Transition state catalytic stabilization

In some cases, mutation can lead to enhanced catalytic ability of the enzyme. Results for the mutation Thr-51 to Pro-51 (Wilkinson et al 1984) have been mentioned previously. The results for this and for the mutation Thr-51 to Ala-51 (Fersht e/ al., 1985) are also shown in Table 18. These mutations and that of Thr-51 to Cys-51 have been studied in some detail (Ho and Fersht, 1986). In each case it is found that the transition state is stabilized for formation of tyrosine adenylate from tyrosine and ATP within the enzyme the mutant Thr-51 to Pro-51 increases the rate coefficient for the reaction by a factor of 20. However, the enzyme-bound tyrosine adenylate is also stabilized by the mutation and this results in a reduced rate of reaction of tyrosine adenylate with tRNA (48), the second step in the process catalysed by tyrosine tRNA synthetase. Overall, therefore, the mutants are poorer catalysts for the formation of aminoacyl tRNA. The enzyme from E. coli has the residue Pro-51 whereas Thr-51 is present in the enzyme from B. stearothermophilus. The enzyme from E. coli is more active than the latter enzyme in both the formation of tyrosine adenylate and in the aminoacyla-tion of tRNA (Jones et al., 1986b). It is therefore suggested (Ho and Fersht, 1986) that the enzyme from E. coli with Pro-51 must additionally have evolved ways of stabilizing the transition state for formation of tyrosine adenylate without the concomitant stabilization of tyrosine adenylate and reduction in the rate of aminoacylation of tRNA found for the Pro-51 mutant. 

In general, in cases where the carbanion can be stabilized by catalytic intervention, as in the initial conversion of a 2-ketoacid to a cyanohydrin, the transition state leading to its formation will be stabilized. In addition, the stability of the carbanion generated by loss of carbon dioxide also depends on its molecular environment. The rate of decarboxylation of pyridine-2-carboxylic acid is enhanced in a nonpolar environment as the zwitterionic ground state is destabilized and the less polar transition state is stabilized.5... 

Catalytic antibodies catalyze a reaction by binding to the transition state, thereby stabilizing it. As a result, the energy of activation is lowered and the reaction goes faster. The synthesis of the antibody is carried out in the presence of a transition state analog—a... 

In the line of catalytic antibodies development, Nimri and Keinan reported that the incorporation of the Ru(II) porphyrin (12 in Figure 10.11) within a specially raised monoclonal antibody (mAb) catalyzed the enantioselective oxidation of aromatic sulfides. Great care was taken in the design of the hapten from which the mAb was elicited so that it mimicked the transition state. For stability reasons, the hapten was an Sn(IV) porphyrin and one of the axial positions was occupied by an a-naphthoxy ligand. In the presence of excess mAb, the Ru porphyrin catalyzed the sulfoxidation of thioanisole and analogs (see Scheme 10.9) with up to 43% ee (S) [57]. 

Catalytic Properties. In zeoHtes, catalysis takes place preferentially within the intracrystaUine voids. Catalytic reactions are affected by aperture size and type of channel system, through which reactants and products must diffuse. Modification techniques include ion exchange, variation of Si/A1 ratio, hydrothermal dealumination or stabilization, which produces Lewis acidity, introduction of acidic groups such as bridging Si(OH)Al, which impart Briimsted acidity, and introducing dispersed metal phases such as noble metals. In addition, the zeoHte framework stmcture determines shape-selective effects. Several types have been demonstrated including reactant selectivity, product selectivity, and restricted transition-state selectivity (28). Nonshape-selective surface activity is observed on very small crystals, and it may be desirable to poison these sites selectively, eg, with bulky heterocycHc compounds unable to penetrate the channel apertures, or by surface sdation. 

The single mutation Asp 32-Ala reduces the catalytic reaction rate by a factor of about lO compared with wild type. This rate reduction reflects the role of Asp 32 in stabilizing the positive charge that His 64 acquires in the transition state. A similar reduction of kcat and kcat/ m (2.5 x 10 ) is obtained for the single mutant Asn 155-Thr. Asn 155 provides one of the two hydrogen bonds to the substrate transition state in the oxyanion hole of subtilisin. 

The catalytic triad consists of the side chains of Asp, His, and Ser close to each other. The Ser residue is reactive and forms a covalent bond with the substrate, thereby providing a specific pathway for the reaction. His has a dual role first, it accepts a proton from Ser to facilitate formation of the covalent bond and, second, it stabilizes the negatively charged transition state. The proton is subsequently transferred to the N atom of the leaving group. Mutations of either of these two residues decrease the catalytic rate by a factor of 10 because they abolish the specific reaction pathway. Asp, by stabilizing the positive charge of His, contributes a rate enhancement of 10. ... 

All the residues involved in important functions in the catalytic mechanism are strictly conserved in all homologous GTPases with one notable exception. Ras does not have the arginine in the switch 1 region that stabilizes the transition state. The assumption that the lack of this catalytically important residue was one reason for the slow rate of GTP hydrolysis by Ras was confirmed when the group of Alfred Wittinghofer, Max-Planck Institute,... 

A structural anomaly in subtilisin has functional consequences Transition-state stabilization in subtilisin is dissected by protein engineering Catalysis occurs without a catalytic triad Substrate molecules provide catalytic groups in substrate-assisted catalysis Conclusion Selected readings... 

As discussed and demonstrated in the previous chapters, the catalytic effect of several classes of enzymes can be attributed to electrostatic stabilization of the transition state by the surrounding active site. Apparently, enzymes can create microenvironments which complement by their electrostatic potential the changes in charges during the corresponding reactions. This provides a simple and effective way of reducing the activation energies in enzymatic reactions. 

The mechanism for the lipase-catalyzed reaction of an acid derivative with a nucleophile (alcohol, amine, or thiol) is known as a serine hydrolase mechanism (Scheme 7.2). The active site of the enzyme is constituted by a catalytic triad (serine, aspartic, and histidine residues). The serine residue accepts the acyl group of the ester, leading to an acyl-enzyme activated intermediate. This acyl-enzyme intermediate reacts with the nucleophile, an amine or ammonia in this case, to yield the final amide product and leading to the free biocatalyst, which can enter again into the catalytic cycle. A histidine residue, activated by an aspartate side chain, is responsible for the proton transference necessary for the catalysis. Another important factor is that the oxyanion hole, formed by different residues, is able to stabilize the negatively charged oxygen present in both the transition state and the tetrahedral intermediate. 

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