Enzyme-SH group

The current concept of the catalytic mechanism of the type I iodothyronine deiodinase is presented in Fig. 3. The iodine is removed from the substrate in the form of the iodonium (I+) ion and transferred to an enzyme SH group (E-SH). The resultant enzyme SI (E-SI) intermediate represents an oxidized form of the deiodinase from which native enzyme is regenerated by reduction with cofactor. The latter reaction is inhibited by PTU which reacts with E-Sl under formation of a stable enzyme-PTU mixed disulfide. 

The insensitivity of the type II enzyme to PTU seems to exclude the generation of an enzyme SI intermediate as is the case with the type I deiodinase (see Section 2.4). The lack of involvement of a catalytic enzyme SH group in type II deiodination is also suggested by the weak effects of iodoacetate [82], a potent inhibitor of the type I deiodinase. It may be speculated that the type II enzyme catalyses the transfer of I+ from the substrate directly to the SH group of the cofactor [82], In contrast to PTU, iopanoic acid has similar inhibitory effects on the type I and II deiodinases [71-73,84,89]. 

Of the latter methyl- and halogen- substituted p-benzoquinones were the most effective. Heavy metal ions and quinones probably inhibited by reacting with enzyme SH groups shown to be essential for urease activity, whereas inhibition by urea derivatives was of tbe mixed type. Inhibition by p-benzoquinone and hydroquinone was inversely related to the organic C, organic N, clay and silt contents of surface soils. ... 

All the individual steps are catalyzed by enzymes NAD" (Section 15 11) is required as an oxidizing agent and coenzyme A (Figure 26 16) is the acetyl group acceptor Coen zyme A is a thiol its chain terminates m a sulfhydryl (—SH) group Acetylation of the sulfhydryl group of coenzyme A gives acetyl coenzyme A... 

The biochemical basis for the toxicity of mercury and mercury compounds results from its ability to form covalent bonds readily with sulfur. Prior to reaction with sulfur, however, the mercury must be metabolized to the divalent cation. When the sulfur is in the form of a sulfhydryl (— SH) group, divalent mercury replaces the hydrogen atom to form mercaptides, X—Hg— SR and Hg(SR)2, where X is an electronegative radical and R is protein (36). Sulfhydryl compounds are called mercaptans because of their ability to capture mercury. Even in low concentrations divalent mercury is capable of inactivating sulfhydryl enzymes and thus causes interference with cellular metaboHsm and function (31—34). Mercury also combines with other ligands of physiological importance such as phosphoryl, carboxyl, amide, and amine groups. It is unclear whether these latter interactions contribute to its toxicity (31,36). 

Disulfides. As shown in Figure 4, the and h-chains of insulin are connected by two disulfide bridges and there is an intrachain cycHc disulfide link on the -chain (see Insulin and other antidiabetic drugs). Vasopressin [9034-50-8] and oxytocin [50-56-6] also contain disulfide links (48). Oxidation of thiols to disulfides and reduction of the latter back to thiols are quite common and important in biological systems, eg, cysteine to cystine or reduced Hpoic acid to oxidized Hpoic acid. Many enzymes depend on free SH groups for activation—deactivation reactions. The oxidation—reduction of glutathione (Glu-Cys-Gly) depends on the sulfhydryl group from cysteine. 

Cadmium is extremely toxic and accumulates in humans mainly in the kidneys and liver prolonged intake, even of very small amounts, leads to dysfunction of the kidneys. It acts by binding to the —SH group of cysteine residues in proteins and so inhibits SH enzymes. It can also inhibit the action of zinc enzymes by displacing the zinc. 

Step 1 of Figure 27.7 Claisen Condensation The first step in mevalonate biosynthesis is a Claisen condensation (Section 23.7) to yield acetoacetyl CoA, a reaction catalyzed by acetoacetyl-CoA acetyltransferase. An acetyl group is first bound to the enzyme by a nucleophilic acyl substitution reaction with a cysteine —SH group. Formation of an enolate ion from a second molecule of acetyl CoA, followed by Claisen condensation, then yields the product. 

The retro-Claisen reaction occurs by initial nucleophilic addition of a cysteine -SH group on the enzyme to the keto group of the /3-ketoacyl CoA to yield an alkoxide ion intermediate. Cleavage of the C2-C3 bond then follows, with expulsion of an acetyl CoA enolate ion. Protonation of the enolate ion gives acetyl CoA, and the enzyme-bound acyl group undergoes nucleophilic acyl substitution by reaction with a molecule of coenzyme A. The chain-shortened acyl CoA that results then enters another round of tire /3-oxidation pathway for further degradation. 

Although Zn2+ is essential to human nutrition, compounds of the two elements below zinc in the periodic table. Cd and Fig. are extremely toxic. This reflects the fact that Cd2+ and Flg2+, in contrast to Zn2+, form very stable complexes with ligands containing sulfur atoms. As a result, these two cations react with and thereby deactivate enzymes containing —SH groups. 

High levels of lead can affect heme metabohsm by combining with SH groups in enzymes such as fer-rochelatase and ALA dehydratase. This affects porphyrin metabolism. Elevated levels of protoporphyrin are found in red blood cells, and elevated levels of ALA and of coproporphyrin are found in urine. 

It is an important intracellular reductant, helping to maintain essential SH groups of enzymes in their reduced state. This role is discussed in Chapter 20, and its involvement in the hemolytic anemia caused by deficiency of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase is discussed in Ghapters 20 and 52. 

Mercuric chloride, other mercury-containing antibacterials and silver will inhibit enzymes in the membrane, and for that matter in the cytoplasm, which contain thiol, -SH, groups. A similar achon is shown by 2-bromo-2-nitropropan-l,3-diol (bronopol) and iso-thiazolones. Under appropriate condihons the toxic action on cell thiol groups may be reversed by addition of an extrinsic thiol compound, for example cysteine or thioglycollic aeid (see also Chapters 12 and 23). 

Of the 20 residues that react with A-ethylmaleimide in the non-reduced denatured Ca -ATPase at least 15 are available for reaction with various SH reagents in the native enzyme [75,239,310]. These residues are all exposed on the cytoplasmic surface. After reaction of these SH groups with Hg-phenyl azoferritin, tightly packed ferritin particles can be seen by electron microscopy only on the outer surface of the sarcoplasmic reticulum vesicles [143,311-314]. Even after the vesicles were ruptured by sonication, aging, or exposure to distilled water, alkaline solutions or oleate, the asymmetric localization of the ferritin particles on the outer surface was preserved [311,313,314]. 

This reaction is carried out by the first enzyme of palmitate synthetase-acetyl-fra sa[Pg.201]

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