Lactate dehydrogenase rate-limiting steps

The initial rate equation is again of the form of Eq. (1) with the kinetic coefficients as in Table I, which shows that the mechanism differs from the simple ordered mechanism in three important respects. First, the isomerization steps are potentially rate-limiting evidence for such a rate-limiting step not attributable to product dissociation or the hydride-transfer step (fc) has been put forward for pig heart lactate dehydrogenase 25). Second, Eqs. (5) and (6) no longer apply in each case the function of kinetic coefficients will be smaller than the individual velocity constant (Table I). Third, because < ab/ a< b is smaller than it may also be smaller than the maximum specific rate of the reverse reaction that is, one of the maximum rate relations in Eq. (7) need not hold 26). This mechanism was in fact first suggested to account for anomalous maximum rate relations obtained with dehydrogenases for which there was other evidence for an ordered mechanism 27-29). 

Lactate dehydrogenase was subjected to extensive enzyme engineering studies using site-directed mutagenesis to explore the roles of a number of side chains in catalysis, to examine the nature of the rate-limiting step... 

Isotope effects have also been applied extensively to studies of NAD+/NADP+-linked dehydrogenases. We typically treat these enzymes as systems whose catalytic rates are limited by product release. Nonetheless, Palm clearly demonstrated a primary tritium kinetic isotope effect on lactate dehydrogenase catalysis, a finding that indicated that the hydride transfer step is rate-contributing. Plapp s laboratory later demonstrated that liver alcohol dehydrogenase has an intrinsic /ch//cd isotope effect of 5.2 with ethanol and an intrinsic /ch//cd isotope effect of 3-6-4.3 with benzyl alcohol. Moreover, Klin-man reported the following intrinsic isotope effects in the reduction of p-substituted benzaldehydes by yeast alcohol dehydrogenase kn/ko for p-Br-benzaldehyde = 3.5 kulki) for p-Cl-benzaldehyde = 3.3 kulk for p-H-benzaldehyde = 3.0 kulk for p-CHs-benzaldehyde = 5.4 and kn/ko for p-CHsO-benzaldehyde = 3.4. 

The results of stopped-flow studies of the lactate dehydrogenase reaction have proved to be more difficult to interpret than those of alcohol dehydrogenase. The dissociation velocity constants for the binary NADH compounds of the pig heart and skeletal muscle lactate dehydrogenases are much larger than that for liver alcohol dehydrogenase, and also larger than the maximum specific rates of lactate oxidation at pH 6.0-7.0 (Table VII). Some earlier step must therefore be rate-limiting. 

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