Acylation, acetylcholinesterase

Table 5.2 shows some velocity constants for the hydrolysis of acylated acetylcholinesterases and the source of the enzyme. Most of the data are taken from Aldridge and Reiner (1972). 

Table 5.2 Velocity Constants for the Hydrolysis of Acylated Acetylcholinesterases and the Source of Enzymes...

De Ferrari GV, Mallender WD, Inestrosa NC, Rosenberry TL (2001) Thioflavin T is a fluorescent probe of the acetylcholinesterase peripheral site that reveals conformational interactions between the peripheral and acylation sites. J Biol Chem 276(26) 23282... 

In contrast to acetylcholinesterase, cholinesterase (acylcholine acyl-hydrolase, butyrylcholinesterase, EC 3.1.1.8) exhibits relatively unspecific esterase activity toward choline esters, with abroad specificity relative to the size of the acyl group. The enzyme is synthesized in the liver and can be found in smooth muscle, adipocytes, and plasma. Its physiological role remains partly obscure, but there is evidence that it is present transiently in the embryonic nervous system, where it is replaced in later stages of development by acetylcholinesterase. It has, therefore, been suggested that cholinesterase functions as an embryonic acetylcholinesterase. 

Thioesters play a paramount biochemical role in the metabolism of fatty acids and lipids. Indeed, fatty acyl-coenzyme A thioesters are pivotal in fatty acid anabolism and catabolism, in protein acylation, and in the synthesis of triacylglycerols, phospholipids and cholesterol esters [145], It is in these reactions that the peculiar reactivity of thioesters is of such significance. Many hydrolases, and mainly mitochondrial thiolester hydrolases (EC 3.1.2), are able to cleave thioesters. In addition, cholinesterases and carboxylesterases show some activity, but this is not a constant property of these enzymes since, for example, carboxylesterases from human monocytes were found to be inactive toward some endogenous thioesters [35] [146], In contrast, allococaine benzoyl thioester was found to be a good substrate of pig liver esterase, human and mouse butyrylcholinesterase, and mouse acetylcholinesterase [147],... 

The cholinesterases, acetylcholinesterase and butyrylcholinesterase, are serine hydrolase enzymes. The biological role of acetylcholinesterase (AChE, EC 3.1.1.7) is to hydrolyze the neurotransmitter acetylcholine (ACh) to acetate and choline (Scheme 6.1). This plays a role in impulse termination of transmissions at cholinergic synapses within the nervous system (Fig. 6.7) [12,13]. Butyrylcholinesterase (BChE, EC 3.1.1.8), on the other hand, has yet not been ascribed a function. It tolerates a large variety of esters and is more active with butyryl and propio-nyl choline than with acetyl choline [14]. Structure-activity relationship studies have shown that different steric restrictions in the acyl pockets of AChE and BChE cause the difference in their specificity with respect to the acyl moiety of the substrate [15]. AChE hydrolyzes ACh at a very high rate. The maximal rate for hydrolysis of ACh and its thio analog acetyl-thiocholine are around 10 M s , approaching the diffusion-controlled limit [16]. 

Such an intermediate is known to be formed in reactions catalyzed by trypsin, chymotrypsin, thrombin, other enzymes of the blood-clotting cascade (except angiotensinconverting enzyme, which is an aspartic protease). An acyl-serine intermediate is also formed in the acetylcholinesterase reaction. The active site serine of this enzyme and the serine proteases can be alkylated by diisopropyl-fluorophosphate. See also Active Site Titration... 

The association between acetylcholine levels and Alzheimer s disease, as noted more than once previously, has led to the search for novel compounds that raise the level of that neurotransmitter by inhibiting acetylcholinesterase, the agent of its inactivation. The benzisoxazole icopezil (60-8) has undergone several trials against that debilitating disease as a result of selective chohnesterase inhibiting activity in the CNS. Friedel-Crafts acylation of the indolone (60-1) with acetyl chloride affords the methyl ketone (60-2). This is then converted to its oxime and that function acylated with acetic anhydride to yield (60-3). Treatment with pyridinium perbromide... 

In the acylation step a nucleophilic group on one of the amino-acid side chains at the active site behaves as the nucleophile. As we have seen in Section 25-9B, the nucleophile of carboxypeptidase is the free carboxyl group of glutamic acid 270. In several other enzymes (chymotrypsin, subtilisin, trypsin, elastase, thrombin, acetylcholinesterase), it is the hydroxyl group of a serine residue ... 

The serine proteases act by forming and hydrolyzing an ester on a serine residue. This was initially established using the nerve gas diisopropyl fluorophosphate, which inactivates serine proteases as well as acetylcholinesterase. It is a very potent inhibitor (it essentially binds in a 1 1 stoichiometry and thus can be used to titrate the active sites) and is extremely toxic in even low amounts. Careful acid or enzymatic hydrolysis (see Section 9.3.6.) of the inactivated enzyme yielded O-phosphoserine, and the serine was identified as residue 195 in the sequence. Chy-motrypsin acts on the compound cinnamoylimidazole, producing an acyl intermediate called cinnamoyl-enzyme which hydrolyzes slowly. This fact was exploited in an active-site titration (see Section 9.2.5.). Cinnamoyl-CT features a spectrum similar to that of the model compound O-cinnamoylserine, on denaturation of the enzyme in urea the spectrum was identical to that of O-acetylserine. Serine proteases act on both esters and amides. 

Johnson, J. L., Cusack, B., Hughes, T. F., McCullough, E. H., Fauq,A., Romanovskis, P., Spatola, A. F. and Rosenberry, T. L. (2003). Inhibitors tethered near the acetylcholinesterase active site serve as molecular rulers of the peripheral and acylation sites. J. Biol. Chem. 278,38948-38955. 

The phosphorus-based nerve gases and insecticides act by deactivating acetylcholinesterase. Note that all of these compounds have a good leaving group on the phosphorus. They react readily with the nucleophilic hydroxy group of the enzyme to form a phosphate triester in a reaction that is very similar, both in its mechanism and its product, to the reaction of an acyl chloride with an alcohol to form an ester ... 

O-acyl transfe rase ACC, acetylCoA carboxylase ACE, angiotensin converting enzyme ACE, angiotensin I converting enzyme ACh, acetylcholine AChE, acetylcholinesterase ACTH, adrenocorticotropic hormone ACTH-R, corticotropin (ACTH) receptor... 

In contrast to acetylcholinesterase, which is selective for acetylcholine, butyryl-cholinesterase tolerates a wider variety of esters and is more active with butyryl-and propionylcholines than acetylcholine [7]. Structure-activity relationship studies have shown that different steric restrictions in the acyl pockets of AChE and BChE cause the difference in specificity to the acyl moiety of the substrate [6]. 

After the challenge of the dynamic thiolester system (CDS-1 A) with acetylcholinesterase, the optimal constituents were immediately identified and hydrolyzed to acid and thiol products. The thiol product formed was simultaneously incorporated in the dynamic system to regenerate the optimal thiolester. During the acetylcholinesterase resolution process, two acid products, acetic and propionic acid, respectively, were mainly detected, with the acetyl ester hydrolyzed more rapidly (tl/2 = 210 min) than the propionyl ester (t1/2 = 270 min) as shown in Fig. 2. Only after significant hydrolysis of these two acyl species did the enzyme start to hydrolyze slowly the butyrate thiolester (t1/2 = 1,100 min), a lag phase possibly caused by inhibitory activities of the present thiolesters [8]. All the other acyl groups remained untouched by enzyme, a result which is in accordance with the known specificity of acetylcholinesterase. 

Acyl Cholinesterases. Acetylcholinesterase (AChE EC 3.1.1.7 CAS 9000-81-1) is the serine esterase which catalyzes the hydrolysis of acetylcholine and possesses an esteratic site, and which is responsible for unspecific hydrolyses of several substrates. Also, butyrylcholinesterase (EC 3.1.1.8 CAS 9001-08-5) has been sometimes used for asymmetric hydrolysis of esters. Acetylcholinesterase has been used for... 

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