Synthesis and analytical investigation of C‐terminally modified peptide aldehydes and ketone: application to oxime ligation

C‐terminally modified peptides aldehyde (glycinal and alpha‐oxo aldehyde peptides) and ketone (pyruvic acid‐containing peptide) were synthesised to get new insights into the mechanism of acido‐catalysed oxime ligation. Their tetrahedral hydrated forms were investigated in solution and in the gas phase, using NMR and in‐source collision‐induced dissociation mass spectrometry, respectively, and the kinetics of the oximation reactions followed using analytical HPLC. The results obtained confirmed that the first step of the oximation reaction was the limiting step for the pyruvic acid‐containing peptides because of the steric effect and of the carbon angular strain of the ketone. The second step is the determining step for the aldehyde peptides because the basicity of the oxygen of the hydroxyl function of the tetrahedral form is greater for glycinal than for alpha‐oxo aldehyde. These data strongly suggest that the hydrated form of the aldehyde partner has to be considered when oxime reactions are performed in aqueous buffer. Copyright © 2011 European Peptide Society and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Evidence for an aldehyde intermediate in the catalytic mechanism of thiamine oxidase

Thiamine oxidase catalyzes the four-electron oxidation of the 5-hydroxyethyl group of thiamine to form thiamine acetic acid via an aldehyde intermediate. Evidence for the formation of this intermediate is derived from a number of kinetic approaches. The rate of thiamine acetic acid formation, as monitored by the rate of proton release, is subject to substrate inhibition and to inhibition by the presence of semicarbazide while the rate of O2 consumption (due to thiamine oxidation to the aldehyde and subsequently to the carboxylic acid) is unaffected. The transient formation of an intermediate with a maximal absorption at 370 nm in stopped-flow turnover experiments is dependent on the pH and the substrate concentration, and is prevented by the presence of semicarbazide, thus suggesting this transient absorption intermediate to be a result of formation of the aldehyde intermediate. A similar spectral intermediate is observed when hydroxythiamine is the substrate but is not observed with pyrithiamine. In the presence of large concentrations of pyrithiamine, the enzyme undergoes an irreversible inactivation which is not reversed on removal of pyrithiamine or its oxidation products by gel filtration or dialysis. This inhibition is prevented by the presence of thiols or of semicarbazide and is suggested to be due to the release of the aldehyde form of pyrithiamine from the catalytic site, which then reacts with the enzyme in a nonspecific manner. The structure of the 370-nm-absorbing intermediate is currently unknown but is suggested not to be the "yellow form" of thiamine. This suggestion is due to observed differences in absorption spectral properties and to the fact that it can also be formed from hydroxythiamine, which does not form the "yellow form" of thiamine on alkaline treatment. Taken together, these data suggest that, at or below saturating concentrations, thiamine remains bound to the catalytic site during the two sequential two-electron transfer steps, with 2 mol O2 being reduced to 2 mol H2O2. At high concentrations (greater than 10 Km), the intermediate thiamine aldehyde can be displaced from the catalytic site by thiamine simply by a mass-action effect.     

Differential effects of oxidizing agents on human plasma alpha 1-proteinase inhibitor and human neutrophil myeloperoxidase

Human alpha 1-proteinase inhibitor is easily susceptible to inactivation because of the presence of a methionyl residue at its reactive site. Thus, oxidizing species derived from the myeloperoxidase system (enzyme, H2O2, and C1-), as well as hypochlorous acid, can inactivate this inhibitor, although H2O2 alone has no effect. Butylated hydroxytoluene, a radical scavenger, partially protects alpha 1-proteinase inhibitor from the myeloperoxidase system and completely protects it from hypochlorous acid. Each oxidant also reacts differently with the inhibitor, in that the myeloperoxidase system and hypochlorous acid can each oxidize as many as six methionyl residues, but hypochlorous acid can also oxidize a single tyrosine residue. Myeloperoxidase can be inactivated by hypochlorous acid, by autoxidation in the presence of H2O2 and C1-, as well as by H2O2 alone. Butylated hydroxytoluene completely protects this enzyme from hypochlorous acid inactivation, does not affect the action of H2O2, and enhances autoinactivation. As many as six methionyl residues and two tyrosine residues could be oxidized during autoxidation and six methionine residues by H2O2 alone. Eight methionine residues and one tyrosine residue could be oxidized by hypochlorous acid. The tyrosine residue in myeloperoxidase was oxidized only at a relatively high concentration (600 microM) of hypochlorous acid at which point the enzyme simultaneously and completely lost its enzymatic activity. Loss of activity of myeloperoxidase could also be correlated with the loss of the heme groups present in the enzyme when a relatively high concentration of hypochlorous acid (600 microM) was used and also during autoxidation. It appears that once there is sufficient oxidant to modify one of the tyrosine residues, the heme group itself becomes susceptible.     

Aldehyde dehydrogenases: widespread structural and functional diversity within a shared framework.

Sequences of 16 NAD and/or NADP-linked aldehyde oxidoreductases are aligned, including representative examples of all aldehyde dehydrogenase forms with wide substrate preferences as well as additional types with distinct specificities for certain metabolic aldehyde intermediates, particularly semialdehydes, yielding pairwise identities from 15 to 83%. Eleven of 23 invariant residues are glycine and three are proline, indicating evolutionary restraint against alteration of peptide chain-bending points. Additionally, another 66 positions show high conservation of residue type, mostly hydrophobic residues. Ten of these occur in predicted beta-strands, suggesting important interior-packing interactions. A single invariant cysteine residue is found, further supporting its catalytic role. A previously identified essential glutamic acid residue is conserved in all but methyl malonyl semialdehyde dehydrogenase, which may relate to formation by that enzyme of a CoA ester as a product rather than a free carboxylate species. Earlier, similarity to a GXGXXG segment expected in the NAD-binding site was noted from alignments with fewer sequences. The same region continues to be indicated, although now only the first glycine residue is strictly conserved and the second (usually threonine) is not present at all, suggesting greater variance in coenzyme-binding interactions.     

Evidence for reactivity of serine-74 with trans-4-(N,N-dimethylamino)cinnamaldehyde during oxidation by the cytoplasmic aldehyde dehydrogenase from sheep liver

A nucleophilic group in the active site of aldehyde dehydrogenase, which covalently binds the aldehyde moiety during the enzyme-catalyzed oxidation of aldehydes to acids, was acylated with the chromophoric aldehyde trans-4-(N,N-dimethylamino)cinnamaldehyde (DACA). Acyl-enzyme trapped by precipitation with perchloric acid was digested with trypsin, and the peptide associated with the chromophoric group was isolated and shown to be Gln-Ala-Phe-Gln-Ile-Gly-Ser-Pro-Trp-Arg. After redigestion with thermolysin, the chromophore was associated with the C-terminal hexaresidue part. If the chromophore is attached to this peptide, serine would be expected to bind the aldehyde and lead to the required acylated derivative. Differential labeling experiments were performed in which all free thiol groups on the acylated enzyme were blocked by carboxymethylation. The acyl chromophore was then removed by controlled hydrolysis and the protein reacted with [14C]iodoacetamide. No 14C-labeled tryptic peptides were isolated, suggesting that the sulfur of a cysteine cannot be the acylated residue in the precipitated acyl-enzyme.     

Active site of human liver aldehyde dehydrogenase

Bromoacetophenone (2-bromo-1-phenylethanone) functions as an affinity reagent for human aldehyde dehydrogenase (EC 1.2.1.3) and has been found specifically to label a unique tryptic peptide in the enzyme. Amino-terminal sequence analysis of the labeled peptide after purification by two different procedures revealed the following sequence: Val-Thr-Leu-Glu-Leu-Gly-Gly-Lys. Radioactivity was found to be associated with the glutamate residue, which was identified as Glu-268 by reference to the known amino acid sequence. This paper constitutes the first identification of an active site of aldehyde dehydrogenase.     

Hepatic microsomal oxygenation of aldehydes to carboxylic acids

Hepatic microsomal oxygenation of aldehydes to carboxylic acids was investigated. Aldehydes (veratrum aldehyde, cinnamic aldehyde, myrtenal, cuminaldehyde, 3-phenylpropionaldehyde, perillaldehyde and 9-anthraldehyde) were incubated with hepatic microsomes of mice in the presence of an NADPH-generating system under 18O2 (97 atom%). The incorporation of oxygen-18 into carboxylic acids formed was determined by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Oxygen-18 was incorporated into the carboxylic acids formed from all aldehyde substrates examined. Hepatic microsomal formation of 3,4-dimethoxybenzoic acid and cumic acid from veratrum aldehyde and cuminaldehyde, respectively, was inhibited by CO and SKF 525-A. These results indicate that the oxygenation of aldehydes which may be catalyzed by cytochrome P450 is a common reaction in the biotransformation of xenobiotic aldehydes.     

Delineation of bacterial luciferase aldehyde site by bifunctional labeling reagents

Previously we have established that a highly reactive cysteinyl group on the alpha subunit is at the aldehyde site of the (alpha beta) dimeric Vibrio harveyi luciferase. Three isomeric bifunctional reagents have been synthesized and used to further delineate the luciferase aldehyde site. These probes differ in their relative positions of and distances between the two functional groups active in chemical and photochemical labelings, respectively. Each of the probes can effectively and reversibly inactivate luciferase by forming a disulfide linkage primarily to the reactive cysteinyl residue. Upon subsequent photolysis, a diazoacetate arm in each probe was activated for photochemical labeling of amino acid residues within reach. After reductive regeneration of the reactive cysteinyl residue, 0.35-0.40 probe per dimeric luciferase was found to have been photochemically incorporated, correlating well with the degree of irreversible enzyme inactivation. Low but significant amounts of the three isomeric probes initially attached to the alpha reactive cysteine through a disulfide have been found to photochemically tag certain residues on beta. The latter residues are estimated to be no more than 8-11 A away from the alpha reactive cysteine. Thus the reactive cysteinyl residue, and hence the aldehyde site, must be at or near the alpha beta subunit interface. Furthermore, the structural integrity of the microenvironment surrounding this reactive cysteinyl residue is crucial to luciferase activity. An HPLC method for the isolation of luciferase alpha and beta subunits has also been developed.     

Enzymatic synthesis and inhibitory characteristics of tartronate semialdehyde phosphate

The immediate product of the pyruvate kinase catalyzed phosphorylation of beta-hydroxypyruvate is the enol of tartronate semialdehyde phosphate (TSP). The reaction has the same pH profile as that for the phosphorylation of pyruvate with pK's of 8.2 and 9.7 observed in H2O. This enol tautomerizes in solution to the aldehyde, which in turn becomes hydrated. 31P NMR spectra indicate that the enol resonates approximately 1 ppm upfield from the hydrated aldehyde. By following the tautomerization spectrophotometrically at 240 nm, we have found it to be independent of pH (0.2 min-1 below pH 6 in water), except that it is 2-fold slower above the pK of the phosphate group (6.3 in H2O and 6.7 in D2O). It is 3.6-fold slower in D2O. When this TSP is reduced with NaBH4, approximately 50% of the product is D-2-phosphoglyceric acid (substrate for enolase). Thus, while the immediate product of the phosphorylation rection is the enol of TSP, the eventual product is D,L-TSP. Both the enol and the aldehyde forms of TSP were found to be potent inhibitors of yeast enolase with apparent Ki values of 100 nM and 5 microM, respectively. However, since the aldehyde form is 95-99% hydrated [Stubbe, J., & Abeles, R. (1980) Biochemistry 19, 5505], the true Ki for the aldehyde species is 50-250 nM. The enol of TSP shows slow binding behavior, as expected for an intermediate analogue, with a t1/2 for this process of approximately 15 s (k = 0.046 s-1) and an initial Ki of approximately 200 nM.     

Post-synthesis incorporation of a lipidic side chain into a peptide on solid support.

A new strategy for the synthesis of lipopeptides has been developed. Using Weinreb (N-methoxy, N-methyl) amide as an aldehyde function precursor on the side chains of Asp or Glu residues, this new strategy avoids the synthesis of a lipidic amino acid residue before its incorporation in the peptide sequence. The aldehyde generated on the solid support can react with ylides leading to unsaturated or saturated side chains or with various nucleophiles to yield non-coded amino acid residues incorporated into the sequence.     

A histidine residue in the catalytic mechanism distinguishes Vibrio harveyi aldehyde dehydrogenase from other members of the aldehyde dehydrogenase superfamily

Aldehyde dehydrogenases (ALDHs) catalyze the transfer to NAD(P) of a hydride ion from a thiohemiacetal derivative of the aldehyde coupled with a cysteine residue in the active site. In Vibrio harveyi aldehyde dehydrogenase (Vh-ALDH), a histidine residue (H450) is in proximity (3.8 A) to the cysteine nucleophile (C289) and is thus capable of increasing its reactivity in sharp contrast to other ALDHs in which more distantly located glutamic acid residues are proposed to act as the general base. Mutation of H450 in Vh-ALDH to Gln and Asn resulted in loss of dehydrogenase, (thio)esterase, and acyl-CoA reductase activities; the residual activity of H450Q was higher than that of the H450N mutant in agreement with the capability of Gln but not Asn to partially replace the epsilon-imino group of H450. Coupled with a change in the rate-limiting step, these results indicate that H450 increases the reactivity of C289. Moreover, for the first time, the acylated enzyme intermediate could be directly monitored after reaction with [(3)H]tetradecanoyl-CoA showing that the H450Q mutant was acylated more rapidly than the H450N mutant. Inactivation of the wild-type enzyme with N-ethylmaleimide was much more rapid than the H450Q mutant which in turn was faster than the H450N mutant, demonstrating directly that the nucleophilicity of C289 was affected by H450. As the glutamic acid residue implicated as the general base in promoting cysteine nucleophilicity in other ALDHs is conserved in Vh-ALDH, elucidation of why a histidine residue has evolved to assist in this function in Vh-ALDH will be important to understand the mechanism of ALDHs in general, as well as help delineate the specific roles of the active site glutamic acid residues.     

Ethanenitronate is a peroxide-dependent suicide substrate for catalase

We find ethanenitronate (formula; see text) to be a H2O2- (and peracetic acid-) dependent suicide substrate for bovine liver catalase (E) which converts E to Em, a modified form of the enzyme. The catalytic and suicide pathways are related to E, Em, Compound I, and Compound II according to the following scheme. (formula; see text) The catalytic cycle generates free radical products (EN.) which then participate in an O2-dependent chain reaction. Within experimental error the exclusive target for inactivation by EN- is Compound II. This partitions in the ratio (k4 = 1.2 M-1 s-1)/(k3 = 1.6 M-1 s-1) to generate Em and E, respectively. The species Em acquires 1 eq of 14C/ferriheme from [1-14C]ethanenitronate which is firmly (presumably covalently) affixed to the protein moiety. According to the standard H2O2 assay, Em is 7% as active catalytically as E. We regard inactivation as resulting from that fraction of EN. in the E...EN. complex which fails to diffuse from the complex because it is trapped by reaction with a neighboring amino acid residue to generate Em irreversibly. (formula; see text) This mechanism is identical to that deduced previously for suicide inactivation of horseradish peroxidase by alkane nitronates (Porter, D. J. T., and Bright, H. J. (1983) J. Biol. Chem. 258, 9913-9924) with the exception that EN. is trapped in that case by a methine carbon at the edge of the ferriheme rather than by the apoenzyme. The labeled residue in the catalase apoenzyme probably resides at or near the site of reduction of Compound II.     

A novel protein modification generating an aldehyde group in sulfatases: its role in catalysis and disease

In multiple sulfatase deficiency, a rare human lysosomal storage disorder, all known sulfatases are synthesized as catalytically poorly active polypeptides. Analysis of the latter has shown that they lack a protein modification that was detected in all members of the sulfatase family. This novel protein modification generates a 2-amino-3-oxopropanoic acid (Cα-formylglycine) residue by oxidation of the thiol group of a cysteine that is conserved among all eukaryotic sulfatases. The oxidation occurs in the endoplasmic reticulum at a stage when the nascent polypeptide is not yet folded. The aldehyde is part of the catalytic site and is likely to act as an aldehyde hydrate. One of the geminal hydroxyl groups accepts the sulfate during sulfate ester cleavage leading to the formation of a covalently sulfated enzyme intermediate. The other hydroxyl is required for the subsequent elimination of the sulfate and regeneration of the aldehyde group. In some prokaryotic members of the sulfatase gene family, the DNA sequence predicts a serine residue, and not a cysteine. Analysis of one of these prokaryotic sulfatases, however, revealed the presence of the Cα-formylglycine indicating that the aldehyde group is essential for all members of the sulfatase family and that it can be generated from either cysteine or serine. BioEssays 20 :505–510, 1998. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Structural insight into interaction between C20 phenylalanyl derivative of tylosin and ribosomal tunnel

Macrolides are clinically important antibiotics that inhibit protein biosynthesis on ribosomes by binding to ribosomal tunnel. Tylosin belongs to the group of 16-membered macrolides. It is a potent inhibitor of translation whose activity is largely due to reversible covalent binding of its aldehyde group with the base of A2062 in 23S ribosomal RNA. It is known that the conversion of the aldehyde group of tylosin to methyl or carbinol groups dramatically reduces its inhibitory activity. However, earlier we obtained several derivatives of tylosin having comparable activity in spite of the fact that the aldehyde group of tylosin in these compounds was substituted with an amino acid or a peptide residue. Details of the interaction of these compounds with the ribosome that underlies their high inhibitory activity were not known. In the present work, the structure of the complex of tylosin derivative containing in position 20 the residue of ethyl ester of 2-imino(oxy)acetylphenylalanine with the tunnel of the E. coli ribosome was identified by means of molecular dynamics simulations, which could explain high biological activity of this compound.     

19F nuclear magnetic resonance observations of aldehyde dismutation catalyzed by horse liver alcohol dehydrogenase

We have examined aspects of the second catalytic activity of alcohol dehydrogenase from horse liver (LADH), which involves an apparent dismutation of an aldehyde substrate into alcohol and acid in the presence of LADH and NAD. Using the substrate p-trifluoromethylbenzaldehyde, we have observed various bound complexes by ¹⁹F NMR in an effort to further characterize the mechanism of the reaction. The mechanism appears to involve the catalytic activity of LADH · NAD · aldehyde complex which reacts to form an enzyme · NADH · acid complex. The affinity of the acid product for LADH · NADH is weak and the acid product readily desorbs from the ternary complex. The resulting LADH · NADH can then react with a second molecule of aldehyde to form NAD and the corresponding alcohol. The result is the conversion of two molecules of aldehyde to one each of acid and alcohol, with LADH and NAD acting catalytically. This sequence of reactions can also explain the slow formation of acid product observed when alcohol and NAD are incubated with the enzyme.     

Primary structure of three mannosyl-glycoasparagines and nine sialyl-oligosaccharides isolated from the urine of two patients with Gaucher''s disease (infantile form)

Initial-rate measurements were made of the reduction of pyridine-3-aldehyde and p-carboxybenzaldehyde by NADPH catalyzed by pig liver aldehyde reductase I. The initial velocity analysis and product inhibition data suggest that aldehyde reductase I obeys a compulsory-order mechanism with pyridine-3-aldehyde as substrate but follows a partially random-order pathway with p-carboxybenzaldehyde. The partially random-order pathway would be operative only at high concentrations of p-carboxybenzaldehyde. In both cases, aldehydes and the corresponding alcohol substrates inhibit the enzyme at high concentration. Abortive ternary complexes are shown to be formed with pyridine-3-aldehyde and with p-carboxybenzaldehyde. Dissociation of the coenzyme from the abortive ternary complex seems only to be observed with p-carboxybenzaldehyde. This study suggests overall that an enzyme kinetic mechanism may be different, depending on whether specific interactions can occur between certain amino acid residue(s) of the protein active site and substrates. Finally, the mechanism of the inhibition of pyridine-3-aldehyde reduction by diacid derivatives is discussed.     

Oxidative aldehyde deformylation catalyzed by NADPH-cytochrome P450 reductase and the flavoprotein domain of neuronal nitric oxide synthase

We report here the unexpected finding that recombinant or hepatic microsomal NADPH-cytochrome P450 reductase catalyzes the oxidative deformylation of a model xenobiotic aldehyde, 2-phenylpropionaldehyde, to the n-1 alcohol, 1-phenylethanol, in the absence of cytochrome P450. The flavoprotein and NADPH are absolute requirements, and the reaction displays a dependence on time and on NADPH and reductase concentration. Not surprisingly, the hydrophobic tail of the flavoprotein is not required for catalytic competence. The reductase domain of neuronal nitric oxide synthase is about 30% more active than P450 reductase, and neither flavoprotein catalyzes conversion of the aldehyde to the carboxylic acid, by far the predominant metabolite with P450s in a reconstituted system. Reductase-catalyzed deformylation is unaffected by metal ion chelators and oxygen radical scavengers, but is strongly inhibited by catalase, and the catalase-mediated inhibition is prevented by azide. These results, together with observed parallel increases in 1-phenylethanol and H(2)O(2) formation as a function of NADPH concentration, are evidence that free H(2)O(2) is rate-limiting in aldehyde deformylation by the flavoprotein reductases. This contrasts sharply with the P450-catalyzed reaction, which is brought about by iron-bound peroxide that is inaccessible to catalase.     

Covalent reaction of cerulenin at the active site of acyl-CoA reductase of Photobacterium phosphoreum

Inhibition of bioluminescence in Photobacterium phosphoreum by cerulenin has been demonstrated to be due to a specific inactivation of the acyl-CoA reductase subunit of the fatty acid reductase complex required for synthesis of the aldehyde substrate for the luminescent reaction. In contrast, the activities of the other luminescence-related enzymes, acyl-protein synthetase, acyl-transferase, and luciferase, were unaffected by cerulenin. Myristoyl-CoA, but not NADPH, protected the acyl-CoA reductase against cerulenin inhibition. Cerulenin blocked the acylation of the reductase with myristoyl-CoA and the reaction with N-ethylmaleimide. A shift in mobility of the reductase polypeptide on sodium dodecyl sulfate - polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis occurred after reaction with cerulenin, a shift which could be blocked by reaction with N-ethylmaleimide. These results demonstrate that cerulenin blocks aldehyde synthesis by covalent reaction with the acyl-CoA reductase and indicate that the reaction may occur at a cysteine residue involved in the formation of the acyl-reductase intermediate.