Racemase and Related Enzymes

Other Proteins The ouabain-binding site on (Na /K -adenosine-5 -triphosphatase, 46, 523 penicillin isocyanates for /3-lactamase, 46, 531 active site-directed addition of a small group to an enzyme the ethylation of ludferin, 46, 537 mandelate racemase, 46, 541 d imethylpyrazole carboxamidine and related derivatives, 46, 548 labeling of catechol O-methyltransferase with N-haloace-tyl derivatives, 46, 554 affinity labeling of binding sites in proteins by sensitized photooxidation, 46, 561 bromocolchicine as a iabei for tubuiin, 46, 567. 

A variety of other enzymes involved in amino acid catabolism have been detected in both protozoa and helminths. These include deaminases such as histidase, decarboxylases, some of which are involved in biosynthesis of amines and related compounds, and hydroxylases of proline, tryptophan and tyrosine. These additional enzymes have mostly been reported in helminths (1). L-Amino acid oxidases and D-amino acid oxidases are also present and the availability of the latter would allow D-amino acids to be metabolized in the absence of amino acid racemases. 

Decarboxylases are one of the members of the enolase superfamily. The most important and interesting point of this class of enzymes is that they are mechanistically diverse and catalyze different overall reactions. However, each enzyme shares a partial reaction in which an active site base abstracts a proton to form a nucleophile. The intermediates are directed to different products in the different active sites of different members. However, some enzymes of this class exhibit catalytic promiscuity in their natural form. ° This fact is considered to be strongly related to the evolution of enzymes. Reflecting the similarity of the essential step of the total reaction, there are some successful examples of artificial-directed evolution of these enzymes to catalyze distinctly different chemical transformation. The changing of decarboxylase to racemase described in Section 2.5 is also one of these examples. 

The racemization of an amino acid provides a biochemical example that can be related directly to Eq. 6-9. A solution of an L-amino acid will be efficiently changed into the racemic mixture of 50% d and 50% l by the action of an enzyme (a racemase) with no uptake or evolution of heat. Thus, AH = 0 and the only change is an entropy change. Let us designate 2 for the pure isomer as 2. Since there are just two choices of configuration for each of the N molecules in 1 mole of the racemate we see that for the racemate... 

The enzymes of the nucleic acid metabolism are used for several industrial processes. Related to the nucleobase metabolism is the breakdown of hydantoins. The application of these enzymes on a large scale has recently been reviewed [85]. The first step in the breakdown of hydantoins is the hydrolysis of the imide bond. Most of the hydantoinases that catalyse this step are D-selective and they accept many non-natural substrates [78, 86]. The removal of the carbamoyl group can also be catalysed by an enzyme a carbamoylase. The D-selective carbamoylases show wide substrate specificity [85] and their stereoselectivity helps improving the overall enantioselectivity of the process [34, 78, 85]. Genetic modifications have made them industrially applicable [87]. Fortunately hydantoins racemise readily at pH >8 and additionally several racemases are known that can catalyze this process [85, 88]. This means that the hydrolysis of hydantoins is always a dynamic kinetic resolution with yields of up to 100% (Scheme 6.25). Since most hydantoinases are D-selective the industrial application has so far concentrated on D-amino acids. Since 1995 Kaneka Corporation has produced 2000 tons/year of D-p-hydroxyphenylglycine with a D-hydantoinase, a d-carbamoylase [87] and a base-catalysed racemisation [85, 89]. 

A related procedure is seen at work in an anti-bacterial IMBI, D-3-fluoro-alanine (9.91), which is being clinically studied. This substance irreversibly inhibits alanine racemase, the enzyme that provides essential D-alanine for synthesizing the walls of bacteria (Wang and Walsh, 1978). 

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