Nucleophilic imidazole ring

An imidazole ring is a structural unit m the ammo acid histidine (Section 27 1) and is involved m a large number of biological processes as a base and as a nucleophile... 

Both electrophilic and nucleophilic reactions can generate halogenopur-ines with differences in regioselectivity dependent on substituents and on the nature of the substrate (anion, neutral molecule, or cation). In the neutral molecule nucleophilic displacements occur in the order 2 > 4 > 6 in the anion the imidazole ring may be sufficiently 7r-excessive for attack to occur at C-2, and the nucleophilic substitution order becomes 4 > 6 > 2. Strong electron donors are usually necessary to promote 2-halogenation by electrophilic halogen sources. 

The cyclization of o-substituted amides 206 was used for the preparation of a series of purine derivatives 207. In this case, the amine behaved as a nucleophile toward the amide function followed by ring closure to the imidazole ring (Scheme 75) [133]. 

Displacement of a halogen atom of the imidazole ring of a tricyclic 5 6 5 angular system via nucleophilic attack at carbon has been used to incorporate amines, the trifluoromethyl group, or ethers as illustrated for the reaction of 69 with methoxide to give 70 (Equation 10) <2004BML1291>. However, the authors do not comment on the yields obtained in these reactions. 

A sulfonyl chloride group rapidly reacts with amines in the pH range of 9-10 to form stable sulfonamide bonds. Under these conditions, it also may react with tyrosine —OH groups, aliphatic alcohols, thiols, and histidine side chains. Conjugates of sulfonyl chlorides with sulf-hydryls and imidazole rings are unstable, while esters formed with alcohols are subject to nucleophilic displacement (Nillson and Mosbach, 1984 Scouten and Van der Tweel, 1984). The only stable derivative with proteins therefore is the sulfonamide, formed by reaction with e-lysine... 

The mechanism of hydrolysis of cysteine peptidases, in particular cysteine endopeptidases (EC 3.4.22), shows similarities and differences with that of serine peptidases [2] [3a] [55 - 59]. Cysteine peptidases also form a covalent, ac-ylated intermediate, but here the attacking nucleophile is the SH group of a cysteine residue, or, rather, the deprotonated thiolate group. Like in serine hydrolases, the imidazole ring of a histidine residue activates the nucleophile, but there is a major difference, since here proton abstraction does not appear to be concerted with nucleophilic substitution but with formation of the stable thiolate-imidazolium ion pair. Presumably as a result of this specific activation of the nucleophile, a H-bond acceptor group like Glu or Asp as found in serine hydrolases is seldom present to complete a catalytic triad. For this reason, cysteine endopeptidases are considered to possess a catalytic dyad (i.e., Cys-S plus H-His+). The active site also contains an oxyanion hole where the terminal NH2 group of a glutamine residue plays a major role. 

Serine itself would be insufficiently nucleophilic to attack the ester carbonyl, so the reaction is facilitated by participation of the imidazole ring of histidine. The basic nitrogen in this residue is oriented so that it can remove a proton from the serine hydroxyl, increasing nucleophilicity and allowing attack on the ester carbonyl. This leads to formation of the transient acetylated enzyme, and release of choline. Hydrolysis of the acetylated enzyme utilizes water as nucleophile, but again involves the imidazole ring, and regenerates the free enzyme. 

A still different scheme is used for the preparation of the benzimidazole buterizine (74). Alkylation of benzhydrylpiperazine with substituted benzyl chloride 70 gives the intermediate 7U Nucleophilic aromatic displacement on this compound by means of ethyl amine leads to reduction of the nitro group then gives the diamine T. Treatment of that with the orthoformate ester of pentanoic acid serves to form the imidazole ring. There is thus obtained the peripheral vasodilating agent buteri zi ne (74). ... 

Omeprazole 5 -Methoxy-2- [(4 -methoxy-3,5-dimethyl-2-pyridinyl) methyl] sulfinylj -17/-benzimidazol O-methylation, imidazole ring formation using thiourea, A-oxidation, nucleophilic displacement, A-methylation, S -oxidation... 

The cleavage mechanism of the caspases is shown schematically in Fig. 15.5. They use a typical protease mechanism with a catalytic diad for cleavage of the peptide bond. The nucleophilic thiol of an essential Cys residue forms a covalent thioacyl bond to the substrate during the catalysis. The imidazole ring of an essential histidine is also involved in catalysis and this facilitates hydrolysis of the amide bond in the sense of an acid/base catalysis. 

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