereochemical problem involving a pro-pro-prochiral phosphorus center, the hydrolysis of adenosine 5'-monophosphate to adenosine and inorganic phosphate catalyzed by the venom 5'-nucleotidase, has been studied by use of chiral [16O, 17O, 18O]thiophosphates (Psi). (Rp)- and (Sp)-[alpha-18O1]Adenosine 5'-thiophosphates (AMPS) were synthesized by a combined chemical and biochemical procedure. Hydrolysis of (Rp)- and (Sp)-[alpha-18O1]AMPS in H217O by 5'-nucleotidase gave two enantiomers of chiral Psi of unknown configuration. A 31P NMR method based on the combination of the quadrupolar effect of 17O [Tsai, M.-D. (1979) Biochemistry 18, 1468-1472] and the 18O isotope shift [Cohn, M., & Hu. A. (1978) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 75, 200-203] has been developed to analyze the configuration of chiral Pso. The results indicate that hydrolysis of (Rp)- and (Sp)-[alpha-18O1]AMPS in H217O gave (R)- and (S)- [16O, 17O, 18O]Psi, respectively. Therefore the hydrolysis of AMPS catalyze by the venom 5'-nucleotidase must proceed with inversion of configuration at phosphorus, which suggests that the reaction is most likely an "in line" single displacement without involving a phosphoryl-enzyme intermediate and without pseudorotation.     

Metabolism of [17-2H]pregnenolone into 5-[17 beta-2H, 17 alpha-18O]androstene-3 beta, 17 alpha-diol and other products by incubation with the microsomal fraction of boar testis under 18O2 atmosphere.

[17-2H]Pregnenolone was incubated with the microsomal fraction of boar testis under an 18O2 atmosphere. The metabolites were analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, and the following six metabolites labeled with 2H or 18O (or both) were identified: 17 alpha-[17-18O]hydroxypregnenolone, [17-18O]dehydroepiandrosterone, 5-[17-18O]androstene-3 beta, 17 beta-diol, 16 alpha-[16-18O]hydroxy[17-2H]pregnenolone, 5-[17 beta-2H, 17-18O]androstene-3 beta,17 alpha-diol, and 5,16-[17-2H]androstadien-3 beta-ol. The time course of the formation of these metabolites from pregnenolone was also studied using 14C-labeled substrate. The results obtained from these experiments suggest that the first three metabolites were synthesized by a well-documented pathway--pregnenolone yields 17 alpha-hydroxypregnenolone yields dehydroepiandrosterone yields 5-androstene-3 beta,17 beta-diol--, and that 16 alpha-hydroxypregnenolone, 5-androstene-3 beta,17 alpha-diol and 5,16-androstadien-3 beta-ol were synthesized from [17-2H]pregnenolone with retention of 17-2H.     

The stereochemical course of D-glyceraldehyde-induced ATPase activity of glycerokinase from Escherichia coli

D-Glyceraldehyde-induced hydrolysis of adenosine (R)-5'-[gamma-17O,18O,thio]triphosphate catalysed by glycerokinase from Escherichia coli gives inorganic [16O,17O,18O]thiophosphate with the (S)-configuration, showing that the reaction proceeds with inversion of configuration at phosphorus. This result provides powerful support for the chemically most plausible mechanism, namely, that the hydrate of D-glyceraldehyde is the effective substrate which after phosphorylation or thiophosphorylation eliminates inorganic phosphate or inorganic thiophosphate, respectively, with regeneration of D-glyceraldehyde.     

A stereochemical and positional isotope exchange study of the mechanism of activation of isoleucine by isoleucyl-tRNA synthetase from Escherichia coli

Isoleucyl-tRNA synthetase from Escherichia coli catalyzes the activation of [18O2]isoleucine by adenosine 5'-[(R)-alpha-17O]triphosphate with inversion of configuration at phosphorus. Moreover, isoleucyl-tRNA synthetase does not catalyze positional isotope exchange in adenosine 5'-[beta-18O2]triphosphate in the absence of isoleucine or in the presence of the competitive inhibitor isoleucinol, which effectively eliminates the possibility of either adenylyl-enzyme or adenosine metaphosphate intermediates being involved. Together, these observations require that isoleucyl-tRNA synthetase catalyzes the activation of isoleucine by associative "in line" nucleotidyl transfer. The synthesis of adenosine 5'-[(R)-alpha-17O]diphosphate and its conversion to adenosine 5'-[(R)-alpha-17O]triphosphate is described and an explanation provided for the reported differences between the treatment of adenosine 5'-[(S)-alpha-thiodiphosphate] with cyanogen bromide and bromine in [18O]water.     

Phospholipids chiral at phosphorus. Synthesis of chiral phosphatidylcholine and stereochemistry of phospholipase D

Chirally labeled 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholines (DPPC) with known configuration were synthesized by N-methylation of chirally labeled 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine (DPPE). Transphosphatidylation of (RP)- and (SP)-[18O]DPPC catalyzed by phospholipase D from cabbage gave (RP)- and (SP)-[18O]DPPE, respectively, as indicated by 31P nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) analysis of [18O]DPPE. Therefore, phospholipase D catalyzes transphosphatidylation with overall retention of configuration at phosphorus. The steric course of hydrolysis of DPPC catalyzed by the same enzyme was elucidated by the following procedures. Hydrolysis of (RP)-[17O, 18O]DPPC by phospholipase D gave 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-[ 16O , 17O, 18O]phosphate ( [ 16O , 17O, 18O] DPPA ) with unknown configuration. The latter compound was then converted to 1-[ 16O , 17O, 18O]phospho-(R)-propane-1,2-diol by a procedure involving no P-O bond cleavage [ Bruzik , K., & Tsai, M.-D. (1984) J. Am. Chem. Soc. 106, 747-754]. The configuration of the phosphopropane -1,2-diol was determined as RP by 31P NMR analysis following ring closure and methylation [ Buchwald , S. L., & Knowles, J. R. (1980) J. Am. Chem. Soc. 102, 6601-6603]. The results indicated that hydrolysis of DPPC catalyzed by phospholipase D also proceeds with retention of configuration at phosphorus. Our results therefore support a two-step mechanism involving a phosphatidyl-enzyme intermediate in the reactions catalyzed by phospholipase D from cabbage.     

The stereochemical course of yeast hexokinase-catalysed phosphoryl transfer by using adenosine 5''[gamma(S)-16O,17O,18O]triphosphate as substrate.

Adenosine 5'[gamma(S)-16O, 17O, 18O]triphosphate has been synthesized and used to determine the stereochemical course of phosphoryl transfer catalysed by yeast hexokinase. The chirality at phosphorus of the D-glucose 6-[16O,17O,18O]phosphate formed was analysed, after cyclization and methylation, by 31P n.m.r. spectroscopy. The phosphoryl transfer was found to occur with inversion of configuration, with a stereoselectivity in excess of 94%. The simplest interpretation of this result is that the phosphoryl group is transferred between substrates in the enzyme-substrate ternary complex by an 'in line' mechanism.     

Mechanism of activation of phenylalanine and synthesis of P1, P4-bis(5'-adenosyl) tetraphosphate by yeast phenylalanyl-tRNA synthetase

The activation of L-phenylalanine by yeast phenylalanyl-tRNA synthetase using adenosine 5'-[(S)-alpha-17O,alpha,alpha-18O2]triphosphate is shown to proceed with inversion of configuration at P alpha of ATP. This observation taken together with the lack of positional isotope exchange when adenosine 5'-[beta,beta-18O2]triphosphate is incubated with the enzyme in the absence of phenylalanine and in the presence of the competitive inhibitor phenylalaninol indicates that activation of phenylalanine occurs by a direct "in-line" adenylyl-transfer reaction. In the presence of Zn2+, yeast phenylalanyl-tRNA synthetase also catalyzes the phenylalanine-dependent hydrolysis of ATP to AMP and the synthesis of P1,P4-bis(5'-adenosyl) tetraphosphate (Ap4A). With adenosine 5'-[(S)-alpha-17O,alpha,alpha-18O2]triphosphate, the formation of AMP and Ap4A is shown to occur with inversion and retention of configuration, respectively. It is concluded that phenylalanyl adenylate is an intermediate in both processes, Zn2+ promoting AMP formation by hydrolytic cleavage of the C-O bond and Ap4A formation by displacement at phosphorus of phenylalanine by ATP.     

Rate-determining step in phospholipase A2 mechanism. 18O isotope exchange determined by 13C NMR

H2(18)O isotope exchange into specifically 13C-labeled substrate was used to obtain information on the rate-limiting step in the action of the phospholipase A2 from the venom of the Indian cobra (Naja naja naja). Incorporation of 18O was detected by the effect of 18O on 13C chemical shifts in 13C NMR. The enzymatic hydrolysis of a micellar phosphatidylcholine analogue of platelet-activating factor 1-alkyl-2-[1-13C]lauroyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphorylcholine proceeds by an O-acyl cleavage of the sn-2 ester bond. The reaction was examined for simultaneous 18O incorporation into the substrate. No exchange was found, suggesting that the hydrolytic step is not followed by a higher energy transition state and that it or a step before it appears to be rate-limiting. Previous experiments on phosphatidylethanolamine activation indicate that kcat is altered but that the km remains the same upon activation, suggesting that the binding steps occurring before the hydrolytic step are not affected. This strongly suggests that the hydrolytic step is in fact the rate-limiting step under these conditions. The 13C, 18O NMR technique should be generally applicable to mechanistic questions of this type.     

Synthesis and configurational analysis of a dinucleoside phosphate isotopically chiral at phosphorus. Stereochemical course of Penicillium citrum nuclease P1 reaction

(Rp)- and (Sp)-5'-O-thymidyl 3'-O-thymidyl [18O]phosphates have been synthesized by reaction of the respective (Sp)- and (Rp)-phosphorothioate precursors with N-bromosuccinimide in dioxane and H218O. Stereochemical analysis of the product derived from the (Rp)-phosphorothioate by digestion with snake venom phosphodiesterase in H217O and examination of the isotopic chirality of the resulting thymidine 5'-[16O,17O,18O]phosphate demonstrate that the replacement reaction has proceeded with inversion of configuration at phosphorus. Inspection of the 31P NMR spectrum of the methyl esters prepared from (Sp)-5'-O-thymidyl 3'-O-thymidyl [18O]phosphate confirms that the replacement reaction has proceeded with very little if any racemization. This spectrum also allows the assignment of the absolute configuration of these methyl triesters. (Rp)-5'-O-Thymidyl 3'-O-thymidyl [18O]phosphate has been used to demonstrate that the stereochemical course of the hydrolytic reaction catalyzed by nuclease P1 from Penicillium citrum proceeds with inversion of configuration at phosphorus and therefore probably does not involve the participation of a covalent enzyme intermediate.     

Chiral [18O]phosphorothioates. The stereochemical course of thiophosphoryl group transfer catalyzed by nucleoside phosphotransferase.

Nucleoside phosphotransferase from barley seedlings was used to catalyze the equilibration of adenosine-5'-[18O]phosphorothioate having the S configuration at phosphorus with [adenine-8-14C]adenosine to produce [adenine-8-14C]adenosine-5'-[18O]phosphorothioate and adenosine. The configuration of the chiral phosphorus in adenosine-5'-[18O]phosphorothioate which was used as the donor substrate was then compared with that of the [adenine-8-14C]adenosine-5'-[18O]phosphorothioate isolated from the reaction mixture. They were found to be the same, showing that the reaction proceeds with 99.7% retention of configuration of the [18O]phosphorothioate. This is interpreted to be indicative of the involvement of a thiophosphoryl-enzyme intermediate in the nucleoside phosphotransferase reaction. The synthesis of adenosine-5'-[18O]phosphorothioate having the R and S configurations at the phosphorus atoms is described.     

The stereochemical course of phosphoryl transfer catalysed by glucokinase.

Adenosine 5'-[gamma(S)-16O,17O,18O]triphosphate has been used to determine the stereo-chemical course of phosphoryl transfer catalysed by rat liver glucokinase. The chirality of the product, D-glucose 6-[16O,17O,18O]phosphate was analysed by 31P n.m.r. spectroscopy. The reaction proceeds with inversion of configuration at phosphorus. The simplest interpretation of this result, which is the same as that observed with yeast hexokinase [Lowe & Potter (1981) Biochem. J. 199, 277-233], is that the phosphoryl group is transferred between MgATP2- and glucose in the ternary complex by an 'in-line' mechanism. It accords with the veiw that the kinetic differences between glucokinase and the other hexokinases arise from differences in rate constants and not from any fundamental differences in chemical mechanism.     

Arachidonic acid epoxides. Demonstration through [18O]oxygen studies of an intramolecular transfer of the terminal hydroxyl group of (12S)-hydroperoxyeicosa-5,8,10,14-tetraenoic acid to form hydroxyepoxides

Purified 12-hydroperoxyeicosa - 5, 8, 10, 14 - tetrae noic acid (12-HPETE) containing deuterium atoms at 5, 6, 8, 9, 11, 12, 14, and 15 was prepared by incubating octadeuterated arachidonic acid with a platelet preparation in air or [18O]oxygen gas. A mixture of 12-HPETE containing 16O16O:18O18O (5:4) was subsequently prepared and incubated with hematin in phosphate buffer (pH 7.4); in another experiment the same mixture of 12-HPETE was incubated with a rat lung preparation (0-30% ammonium sulfate) which lacked epoxide hydratase activity. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry negative ion chemical ionization analysis of the extracted products after conversion into pentafluorobenzyl-trimethylsilyl derivatives indicated that the products from both incubations, i.e. 12-hydroxyeicosa - 5,8,10,14 - tetraenoic acid (12 - HETE), 8 - hydroxy - 11,12-epoxyeicosa - 5,9,14 - trienoic acid (8H-11,12-EPETE), 10H - 11,12-epoxyeicosa - 5,8,14 - trienoic acid (10H-11,12-EPETE), and 8,11,12-trihydroxyeicosa-5,9,14-trienoic acid, all retained either two [16O]oxygen or two [18O]oxygen atoms of starting 12-HPETE and that no mixed species existed which contained one [16O]oxygen and one [18O]oxygen atom. These results demonstrate for the first time in the arachidonic acid series an intramolecular transfer of the terminal hydroxyl group of the hydroperoxide of 12-HPETE to the C-8 or C-10 alkyl positions to form the hydroxyepoxides 8H-11,12-EPETE and 10H-11,12-EPETE. This reaction carried out by both hematin in the absence of protein and the rat lung preparation is suggestive of a metal-hydroperoxide-olefin "cage" complex facilitating a concerted reaction in which the terminal hydroxyl group of the hydroperoxide is trapped by alkyl free radical centers.     

Synthesis and preliminary biological evaluation of O6-[4-(2-[18F]fluoroethoxymethyl)benzyl]guanine as a novel potential PET probe for the DNA repair protein O6-alkylguanine-DNA alkyltransferase in cancer chemotherapy

A novel fluorine-18-labeled O6-benzylguanine (O6-BG) derivative, O6-[4-(2-[18F]fluoroethoxymethyl)benzyl]guanine (O6-[18F]FEMBG, [18F]1), has been synthesized for evaluation as a potential positron emission tomography (PET) probe for the DNA repair protein O6-alkylguanine-DNA alkyltransferase (AGT) in cancer chemotherapy. The appropriate radiolabeling precursor N(2,9)-bis(p-anisyldiphenylmethyl)-O6-[4-(hydroxymethyl)benzyl]guanine (6) and reference standard O6-[4-(2-fluoroethoxymethyl)benzyl]guanine (O6-FEMBG, 1) were synthesized from 1,4-benzenedimethanol and 2-amino-6-chloropurine in four or six steps, respectively, with moderate to excellent chemical yields. The target tracer O6-[18F]FEMBG was prepared in 20-35% radiochemical yields by reaction of MTr-protected precursor 6 with [18F]fluoroethyl bromide followed by quick deprotection reaction and purification with a simplified Silica Sep-Pak method. Total synthesis time was 60-70 min from the end of bombardment. Radiochemical purity of the formulated product was >95%, with a specific radioactivity of >1.0 Ci/micromol at the end of synthesis. The activity of unlabeled O6-FEMBG was evaluated via an in vitro AGT oligonucleotide assay. Preliminary findings from biological assay indicate that the synthesized analogue has similarly strong inhibiting effect on AGT in comparison with O6-BG and O6-4-fluorobenzylguanine (O6-FBG). The results warrant further in vivo evaluation of O6-[18F]FEMBG as a new potential PET probe for AGT.     

Stereochemical course of the 3'----5'-exonuclease activity of DNA polymerase I

(Sp)-2'-Deoxyadenosine 5'-O-[1-17O,1-18O,1,2-18O]triphosphate has been synthesized by desulfurization of (Sp)-2'-deoxyadenosine 5'-O-(1-thio[1,1-18O2]diphosphate) with N-bromosuccinimide in [17O]water, followed by phosphorylation with phosphoenolpyruvate-pyruvate kinase. A careful characterization of the product using high-resolution 31P NMR revealed that the desulfurization reaction proceeded with approximately 88% direct in-line attack at the alpha-phosphorus and 12% participation by the beta-phosphate to form a cyclic alpha,beta-diphosphate. The latter intermediate underwent hydrolysis by a predominant nucleophilic attack on the beta-phosphate. This complexity of the desulfurization reaction, however, does not affect the stereochemical integrity of the product but rather causes a minor dilution with nonchiral species. The usefulness of the (Sp)-2'-deoxyadenosine 5'-O-[1-17O,1-18O,1,2-18O]triphosphate in determining the stereochemical course of deoxyribonucleotidyl-transfer enzymes is demonstrated by using it to delineate the stereochemical course of the 3'----5'-exonuclease activity of DNA polymerase I. Upon incubation of this oxygen-chiral substrate with Klenow fragment of DNA polymerase I in the presence of poly[d(A-T)] and Mg2+, a quantitative conversion into 2'-deoxyadenosine 5'-O-[16O,17O,18O]monophosphate was observed. The stereochemistry of this product was determined to be Rp. Since the overall template-primer-dependent conversion of a deoxynucleoside triphosphate into the deoxynucleoside monophosphate involves incorporation into the polymer followed by excision by the 3'----5'-exonuclease activity and since the stereochemical course of the incorporation reaction is known to be inversion, it can be concluded that the stereochemical course of the 3'----5'-exonuclease is also inversion.     

Evidence that catalysis by yeast inorganic pyrophosphatase proceeds by direct phosphoryl transfer to water and not via a phosphoryl enzyme intermediate

In this work, we show that adenosine 5'-O-(3-thiotriphosphate) (ATP gamma S) is a substrate for yeast inorganic pyrophosphatase (PPase) (EC 3.6.1.1) and further, using chirally labeled [gamma-17O,18O]ATP gamma S, that enzyme-catalyzed hydrolysis to produce chiral inorganic thio[17O,18O]phosphate proceeds with inversion of configuration. Both the synthesis of chiral ATP gamma S and the determination of inorganic thiophosphate configuration were carried out as described by Webb [Webb, M. R. (1982) Methods Enzymol. 87, 301-316]. We also show in a single turnover experiment performed in H2(18)O that 1 mol each of 18O16O3P and 16O4P is produced per mol of inorganic pyrophosphate hydrolyzed, a strong indication that oxygen uptake to form inorganic phosphate on PPase catalysis of inorganic pyrophosphate hydrolysis comes directly from H2O. These two results provide strong evidence for the conclusion that PPase catalyzes inorganic pyrophosphate hydrolysis via a single-step direct phosphoryl transfer to water and does not involve formation of a phosphorylated enzyme intermediate.     

Mechanism of androstenedione formation from testosterone and epitestosterone catalyzed by purified cytochrome P-450b

A purified rat hepatic monooxygenase system containing cytochrome P-450b oxidizes testosterone to androstenedione and 16 alpha- and 16 beta-hydroxytestosterone at approximately equal rates. The metabolism of epitestosterone by the same system is characterized by a marked stereoselectivity in favor of 16 beta-hydroxylation (4- to 5-fold relative to 16 alpha-hydroxylation), formation of 15 alpha-hydroxyepitestosterone, and a rate of androstenedione formation which is three to five times higher than that observed with testosterone. Apparent Km values for 16 alpha- and 16 beta-hydroxylation and androstenedione formation are 20-30 microM with either substrate. Mass spectral analysis of the androstenedione formed from [16,16-2H2]testosterone and [16,16-2H2] epitestosterone indicates essentially complete retention of deuterium, thereby ruling out a mechanism of androstenedione formation via C-16 hydroxylation followed by loss of water and rearrangement. Mass spectral analysis of the C-16 hydroxylation products from incubations of testosterone or epitestosterone in 18O2 shows essentially complete incorporation of 18O (greater than 95%). Androstenedione formed from testosterone is enriched in 18O only 2-fold (5-8%) over background, while the androstenedione formed from epitestosterone shows 84% enrichment. Kinetic experiments utilizing [17-2H]testosterone and [17-2H]epitestosterone as substrates indicate that cleavage of the C-17 carbon-hydrogen bond is involved in a rate-limiting step in the formation of androstenedione from both substrates. Taken together, our results indicate that androstenedione formation from epitestosterone proceeds exclusively through the gem-diol pathway, while androstenedione formation from testosterone may proceed through a combination of gem-diol and dual hydrogen abstraction pathways.     

Synthesis of regiospecifically labeled [18O]glycolic acid and [18O]acyldihydroxyacetone phosphate

Methods are detailed for the preparation of [2-18O]glycolate from chloroacetic acid and for the direct conversion of these intermediates to regiospecifically labeled [2-18O]-2-O-acylglycolic acids containing approximately 90% 18O at the C-O-acyl bond. Methods are also detailed for optimization of reaction conditions and yields for each synthetic step in previously published methods for the preparation of 1-O-acyldihydroxyacetone-3-O-phosphate (DHAP) from acyloxyacetic acid (i.e., 2-O-acylglycolic acid), where acyl is tetradecanoyl, hexadecanoyl, or heptadecanoyl. The optimized reaction conditions generate 1-O-acyl DHAP in its acid form, both in high overall yield and in high purity, without requiring a final chromatographic purification of the product, 1-O-acyl DHAP. Combining these new methods, efficient and facile preparations of regiospecifically labeled [1-18O]-1-O-hexadecanoyl DHAP and [1-18O]-1-O-heptadecanoyl DHAP have now been demonstrated, in which approximately 90% 18O is specifically located only at the C-O-acyl position. Some mechanistic postulates are offered to account for the optimized yields, regioselectivities, and high 18O incorporation which are observed in the reactions we have employed to generate 1-O-acyl DHAP from glycolate intermediates.