Copper·Lys-Gly-His-Lys mediated cleavage of tRNA: Studies of reaction mechanism and cleavage specificity

The reactivity of [Cu²⁺·Lys-Gly-His-Lys-NH₂]²⁺ and [Cu²⁺·Lys-Gly-His-Lys]⁺ toward tRNA^Phe has been evaluated. The amidated and carboxylate forms of the copper peptides display complex binding behavior with strong and weak sites evident (, for the amide form; and , for the carboxylate form), while Cu²⁺(aq) yielded and . The time-dependence of the reaction of [Cu²⁺·Lys-Gly-His-Lys]⁺ and [Cu²⁺·Lys-Gly-His-Lys-NH₂]²⁺ with tRNA^Phe yielded k_obs ∼ 0.075 h⁻¹ for both complexes. HPLC analysis of the reaction products demonstrated guanine as the sole base product. Mass spectrometric data shows a limited number of cleavage fragments with product peak masses consistent with chemistry occurring at a discrete site defined by the structurally contiguous D and TΨC loops, and in a domain where high affinity magnesium centers have previously been observed to promote hydrolysis of the tRNA^Phe backbone. This cleavage pattern is more selective than that previously observed by Long and coworkers for nickel complexes of a series of C-terminally amidated peptides (Gly-Gly-His, Lys-Gly-His, and Arg-Gly-His), and may reflect variations in structural recognition and a distinct reaction path by the nickel derivatives. The data emphasizes the optimal positioning of the metal-associated reactive oxygen species, relative to scissile bonds, as a major criterion for development of efficient catalytic nucleases or therapeutics.