Dihydrofolate reductase mechanism

Bajorath, J., J. Kraut, Z. Li, D. H. Kitson, and A. T. Hagler. 1991. Theoretical studies on the dihydrofolate reductase mechanism electronic polarization of bound substrates. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 88, 6423. 

Chromosomal mutations in E. coli result in overproduction of dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR). Higher concentrations of trimethoprim, which may not be therapeutically achievable, are therefore required to inhibit nucleotide metabolism. Other mutations lower the affinity of DHFR for trimethoprim. These two mechanisms of resistance may coexist in a single strain, effectively increasing the level of resistance to the antibiotic. 

Reaction Free Energy Profiles Using Free Energy Perturbation and Coordinate Coupling Methodologies Analysis of the Dihydrofolate Reductase Catalytic Mechanism... 

S. R. Stone and J. R. Morrison, Catalytic mechanism of the dihydrofolate reductase as... 

Dihydrofolate Reductase Free Energy Calculations for the Design of Mechanism-Based Inhibitors... 

J. E. Gready, Design of new mechanism-based substrates for dihydrofolate reductase, in ... 

Different antimalarials selectively kill the parasite s different developmental forms. The mechanism of action is known for some of them pyrimethamine and dapsone inhibit dihydrofolate reductase (p. 273), as does chlorguanide (proguanil) via its active metabolite. The sulfonamide sulfadoxine inhibits synthesis of dihydrofolic acid (p. 272). Chlo-roquine and quinine accumulate within the acidic vacuoles of blood schizonts and inhibit polymerization of heme, the latter substance being toxic for the schizonts. 

Fig. 2. Mechanisms causing resistance to antitumor treatment. ATM. ataxia telangiectasia gene, (Westphal et al., 1998 Xu and Baltimore, 1996), bcl-2/bax (Farrow and Brown, 1996, Zunino et al., 1997 Haq and Zanke, 1998), bcr/abl (McGahon et al., 1994), BCRP, breast cancer resistance protein (Doyle et d., 1998 Ross et al, 1999) bleomycin hydrolase (El-Deiry, 1997), BRCAl (Husain et al., 1998 Chen et al., 1998), BRCA2 (Chen et al., 1998 Chen et 1999), c-abl (White and Prives, 1999), c-jun (Sanchez-Perez and Perona, 1999), cytidine deaminase (El-Deiry, 1997), DNA poip, DNA polymerase p (Ochs et al., 1999), dihydrofolate reductase (Schimke, 1986), DT-diaphorase (Riley and Workman, 1992 Fitzsimmons et al., 1996 El-Deiry, 1997), EGR-1 (Ahmed et al., 1996), fos (Niimi et al., 1991), glucosylceramide synthase...

Methotrexate is a folic acid analogue. Its mechanism of action is based on the inhibition of dihydrofolate reductase. Inhibition of dihydrofolate reductase leads to depletion of the tetrahydrofolate cofactors that are required for the synthesis of purines and thymidylate (see Fig. 2). Enzymes that are required for purine and thymidylate synthesis are also directly inhibited by the polyglutamates of methotrexate which accumulate with dihydrofolate reductase inhibition. The mechanisms that can cause resistance include decreased transport of methotrexate into the tumor cells, a decreased affinity of the antifolate for dihydrofolate reductase, increased concentrations of intracellular dihydrofolate reductase and decreased thymidylate synthetase activity. 

Resistance can develop from alterations in dihydrofolate reductase, bacterial impermeability to the drug, and by overproduction of the dihydrofolate reductase. The most important mechanism of bacterial resistance to trimethoprim clinically is the production of plasmid-encoded trimethoprim-resistant forms of dihydrofolate reductase. 

Suramin (Germanin) is a derivative of a nonmetallic dye whose antiparasitic mechanism of action is not clear. It appears to act on parasite specific a-glyc-erophosphate oxidase, thymidylate synthetase, dihydrofolate reductase, and protein kinase but not on host enzymes. 

Mechanism of Action A folate antagonist that inhibits the enzyme dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR). Therapeutic Effect Disrupts purine, DNA, RNA, protein synthesis,... 

I I 3. Binding to the enzyme dihydrofolate reductase is the mechanism of action for... 

The expansion in the power of computers and theoretical methods has made it possible to investigate the mechanism of action of enzymes by combinations of quantum-mechanical and molecular-mechanical calculations. A study of two possible mechanisms for dihydrofolate reductase catalysis was consistent with indirect proton transfer from aspartate to N-5 of the pterin as has been suggested for many years by crystallographic evidence <2003PCB14036>. This conclusion is also consistent with the outcome of a study that directly measured the of the active site aspartate in the Lactobacillus casei enzyme <1999B8038>. Observations of chemical shifts of... 

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. 

The principal mechanism of action is inhibition of dihydrofolate reductase, an enzyme important in the production of thymidine and purines. At the high doses used for chemotherapy, methotrexate inhibits cellular proliferation. However, at the low doses used in the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease (12-25 mg/wk), the antiproliferative effects may not be evident. Methotrexate may interfere with the inflammatory actions of interleukin-1. It may also stimulate increased release of adenosine, an endogenous anti-inflammatory autacoid. Methotrexate may also stimulate apoptosis and death of activated T lymphocytes. 

Conversion of dUMP to dTMP is catalyzed by thy-midylate synthase. A one-carbon unit at the hydroxymethyl (—CH2OH) oxidation level (see Fig. 18-17) is transferred from Af5,Af10-methylenetetrahydrofolate to dUMP, then reduced to a methyl group (Fig. 22-44). The reduction occurs at the expense of oxidation of tetrahydrofolate to dihydrofolate, which is unusual in tetrahydrofolate-requiring reactions. (The mechanism of this reaction is shown in Fig. 22-50.) The dihydrofolate is reduced to tetrahydrofolate by dihydrofolate reductase—a regeneration that is essential for the many processes that require tetrahydrofolate. In plants and at least one protist, thymidylate synthase and dihy-drofolate reductase reside on a single bifunctional protein. 

Other useful targets for pharmaceutical agents are thymidylate synthase and dihydrofolate reductase, enzymes that provide the only cellular pathway for thymine synthesis (Fig. 22-49). One inhibitor that acts on thymidylate synthase, fluorouracil, is an important chemotherapeutic agent. Fluorouracil itself is not the enzyme inhibitor. In the cell, salvage pathways convert it to the deoxynucleoside monophosphate FdUMP, which binds to and inactivates the enzyme. Inhibition by FdUMP (Fig. 22-50) is a classic example of mechanism-based enzyme inactivation. Another prominent chemotherapeutic agent, methotrexate, is an inhibitor of dihydrofolate reductase. This folate analog acts as a competitive inhibitor the enzyme binds methotrexate with about 100 times higher affinity than dihydrofolate. Aminopterin is a related compound that acts similarly. 

Because of its significance in cancer therapy and its small size, dihydrofolate reductase is one of the most studied of all enzymes. Numerous NMR studies385 387 and investigations of catalytic mechanism and of other properties388 have been conducted. Many mutant forms have been created 389-391 For example, substitution of Asp 27 (Asp 26 in L. casei) of the E. coli... 

Trimethoprim (TMP) and ormethoprim (OMP) are synergists of SAs that operate by a mechanism of competitive inhibition of dihydrofolate reductase. Sulphonamides (and their synergists) are widely used in farm animal feedstuff and fish cultures furthermore, they act as growth promoters at subtherapeutic concentrations. 

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. 

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