Acetyl-enzyme

Mode of Action. All of the insecticidal carbamates are cholinergic, and poisoned insects and mammals exhibit violent convulsions and other neuromuscular disturbances. The insecticides are strong carbamylating inhibitors of acetylcholinesterase and may also have a direct action on the acetylcholine receptors because of their pronounced stmctural resemblance to acetylcholine. The overall mechanism for carbamate interaction with acetylcholinesterase is analogous to the normal three-step hydrolysis of acetylcholine however, is much slower than with the acetylated enzyme. 

Figure 6.1 Synthesis and metabolism of acetylcholine. Choline is acetylated by reacting with acetyl-CoA in the presence of choline acetyltransferase to form acetylcholine (1). The acetylcholine binds to the anionic site of cholinesterase and reacts with the hydroxy group of serine on the esteratic site of the enzyme (2). The cholinesterase thus becomes acetylated and choline splits off to be taken back into the nerve terminal for further ACh synthesis (3). The acetylated enzyme is then rapidly hydrolised back to its active state with the formation of acetic acid (4)...

Serine peptidases can hydrolyze both esters and amides, but there are marked differences in the kinetics of hydrolysis of the two types of substrates as monitored in vitro. Thus, the hydrolysis of 4-nitrophenyl acetate by a-chy-motrypsin occurs in two distinct phases [7] [22-24]. When large amounts of enzyme are used, there is an initial rapid burst in the production of 4-nitro-phenol, followed by its formation at a much slower steady-state rate (Fig. 3.7). It was shown that the initial burst of 4-nitrophenol corresponds to the formation of the acyl-enzyme complex (acylation step). The slower steady-state production of 4-nitrophenol corresponds to the hydrolysis of the acetyl-enzyme complex, regenerating the free enzyme. This second step, called deacylation, is much slower than the first, so that it determines the overall rate of ester hydrolysis. The rate of the deacylation step in ester hydrolysis is pH-dependent and can be slowed to such an extent that, at low pH, the acyl-enzyme complex can be isolated. 

Arkowitz RA, Abeles RH. 1991. Mechanism of action of clostridial glycine rednc-tase—isolation and characterization of a covalent acetyl enzyme intermediate. Biochemistry 30 4090-7. 

Hydrolysis involves nucleophilic attack by the serine hydroxyl onto the ester carbonyl (see Box 7.26). This leads to transfer of the acetyl group from acetylcholine to the enzyme s serine hydroxyl, i.e. formation of a transient acetylated enzyme, and release of choline. We have met this type of reaction before under transesterification (see Section 7.9.1). Hydrolysis of the acetylated enzyme then occurs rapidly, releasing acetate and regenerating the free enzyme. 

Serine itself would be insufficiently nucleophilic to attack the ester carbonyl, so the reaction is facilitated by participation of the imidazole ring of histidine. The basic nitrogen in this residue is oriented so that it can remove a proton from the serine hydroxyl, increasing nucleophilicity and allowing attack on the ester carbonyl. This leads to formation of the transient acetylated enzyme, and release of choline. Hydrolysis of the acetylated enzyme utilizes water as nucleophile, but again involves the imidazole ring, and regenerates the free enzyme. 

Simplified scheme of ACh hydrolysis at the active center of ACh. Rectangular area represents the active center of the enzyme with its anionic and esteratic sites. Top, the initial bonding of ACh at the active center. The broken line at left represents electrostatic forces. The broken line at right represents the initial interaction between the serine oxygen of the enzyme and the carbonyl carbon of ACh. The ester linkage is broken, choline is liberated, and an acetylated enzyme intermediate is formed (middle. Finally, the acetylated intermediate undergoes hydrolysis to free the enzyme and generate acetic acid (bottom). 

Acetylcholinesterase is the primary target of these drugs, but butyrylcholinesterase is also inhibited. Acetylcholinesterase is an extremely active enzyme. In the initial catalytic step, acetylcholine binds to the enzyme s active site and is hydrolyzed, yielding free choline and the acetylated enzyme. In the second step, the covalent acetyl-enzyme bond is split, with the addition of water (hydration). The entire process occurs in approximately 150 microseconds. 

This acetyl enzyme hydrolyzes very slowly at pH 4 but rapidly at higher pH. These experiments suggested a double displacement mechanism ... 

Many serine proteases react with p-nitrophenyl-acetate to give acetyl enzymes. However, its rate of... 

Other Claisen condensations are involved in synthesis of fatty acids and polyketides217 (Chapter 21) and in formation of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA, the precursor to the polyprenyl family of compounds (Chapter 22). In these cases the acetyl group of acetyl-CoA is transferred by a simple displacement mechanism onto an -SH group at the active site of the synthase to form an acetyl-enzyme.218 219 The acetyl-enzyme is the actual reactant in step b of Eq. 17-5 where this reaction, as well as that of HMG-CoA lyase, is illustrated. 

The mechanism of the cleavage of the pyruvate in Eq. 15-37 is not obvious. Thiamin diphosphate is not involved, and free C02 is not formed. The first identified intermediate is an acetyl-enzyme containing a thioester linkage to a cysteine side chain. This is cleaved by reaction with CoA-SH to give the final product. A clue came when it was found by Knappe and coworkers that the active enzyme, which is rapidly inactivated by oxygen, contains a long-lived free radical.326 Under anaerobic conditions cells convert the inactive form E to the active form Ea by an enzymatic reaction with S-adenosylmethionine and reduced flavodoxin Fd(red) as shown in Eq. 15-38.327-329 A deactivase reverses the process.330... 

Although OPPs and carbamates exhibit very similar modes of action in various animal species, i.e, acetylcholinesterase inhibition in the CNS with resulting paralysis—there is an important difference between the two classes of pesticides. Carbamates do not require metabolic conversion prior to exhibiting their toxicity. Furthermore the enzyme activity may at times be rapidly regenerated by reversal of inhibition. The kinetics of the inhibition (carbamoylation) reaction have been well studied in it electrophilic carbamoyl moieties form covalent bonds with enzyme esteratic sites. This is followed by carbamate transfer of an acidic group to the site to yield the acetylated enzyme complex (ref. 176). 

W. P. Jencks, M. Gresser, M. S. Valenzuela, and F. C. Huneeus. Acetyl coenzyme a arylamine acetyltransferase. Measurement of the steady state concentration of the acetyl-enzyme intermediate. J. Biol. Chem., 247 3756-3760, 1972. 

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