Addition reactions enzyme-catalyzed

In contrast to laboratory reactions, enzyme-catalyzed reactions often give a single enantiomer of a chiral product, even when the substrate is achiral. One step in the citric acid cycle of food metabolism, for instance, is the aconitase-catalyzed addition of water to (Z)-aconitate (usually called ris-aconitate) to give isocitrate. 

The first attempts at ROP have been mainly based on anionic and cationic processes [4,5]. In most cases, polyesters of low molecular weight were recovered and no control on the polymerization course was reported due to the occurrence of side intra- and intermolecular transesterification reactions responsible for a mixture of linear and cyclic molecules. In addition, aliphatic polyesters have been prepared by free radical, active hydrogen, zwitterionic, and coordination polymerization as summarized in Table 2. The mechanistic considerations of the above-mentioned processes are outside the scope of this work and have been extensively discussed in a recent review by some of us [2 ]. In addition, the enzyme-catalyzed ROP of (di)lactones in organic media has recently been reported however, even though this new polymerization procedure appears very promising, no real control of the polyesters chains, or rather oligomers, has been observed so far [6]. 

Transamination is just one of a wide range of amino acid transformations that are catalyzed by PLP enzymes. The other reactions catalyzed by PLP enzymes at the a-carbon atom of amino acids are decarboxylations, deam-inations, racemizations, and aldol cleavages (Figure 23.12). In addition, PLP enzymes catalyze elimination and replacement reactions at the P-carbon atom (e.g., tryptophan synthetase Section 24.2.11) and the y-carbon atom (e.g., cytathionine P-synthase, Section 24.2.9) of amino acid substrates. Three common features of PLP catalysis underlie these diverse reactions. 

Perez-Bendito, D. Silva, M. Kinetic Methods in Analytical Chemistry. Ellis Horwood Chichester, England, 1988. Additional information on the kinetics of enzyme catalyzed reactions maybe found in the following texts. 

Esterification. The hydroxyl groups of sugars can react with organic and inorganic acids just as other alcohols do. Both natural and synthetic carbohydrate esters are important in various apphcations (1,13). Phosphate monoesters of sugars are important in metabohc reactions. An example is the enzyme-catalyzed, reversible aldol addition between dibydroxyacetone phosphate [57-04-51 and D-ylyceraldehyde 3-phosphate [591-57-1 / to form D-fmctose 1,6-bisphosphate [488-69-7],... 

There are two distinct groups of aldolases. Type I aldolases, found in higher plants and animals, require no metal cofactor and catalyze aldol addition via Schiff base formation between the lysiae S-amino group of the enzyme and a carbonyl group of the substrate. Class II aldolases are found primarily ia microorganisms and utilize a divalent ziac to activate the electrophilic component of the reaction. The most studied aldolases are fmctose-1,6-diphosphate (FDP) enzymes from rabbit muscle, rabbit muscle adolase (RAMA), and a Zn " -containing aldolase from E. coli. In vivo these enzymes catalyze the reversible reaction of D-glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate [591-57-1] (G-3-P) and dihydroxyacetone phosphate [57-04-5] (DHAP). 

Cyanohydrin Synthesis. Another synthetically useful enzyme that catalyzes carbon—carbon bond formation is oxynitnlase (EC 4.1.2.10). This enzyme catalyzes the addition of cyanides to various aldehydes that may come either in the form of hydrogen cyanide or acetone cyanohydrin (152—158) (Fig. 7). The reaction constitutes a convenient route for the preparation of a-hydroxy acids and P-amino alcohols. Acetone cyanohydrin [75-86-5] can also be used as the cyanide carrier, and is considered to be superior since it does not involve hazardous gaseous HCN and also virtually eliminates the spontaneous nonenzymatic reaction. (R)-oxynitrilase accepts aromatic (97a,b), straight- (97c,e), and branched-chain aUphatic aldehydes, converting them to (R)-cyanohydrins in very good yields and high enantiomeric purity (Table 10). 

Enzymes are classified into six categories depending on the kind of reaction they catalyze, as shown in Table 26.2. Oxidoreductases catalyze oxidations and reductions hansferases catalyze the transfer of a group from one substrate to another hydrolases catalyze hydrolysis reactions of esters, amides, and related substrates lyases catalyze the elimination or addition of a small molecule such as H2O from or to a substrate isomerases catalyze isomerizalions and ligases catalyze the bonding together of two molecules, often coupled with the hydrolysis... 

Today, the most promising synthesis of optically active cyanohydrins, especially with respect to the enantioselectivity of the reaction, is the enzyme-catalyzed addition of hydrogen cyanide to aldehydes and ketones, respectively. 

The optical purities were determined solely from the optical rotations of the (/ -cyanohydrins thus obtained. Only for (/ )-a-hydroxybcnzeneacetonitrile, available from benzaldehyde, was an optical purity determined by comparison with the natural product. Variation of the reaction conditions (pH, temperature, concentration) in water/ethanol led to no appreciable improvementsl4. The use of organic solvents that are not miscible with water, but in which the enzyme-catalyzed reaction can still take place, resulted in suppression of the spontaneous addition to a significant extent, whereas the enzyme-catalyzed formation of cyanohydrins was only slightly slower (Figure l)13. 

Several cyditol derivatives of varying ring size, for example, (69)/(70), have been prepared based on an enzymatic aldolization as the initial step. Substrates carrying suitably installed C,H-acidic functional groups such as nitro, ester, phosphonate (or halogen) functionalities made use of facile intramolecular nucleophilic (or radical) cyclization reactions ensuing, or subsequent to, the enzyme-catalyzed aldol addition (Figure 10.27) [134—137]. 

An important additional pathway is indicated in reactions I and II of Figure 47-9. This involves enzymes destined for lysosomes. Such enzymes are targeted to the lysosomes by a specific chemical marker. In reaction I, a residue of GIcNAc-1-P is added to carbon 6 of one or more specific Man residues of these enzymes. The reaction is catalyzed by a GIcNAc phosphotransferase, which uses UDP-GlcNAc as the donor and generates UMP as the other product ... 

The mechanism predicts that the rate of this reaction depends on the concentrations of enzyme (E) and the reactant that binds to it (S) but does not depend on additional reactants (R). This makes sense from a mechanistic point of view provided there is enough of R present that the third step proceeds rapidly once distortion is complete. Experimentally, many enzyme-catalyzed reactions obey this form of rate law. 

Another interesting example is SHMT. This enzyme catalyzes decarboxylation of a-amino-a-methylmalonate with the aid of pyridoxal-5 -phosphate (PLP). This is an unique enzyme in that it promotes various types of reactions of a-amino acids. It promotes aldol/retro-aldol type reactions and transamination reaction in addition to decarboxylation reaction. Although the types of apparent reactions are different, the common point of these reactions is the formation of a complex with PLP. In addition, the initial step of each reaction is the decomposition of the Schiff base formed between the substrate and pyridoxal coenzyme (Fig. 7-3). 

These enzymes catalyze the addition of the elements of water to carbon-carbon double bonds (C=C), carbon-carbon triple bonds (C C), carbon-nitrogen double bonds (C=N), or carbon-nitrogen triple bonds (C N). These reactions are completely different from oxidoreductases since no redox reactions are involved. Illustrative examples include the following ... 

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