Hydride-transfer reactions involving nicotinamide cofactors

Hydride-transfer reactions involving nicotinamide cofactors 48 Commitments 55... 

HYDRIDE-TRANSFER REACTIONS INVOLVING NICOTINAMIDE COFACTORS... 

In inosine monophosphate dehydrogenase, the monovalent metal ion accelerates the hydride transfer step of the reaction with apparently few other effects on the enzyme structure. Probably the monovalent cation is involved in helping position the nicotinamide cofactor. The active site and location of the potassium ion are shown in Figure 2. Mycophenolic acid in this diagram is an inhibitor that is thought to lock inosine monophosphate into the active site, as shown. Note the large distance between the inhibitor (in the active site) and the K+. 

DHFR catalyzes the reduction of 7,8-dihydrofolate (H2F) to 5,6,7,8-tetrahydrofolate (H4F) using nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) as a cofactor (Fig. 17.1). Specifically, the pro-R hydride of NADPH is transferred stereospecifi-cally to the C6 of the pterin nucleus with concurrent protonation at the N5 position [1]. Structural studies of DHFR bound with substrates or substrate analogs have revealed the location and orientation of H2F, NADPH and the mechanistically important side chains [2]. Proper alignment of H2F and NADPH is crucial in enhancing the rate of the chemical step (hydride transfer). Ab initio, mixed quantum mechanical/molecular mechanical (QM/MM), and molecular dynamics computational studies have modeled the hydride transfer process and have deduced optimal geometries for the reaction [3-6]. The optimal C-C distance between the C4 of NADPH and C6 of H2F was calculated to be 2.7A [5, 6], which is significantly smaller than the initial distance of 3.34 A inferred from X-ray crystallography [2]. One proposed chemical mechanism involves a keto-enol tautomerization (Fig. 

Oxidative reactions in catabolic sequences involve the removal of electrons from an intermediate. This process is controlled by dehydrogenases and often involves the participation of the cofactor nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD or NAD+). Electrons from the donor are transferred to NAD in the form of the hydride ion [ H-] to produce reduced NAD (NADH). In many reactions two hydrogen atoms are removed from the substrate, one in the form of the hydride ion, the other liberated as a proton accordingly, the reduction of NAD+ is often written as... 

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