Acylation of lysine

Acylation and alkylation. Among the chemical processes, acylation of lysine residues in certain proteins has been studied most extensively. 

Protein functional groups able to react with anhydrides include the oc-amines at the N-terminals, the s-amine of lysine side chains, cysteine sulfhydryl groups, the phenolate ion of tyrosine residues, and the imidazolyl ring of histidines. However, acylation of cysteine, tyrosine, and histidine side chains forms unstable complexes that are easily reversible to regenerate the original group. Only amine functionalities of proteins are stable to acylation with anhydride reagents (Fraenkel-Conrat, 1959 Smyth, 1967). 

The side-chain amino group of lysine is a strong nucleophile, the reactivity of which cannot be suppressed by protonation, so it must be protected at all times. Acyl groups such as formyl, which is stable to alkali, ammonia, and hydrogenation but sensitive to mild acid, and trifluoroacetyl (see Section 3.9), which is stable to piperidine and... 

FIGURE 6.30 Approaches for the synthesis of monosubstituted trifunctional amino acids. (A) Monoesterification of dicarboxylic acids. (B) Aa-Alkoxycarbonylation of lysine through the e-benzylidene derivative [Bezas Zervas, 1963]. (C) SelectiveN -detritylation of ditrityl derivatives.138 (D) A- AI ko x y met hy 1 at 10 n of histidine by displacement of AP-substituents.137 Cbz-His(CH2OR)-OMe are obtained from Cbz-His(xAc)-OMe. = Acylating reagent. 

H. Cai, F. P. Guengerich, Acylation of Protein Lysines by Trichloroethylene Oxide , Chem. Res. Toxicol. 2000,13, 327 - 335 H. Cai, F. P. Guengerich, Reaction of Trichloroethylene and Trichloroethylene Oxide with Cytochrome P450 Enzymes Inactivation and Sites of Modification , Chem. Res. Toxicol. 2001, 14, 451 - 458. 

Histidine residues are efficient nucleophiles in aqueous solution at pH 7, much more so than lysines, and this is the basis for the site-selective functionalization of lysine residues in folded polypeptides and proteins [24, 25]. p-Nitrophenyl esters react with His residues in a two-step reaction to form an acyl intermediate under the release of p-nitrophenol followed by the reaction of the intermediate with the most potent nucleophile in solution to form the reaction product. In aqueous solution the reaction product is the carboxylic acid since the hydroxide ion is the most efficient nucleophile at pH 7. If there is an alcohol present the reaction product will be an ester and the overall reaction is a transesterification reaction. 

The intermediate can, however, also be trapped by an amine to form an amide although at pH 7 in aqueous solution primary amines are predominantly proto-nated and only poorly reactive. Intramolecularity will, however, improve the poor reactivity of a lysine residue towards an acyl intermediate provided that the His and the Lys residues are close in space. The net reaction under these conditions is therefore an amidation of the lysine side chain by the active ester that is more efficient than the direct acylation of a lysine residue by at least three orders of magnitude (Fig. 10). The lysine residue will also improve the reactivity of the His side chain by electrostatic transition state stabilization and the wasteful reaction with other His residues that gives rise to hydrolysis is therefore suppressed. 

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