Dihydrofolate reductase function

In the Kohn-Sham Hamiltonian, the SVWN exchange-correlation functional was used. Equation 4.12 was applied to calculate the electron density of folate, dihydrofolate, and NADPH (reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate) bound to the enzyme— dihydrofolate reductase. For each investigated molecule, the electron density was compared with that of the isolated molecule (i.e., with VcKt = 0). A very strong polarizing effect of the enzyme electric field was seen. The largest deformations of the bound molecule s electron density were localized. The calculations for folate and dihydrofolate helped to rationalize the role of some ionizable groups in the catalytic activity of this enzyme. The results are,... 

Bajorath, J., D. H. Kitson, G. Fitzgerald, J. Andzelm, J. Kraut, and A. T. Hagler. 1991. Local Density Functional Calculations on a Protein System Folate and Escherichia Coli dihydrofolate reductase. Electron Redistribution on Binding of a Substrate to an Enzyme. PROTEINS 9, 217. 

I I 3. The answer is c. (Hardman, pp 1243-1247.) Antimetabolites of folic acid such as methotrexate, which is an important cancer chemotherapeutic agent, exert their effect by inhibiting the catalytic activity of the enzyme dihydrofolate reductase. The enzyme functions to keep folic acid in a reduced state. The first step in the reaction is the reduction of folic acid to 7,8-dihydrofolic acid (FH2), which requires the cofactor nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH). The second step is the conversion of FH2 to 5,6,7,8-tetrahydrofolic acid (FH ). This part of the reduction reaction requires nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH) or NADPH. The reduced forms of folic acid are involved in one-carbon transfer reactions that are required during the synthesis of purines and pyrimidine thymidylate. The affinity of methotrexate for dihydrofolate reductase is much greater than for the substrates of folic acid and FH2. The action of... 

Folic Acid Antagonists. Folic acid antagonists block the biosynthesis of purine nucleotides. Methotrexate (7.76) is the prototypic fohc acid antagonist and functions by binding to the active catalytic site of dihydrofolate reductase, thereby interfering with the synthesis of the reduced form that accepts one-carbon units lack of this cofactor blocks the synthesis of purine nucleotides. As well as being used in the treatment of cancer, methotrexate has been used in the management of rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, and even asthma. 

BH4 is essential for the AAHs to carry out their respective catalytic reactions and, at least for PAH, the prereductive activation, which appears to produce dihydrobiopterin quinonoid (g-BH2) directly (20). After the PAH catalytic cycle an oxygen atom is incorporated into the cofactor, providing 4a-OH-BH4 which dissociates from the active site. In order to regenerate the functional tetrahydro form of BH4 pterin carbinolamine dehydratase catalyzes the dehydration of 4-OH-BH4 to g-BH2, which is reduced back to by dihydropteridine reductase (Scheme 2). g-BH2 can also be converted to 7,8-dihydropterin (BH2) which can be regenerated to BH4 by dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR). 

Methotrexate s principal mechanism of action at the low doses used in the rheumatic diseases probably relates to inhibition of aminoimidazolecarboxamide ribonucleotide (AICAR) transformylase and thymidylate synthetase, with secondary effects on polymorphonuclear chemotaxis. There is some effect on dihydrofolate reductase and this affects lymphocyte and macrophage function, but this is not its principal mechanism of action. Methotrexate has direct inhibitory effects on proliferation and stimulates apoptosis in immune-inflammatory cells. Additionally, inhibition of proinflammatory cytokines linked to rheumatoid synovitis has been shown, leading to decreased inflammation seen with rheumatoid arthritis. 

Mechanism of Action. Pyrimethamine blocks the production of folic acid in susceptible protozoa by inhibiting the function of the dihydrofolate reductase enzyme. Folic acid helps catalyze the production of nucleic and amino acids in these parasites. Therefore, this drug ultimately impairs nucleic acid and protein synthesis by interfering with folic acid production. The action of sulfadoxine and other sulfonamide antibacterial agents was discussed in Chapter 33. These agents also inhibit folic acid synthesis in certain bacterial and protozoal cells. 

The cell-free system prepared from washed embryos has much higher translational activity than the conventional system (compare Fig. 3A and B). When 5 -capped dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) mRNA containing 549 nt of 3 UTR with a pA tail was incubated with newly prepared as well as conventional extract, there was almost linear kinetics in DHFR synthesis over 4 h, compared with the regular system, which ceased to function after 1.5 h. Further, when washed extract in the reaction volume was increased to 48%, amino acid incorporation occurred initially at a rate twice that of 24% extract, and then stopped after 1 h. However, this pause was caused by a shortage of substrates rather than an irreversible inactivation of ribosomes or factors necessary for translation addition of amino acids, ATP, and GTP after cessation of the reaction (arrow) restarted... 

The donation of the methyl group from N5,N10-methylene tetrahydrofolate leads to the oxidation of the cofactor to dihydrofolate. This points to the importance of dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) in the functioning of thymidylate synthase. Thus, synthesis of TMP requires a supply of both methyl groups—for example, from serine— and reducing equivalents. 

The synthesis of functionalized 7,7-dialkyl-7,8-dihydropterins and a 7-spirocyclopropane derivative have been performed to find new types of inhibitors for 6-hydroxymethyl-7,8-dihydropterin pyrophosphokinase and dihydrofolate reductase <85JCS(Pl)2133, 85JCS(P1)2145, 89JCS(P1)1297>. An informative review on the chemical and biological reactions of reduced pterins is also available <84MI 718-08). 

These compounds, needed to measure NMR spectral shifts between methotrexate and its complex with the dihydrofolate reductase enzyme, have been synthesized95 following the method described by Taylor and coworkers96 for preparation of 2,4-diaminopter-idines substituted at C(6), which allows the insertion of 15N labels at the 2-NH2 or 3-CN functional group (equation 43). 

While providing valuable insight towards a better understanding of protein evolution, the bisection of proteins into functional heterodimers has also found practical applications to study protein-protein interactions. Heterodimeric variants of dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR), green fluorescent protein (GFP), GAR transformylase, and phosphotransferases were constructed to work in two-hybrid systems [64]. 

Several additional lines of evidence indicate that presequence function is governed by conformational properties of the precursor. The target peptide of yeast mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit IV (COX), fused to murine dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR, a cytoplasmic enzyme). 

The Michnick group has also developed an elegant split-reporter system, based on reconstitution of dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) (41). In this system, cell survival requires functional DHFR thus, a successful protein-protein interaction can be identified readily by selection. This system has been applied to the identification of peptide sequences that bind the Ras-binding domain of Raf (42). 

Methotexate is an antineoplastic folic add analogue that blocks the conversion of dihydrofolate (FHj) to tetrahydro-folate (FH4) by binding to dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) enzyme. Folate is essential for the normal synthesis of purines and pyrimidines, and therefore DNA and RNA. In order for folate to function as a cofactor, it must be reduced to FH by DHFR. Methotrexate binds to DHFR, prevents the conversion of FH2 to FH4, and, consequently, inhibits purine and pyrimidine synthesis. The antimetabolites are considered cell cycle specific, with most activity for cells in the S (synthesis) phase. With high-dose methotrexate, leucovorin rescue is often used to prevent severe toxicity to normal body tissues. Leucovorin (folinic acid) is a reduced form of folate (similar to FH ) that does not require the use of DHFR. Leucovorin is transported into healthy cells and is utilized for DNA and RNA synthesis. Tumor cells tend to have impaired transport mechanisms and usually cannot use leucovorin. Leucovorin is usually started within 24 to 36 hours of high-dose methotrexate administration and continues until methotrexate serum levels are below nontoxic levels (0.1 to 0.05 mol/L). 

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