Enzyme-catalyzed polycyclization

In the biogenesis of steroids, the enzyme-catalyzed polycyclization of squalene (225) produces the tetracyclic substance lanosterol (225) which is eventually converted into cholesterol (227) Eschenmoser, Stork, and their co-workers (80-82) have proposed that the squalene-1anosterol conversion can be rationalized on the basis of stereoelectronic effects. The stereochemical course of this biological cyclization (83, 84) can be illustrated by considering the transformation of squalene oxide (228) (an intermediate in the biosynthesis of cholesterol (83, 84)) into dammaradienol 229. This transfor-... 

The enzyme-catalyzed polycyclization of squalene 135 produces dammaradienol 138, which is known to be the precursor of cholesterol. In the process, squalene oxide is the intermediate, which adopts the conformation as shown in 137, and rearranges, under acid catalysis, to 138 [20, 21]. Note that in the transformations 131 —> 133 and 137 —> 138, many SN2 reactions take place in tandem for the sole reason of stereoelectronically driven well-organized geometrical orientations of the reacting functional groups. Note that all the double bonds are trans, and also that two such consecutive bonds are 1,5-related to each other. 

The biomimetic approach to total synthesis draws inspiration from the enzyme-catalyzed conversion of squalene oxide (2) to lanosterol (3) (through polyolefinic cyclization and subsequent rearrangement), a biosynthetic precursor of cholesterol, and the related conversion of squalene oxide (2) to the plant triterpenoid dammaradienol (4) (see Scheme la).3 The dramatic productivity of these enzyme-mediated transformations is obvious in one impressive step, squalene oxide (2), a molecule harboring only a single asymmetric carbon atom, is converted into a stereochemically complex polycyclic framework in a manner that is stereospecific. In both cases, four carbocyclic rings are created at the expense of a single oxirane ring. 

Oxidation is intimately linked to the activation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) to carcinogens (1-3). Oxidation of PAH in animals and man is enzyme-catalyzed and is a response to the introduction of foreign compounds into the cellular environment. The most intensively studied enzyme of PAH oxidation is cytochrome P-450, which is a mixed-function oxidase that receives its electrons from NADPH via a one or two component electron transport chain (10. Some forms of this enzyme play a major role in systemic metabolism of PAH (4 ). However, there are numerous examples of carcinogens that require metabolic activation, including PAH, that induce cancer in tissues with low mixed-function oxidase activity ( 5). In order to comprehensively evaluate the metabolic activation of PAH, one must consider all cellular pathways for their oxidative activation. 

Grover, R.L. and Sims, P. Enzyme-catalyzed reactions of polycyclic hydrocarbons with deoxyribonucleic acid and protein in vitro. Biochem. J. (1968) 110, 159-160. 

The program is reported to carry out simple Hiickel molecular orbital calculations to determine the relative sensitivity of aromatic carbon atoms to oxidation and the relative stability of keto and enol tautomers. Klopman et al. (1999) have reported that for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, adequate reactivity is an essential but not sufficient condition for enzyme catalyzed reaction. The accessibility of the reactive site (i.e., the absence of steric hindrance) was also found to be important. Genetic algorithms have been used to optimize the performance of the biotransformation dictionary by treating the initial priority scores set by expert assessment as adjustable parameters (Klopman et al., 1997). 

Covalent binding of chemical carcinogens to cellular macromolecules, DNA, RNA and protein, is wel1-accepted to be the first step in the tumor initiation process ( 1, 2). Most carcinogens, including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), require metabolic activation to produce the ultimate electrophilic species which react with cellular macromolecules. Understanding the mechanisms of activation and the enzymes which catalyze them is critical to elucidating the tumor initiation process. 

The microsomal epoxide hydrolases (microsomal EH, mEH), predominantly found in the endoplasmic reticulum, regio- and stereoselectively catalyze the hydration of both alkene and arene oxides, including oxides of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. These enzymes have been purified to homogeneity from various species and tissues [22] [41 - 46], The human microsomal EH contains 455 amino acids (Mr 52.5 kDa) and is the product of the EPHX1 gene [47] (also known as HYL1 [48]). 

As well as detoxication via reaction with GSH, the reactive 3,4-epoxide can be removed by hydration to form the dihydrodiol, a reaction that is catalyzed by epoxide hydrolase (also known as epoxide hydratase). This enzyme is induced by pretreatment of animals with the polycyclic hydrocarbon 3-methylcholanthrene, as can be seen from the increased excretion of 4-bromophenyldihydrodiol (Table 7.5). This induction of a detoxication pathway offers a partial explanation for the decreased hepatotoxicity of bromobenzene observed in such animals. A further explanation, also apparent from the urinary metabolites, is the induction of the form of cytochrome P-450 that catalyzes the formation of the 2,3-epoxide. This potentially reactive metabolite readily rearranges to 2-bromophenol, and hence there is increased excretion of 2-bromophenol in these pretreated animals (Table 7.5). 

Aromatic polyketides are structurally diverse, often polycyclic molecules that are derived from unreduced polyketone chains. This group of compounds is produced with the help of type II polyketide synthase (PKS), a complex of enzymes that catalyzes the iterative decarboxylative condensation of malonyl-CoA extender units with an acyl starter unit [70], The carbon framework of aromatic polyketides is further decorated with different functionalities, and carbohydrates are often one of them. Their presence has profound effects on physico-chemical and biological properties of aromatic polyketides. For example, anthracycline aglycones are stable and unpolar, while polyglycosylated anthracyclines are quite polar and often... 

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) are mainly products of incomplete combustion and can be found at high concentrations in PM. PAHs require metabolic activation to electrophiles, catalyzed by various enzymes through free radical mechanisms, to exert their carcinogenic effects. Research found that there are... 

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