Phase 1, Single- and Multiple-Ascending-Dose, Food-Effect, and East Asian Subject Studies to Assess the Pharmacokinetics, Safety, and Tolerability of Bempedoic Acid, a Selective Inhibitor of Adenosine Triphosphate Citrate Lyase.

Bempedoic acid is an adenosine triphosphate citrate lyase inhibitor that lowers low-density lipoprotein cholesterol by inhibiting cholesterol synthesis and upregulating hepatic low-density lipoprotein receptor expression. After oral dosing, bempedoic acid was readily absorbed, attaining maximum concentrations with a median time of 3.5 hours, and may be taken without regard to food. Steady-state oral pharmacokinetics in healthy adults receiving bempedoic acid at the approved 180 mg/day dose were characterized by mean maximum concentration of 20.6 µg/mL, area under the concentration-time curve over 24 hours of 289 µg·h/mL, and elimination half-life of 21.1 hours. Multiple-dose pharmacokinetics were linear at bempedoic acid doses of 120-220 mg/day. Circulating concentrations of the active metabolite ESP15228 were 18.0% of bempedoic acid concentrations on average. Comparisons of bempedoic acid 180 mg/day pharmacokinetics after single and multiple dosing revealed no clinically meaningful differences between Japanese, Chinese, and Western subjects. Mean estimates of bempedoic acid elimination half-life in Japanese (25.2 hours) and Chinese (20.0 hours) subjects were comparable to Western subjects (23.9 hours) following 14 days of once-daily dosing. Bempedoic acid was generally safe and well tolerated up to a dose of 220 mg/day across the study populations described herein.

HMG-CoA synthase 1 is a synthetic lethal partner of BRAFV600E in human cancers.

Contributions of metabolic changes to cancer development and maintenance have received increasing attention in recent years. Although many human cancers share similar metabolic alterations, it remains unclear whether oncogene-specific metabolic alterations are required for tumor development. Using an RNAi-based screen targeting the majority of the known metabolic proteins, we recently found that oncogenic BRAFV600E up-regulates HMG-CoA lyase (HMGCL), which converts HMG-CoA to acetyl-CoA and a ketone body, acetoacetate, that selectively enhances BRAFV600E-dependent MEK1 activation in human cancer. Here, we identified HMG-CoA synthase 1 (HMGCS1), the upstream ketogenic enzyme of HMGCL, as an additional "synthetic lethal" partner of BRAFV600E Although HMGCS1 expression did not correlate with BRAFV600E mutation in human melanoma cells, HMGCS1 was selectively important for proliferation of BRAFV600E-positive melanoma and colon cancer cells but not control cells harboring active N/KRAS mutants, and stable knockdown of HMGCS1 only attenuated colony formation and tumor growth potential of BRAFV600E melanoma cells. Moreover, cytosolic HMGCS1 that co-localized with HMGCL and BRAFV600E was more important than the mitochondrial HMGCS2 isoform in BRAFV600E-expressing cancer cells in terms of acetoacetate production. Interestingly, HMGCL knockdown did not affect HMGCS1 expression levels, whereas HMGCS1 knockdown caused a compensating increase in HMGCL protein level because of attenuated protein degradation. However, this increase did not reverse the reduced ketogenesis in HMGCS1 knockdown cells. Mechanistically, HMGCS1 inhibition decreased intracellular acetoacetate levels, leading to reduced BRAFV600E-MEK1 binding and consequent MEK1 activation. We conclude that the ketogenic HMGCS1-HMGCL-acetoacetate axis may represent a promising therapeutic target for managing BRAFV600E-positive human cancers.

Dynamic m(6)A mRNA methylation directs translational control of heat shock response.

The most abundant mRNA post-transcriptional modification is N(6)-methyladenosine (m(6)A), which has broad roles in RNA biology. In mammalian cells, the asymmetric distribution of m(6)A along mRNAs results in relatively less methylation in the 5' untranslated region (5'UTR) compared to other regions. However, whether and how 5'UTR methylation is regulated is poorly understood. Despite the crucial role of the 5'UTR in translation initiation, very little is known about whether m(6)A modification influences mRNA translation. Here we show that in response to heat shock stress, certain adenosines within the 5'UTR of newly transcribed mRNAs are preferentially methylated. We find that the dynamic 5'UTR methylation is a result of stress-induced nuclear localization of YTHDF2, a well-characterized m(6)A 'reader'. Upon heat shock stress, the nuclear YTHDF2 preserves 5'UTR methylation of stress-induced transcripts by limiting the m(6)A 'eraser' FTO from demethylation. Remarkably, the increased 5'UTR methylation in the form of m(6)A promotes cap-independent translation initiation, providing a mechanism for selective mRNA translation under heat shock stress. Using Hsp70 mRNA as an example, we demonstrate that a single m(6)A modification site in the 5'UTR enables translation initiation independent of the 5' end N(7)-methylguanosine cap. The elucidation of the dynamic features of 5'UTR methylation and its critical role in cap-independent translation not only expands the breadth of physiological roles of m(6)A, but also uncovers a previously unappreciated translational control mechanism in heat shock response.

Novel inhibitors of cholesterol degradation in Mycobacterium tuberculosis reveal how the bacterium's metabolism is constrained by the intracellular environment.

Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) relies on a specialized set of metabolic pathways to support growth in macrophages. By conducting an extensive, unbiased chemical screen to identify small molecules that inhibit Mtb metabolism within macrophages, we identified a significant number of novel compounds that limit Mtb growth in macrophages and in medium containing cholesterol as the principle carbon source. Based on this observation, we developed a chemical-rescue strategy to identify compounds that target metabolic enzymes involved in cholesterol metabolism. This approach identified two compounds that inhibit the HsaAB enzyme complex, which is required for complete degradation of the cholesterol A/B rings. The strategy also identified an inhibitor of PrpC, the 2-methylcitrate synthase, which is required for assimilation of cholesterol-derived propionyl-CoA into the TCA cycle. These chemical probes represent new classes of inhibitors with novel modes of action, and target metabolic pathways required to support growth of Mtb in its host cell. The screen also revealed a structurally-diverse set of compounds that target additional stage(s) of cholesterol utilization. Mutants resistant to this class of compounds are defective in the bacterial adenylate cyclase Rv1625/Cya. These data implicate cyclic-AMP (cAMP) in regulating cholesterol utilization in Mtb, and are consistent with published reports indicating that propionate metabolism is regulated by cAMP levels. Intriguingly, reversal of the cholesterol-dependent growth inhibition caused by this subset of compounds could be achieved by supplementing the media with acetate, but not with glucose, indicating that Mtb is subject to a unique form of metabolic constraint induced by the presence of cholesterol.

Synthesis of a FTO inhibitor with anticonvulsant activity.

We describe the rationale for and the synthesis of a new class of compounds utilizing a modular approach that are designed to mimic ascorbic acid and to inhibit 2-oxoglutarate-dependent hydroxylases. Preliminary characterization of one of these compounds indicates in vivo anticonvulsant activity (6 Hz mouse model) at nontoxic doses, inhibition of the 2-oxoglutarate-dependent hydroxylase FTO, and expected increase in cellular N(6)-methyladenosine. This compound is also able to modulate various microRNA, an interesting result in light of the recent view that modulation of microRNAs may be useful for the treatment of CNS disease.

Effect of polyphenols on 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A lyase activity in human hepatoma HepG2 cell extracts.

When carbohydrate metabolism is impaired, fatty acid metabolism is activated. Excess acetyl-coenzyme A (CoA) is generated from fatty acids by ß-oxidation and is used for the formation of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA (HMG-CoA) and subsequently for acetoacetate. High levels of secreted ketone bodies (acetoacetate and 3ß-hydroxybutyrate) lower the pH of blood and urine, resulting in ketoacidosis. HMG-CoA lyase in hepatic cells is a rate-limiting enzyme catalyzing the cleavage of HMG-CoA to acetoacetate, and thus inhibition of this enzyme results in reduced acetoacetate production, in other words, impaired ketoacidosis. Inhibition of HMG-CoA lyase activity possibly prevents ketoacidosis and should be the therapeutic target. Polyphenols are common and abundant dietary constituents with beneficial effects on human health. We examined the inhibitory effects of dietary polyphenols on HMG-CoA lyase activity in cellular extracts of human hepatoma HepG2 cells. Of the nine representative dietary polyphenols tested, (-)-epigallocatechin (EGC), (-)-epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), and gallic acid (GA) effectively inhibited HMG-CoA lyase activity. Lineweaver-Burk analysis revealed that EGC and EGCG are likely to be mixed-type noncompetitive inhibitors. Pyrogallol with the gallyl structure also inhibited HMG-CoA lyase activity, suggesting that the gallyl moiety of polyphenols is important for the inhibition of HMG-CoA lyase activity.

Purification and characterization of N-acetylneuraminic acid-9-phosphate synthase from rat liver.

Sialic acids are a group of carboxylated amino sugars important for a variety of cellular functions. N-Acetylneuraminic acid (Neu5Ac) is the predominant sialic acid in nature. Neu5Ac-9-phosphate synthase catalyzes the formation of Neu5Ac-9-phosphate from N-acetylmannosamine-6-phosphate and phosphoenolpyruvate. Neu5Ac-9-phosphate synthase was purified 11,700-fold from rat liver cytosol to apparent homogeneity by ammonium sulfate precipitation, chromatography on hydroxylapatite, phenyl-Sepharose, MonoQ, and finally gel filtration. SDS-PAGE and gel filtration chromatography indicated that the enzyme is a dimer composed of 37-kDa subunits. Analysis of trypic peptides by MALDI-TOF MS verified a high sequence similarity to the corresponding murine enzyme. The K(m) values of Neu5Ac-9-phosphate synthase were 35 microM for N-acetylmannosamine-6-phosphate and 100 microM for phosphoenolpyruvate. The enzyme displayed an absolute requirement for divalent cations, Mn(2+), Fe(2+), and Mg(2+) being the most effective. In contrast to human Neu5Ac-9-phosphate synthase, the rat enzyme did not utilize mannose-6-phosphate in the synthesis of 2-keto-3-deoxy-D-glycero-D-galacto-nononic acid 9-phosphate. Neu5Ac-9-phosphate synthase was inactivated by the sulfhydryl modifying reagents, 5,5'-dithio-bis (2-nitrobenzoic acid) and N-ethylmaleimide, and protected from inactivation by the presence of the substrate phosphoenolpyruvate, but not by the presence of N-acetylmannosamine-6-phosphate, showing that at least one cysteine residue is located in the active site of the enzyme.

Chorismate lyase: kinetics and engineering for stability.

By removing the enolpyruvyl group from chorismate, chorismate lyase (CL) produces p-hydroxybenzoate (p-HB) for the ubiquinone biosynthetic pathway. We have analyzed CL by several spectroscopic and chemical techniques and measured its kinetic (kcat=1.7 s(-1), K(m)=29 microM) and product inhibition parameters (K(p)=2.1 microM for p-HB). Protein aggregation, a serious problem with wild type CL, proved to be primarily due to the presence of two surface-active cysteines, whose chemical modification or mutation (to serines) gave greatly improved solution behavior and minor effects on enzyme activity. CL is strongly inhibited by its product p-HB; for this reason activity and inhibition measurements were analyzed by both initial rate and progress curve methods. The results are consistent, but in this case where the stable enzyme-product complex rapidly becomes the predominant form of the enzyme, progress curve methods are more efficient. We also report inhibition measurements with several substrate and product analogs that give information on ligand binding interactions of the active site. The biological function of the unusual product retention remains uncertain, but may involve a mechanism of directed delivery to the membrane-bound enzyme that follows CL in the ubiquinone pathway.

Pseudomonas mevalonii 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA lyase: testing the function of the active site cysteine by site-directed mutagenesis.

Pseudomonas mevalonii 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA lyase is affinity labeled by 2-butynoyl-CoA; peptide sequence analysis demonstrates C237 to be the site of modification [Hruz et al. (1992) Biochemistry 31, 6842-6847]. In order to evaluate whether C237 functions in the chemistry of hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA cleavage, cassette mutagenesis has been employed to alter wild-type DNA to encode serine or alanine at residue 237. ESR measurements indicate that the purified mutant enzymes bind stoichiometric amounts of the spin-labeled substrate analog, R.CoA, which has been established as a competitive inhibitor. Binding affinities measured with C237S (Kd = 92 microM) and C237A (Kd = 97 microM) lyases are comparable to that observed with wild-type lyase. The rotational dynamics of R.CoA bound to mutant enzymes are also very similar to those for R.CoA bound to wild-type lyase. These observations suggest that the mutant enzymes are structurally intact. In view of this demonstrated structural integrity, it is significant that the VmaxS of C237A and C237S are approximately 4 x 10(4)- and approximately 725-fold lower, respectively, than the value measured for wild-type hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA lyase. The C237S enzyme exhibits a Km = 53 microM for substrate; this value is only 2-fold higher than the Km of the wild-type enzyme. Additionally, we report that the residual activity in C237S hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA lyase is unaffected by 2-butynoyl-CoA under conditions which support inactivation of wild-type enzyme. These results are consistent with an active site assignment to C237, confirming the prediction based on the affinity labeling/peptide mapping data.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

3-Hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A lyase: affinity labeling of the Pseudomonas mevalonii enzyme and assignment of cysteine-237 to the active site.

Pseudomonas mevalonii 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) lyase is irreversibly inactivated by the reactive substrate analog 2-butynoyl-CoA. Enzyme inactivation, which follows pseudo-first-order kinetics, is saturable with a KI = 65 microM and a limiting k(inact) of 0.073 min-1 at 23 degrees C, pH 7.2. Protection against inactivation is afforded by the competitive inhibitor 3-hydroxyglutaryl-CoA. Labeling of the bacterial enzyme with [1-14C]-2-butynoyl-CoA demonstrates that inactivation coincides with covalent incorporation of inhibitor, with an observed stoichiometry of modification of 0.65 per site. Avian HMG-CoA lyase is also irreversibly inactivated by 2-butynoyl-CoA with a stoichiometry of modification of 0.9 per site. Incubation of 2-butynoyl-CoA with mercaptans such as dithiothreitol results in the formation of a UV absorbance peak at 310 nm. Enzyme inactivation is also accompanied by the development of a UV absorbance peak at 310 nm indicating that 2-butynoyl-CoA modifies a cysteine residue in HMG-CoA lyase. Tryptic digestion and reverse-phase HPLC of the affinity-labeled protein reveal a single radiolabeled peptide. Isolation and sequence analysis of this peptide and a smaller chymotryptic peptide indicate that the radiolabeled residue is contained within the sequence GGXPY. Mapping of this peptide within the cDNA-deduced sequence of P. mevalonii HMG-CoA lyase [Anderson, D. H., & Rodwell, V. W. (1989) J. Bacteriol. 171, 6468-6472] confirms that a cysteine at position 237 is the site of modification. These data represent the first identification of an active-site residue in HMG-CoA lyase.

Chemical modification of Pseudomonas ochraceae 4-hydroxy-4-methyl-2-oxoglutarate aldolase by diethyl pyrocarbonate.

Diethyl pyrocarbonate inactivates Pseudomonas ochraceae 4-hydroxy-4-methyl-2-oxoglutarate aldolase [4-hydroxy-4-methyl-2-oxoglutarate pyruvate-lyase: EC 4.1.3.17] by a simple bimolecular reaction. The inactivation is not reversed by hydroxylamine. The pH curve of inactivation indicates the involvement of a residue with a pK of 8.8. Several lines of evidence show that the inactivation is due to the modification of epsilon-amino groups of lysyl residues. Although histidyl residue is also modified, this is not directly correlated to the inactivation. No cysteinyl, tyrosyl, or tryptophyl residue or alpha-amino group is significantly modified. The modification of three lysyl residues per enzyme subunit results in the complete loss of aldolase activity toward various 4-hydroxy-2-oxo acid substrates, whereas oxaloacetate beta-decarboxylase activity associated with the enzyme is not inhibited by this modification. Statistical analysis suggests that only one of the three lysyl residues is essential for activity. l-4-Carboxy-4-hydroxy-2-oxoadipate, a physiological substrate for the enzyme, strongly protects the enzyme against inactivation. Pi as an activator of the enzyme shows no specific protection. The molecular weight of the enzyme, Km for substrate or Mg2+, and activation constant for Pi are virtually unaltered after modification. These results suggest that the modification occurs at or near the active site and that the essential lysyl residue is involved in interaction with the hydroxyl group but not with the oxal group of the substrate.

Active-site residues of 2-keto-4-hydroxyglutarate aldolase from Escherichia coli. Bromopyruvate inactivation and labeling of glutamate 45.

Treatment of pure 2-keto-4-hydroxyglutarate aldolase from Escherichia coli, a "lysine-type," Schiff-base mechanism enzyme, with the substrate analog bromopyruvate results in a time- and concentration-dependent loss of enzymatic activity. Whereas the substrates pyruvate and 2-keto-4-hydroxyglutarate provide greater than 90% protection against inactivation by bromopyruvate, no protective effect is seen with glycolaldehyde, an analog of glyoxylate. Inactivation studies with [14C] bromopyruvate show the incorporation of 1.1 mol of 14C-labeled compound/enzyme subunit; isolation of a radioactive peptide and determination of its amino acid sequence indicate that the radioactivity is associated with glutamate 45. Incubation of the enzyme with excess [14C]bromopyruvate followed by denaturation with guanidine.HCl allow for the incorporation of carbon-14 at cysteines 159 and 180 as well. Whereas the presence of pyruvate protects Glu-45 from being esterified, it does not prevent the alkylation of these 2 cysteine residues. The results indicate that Glu-45 of E. coli 2-keto-4-hydroxyglutarate aldolase is essential for catalytic activity, most likely acting as the amphoteric proton donor/acceptor that is required as a participant in the overall mechanism of the reaction catalyzed.

Inhibition of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A synthase by antibiotic 1233A and other beta-lactones.

3-Hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl CoA synthase was shown to be inhibited in a time-dependent, irreversible manner by compounds containing the substituted beta-lactone functionality found in the natural product 1233A. The rate of inactivation (kinact) was found to approach the rate of catalysis (kcat). The inactivation was irreversible over several hours. A related compound lacking the hydroxymethyl substituent on the beta-lactone ring is a reversible inhibitor and is competitive with respect to acetylCoA. The results are consistent with beta-lactone ring opening by the active site Cys to form an enzyme bound thioester.

Chemical events in chloropropionyl coenzyme A inactivation of acyl coenzyme A utilizing enzymes.

Incubation of 3-chloropropionyl-CoA with 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA synthase results in exchange of the C2 proton with solvent as inactivation of enzyme proceeds. This enzyme is also inhibited by S-acrylyl-N-acetylcysteamine; the limiting rate constant for inactivation by the acrylyl derivative (0.36 min-1) slightly exceeds the value measured for chloropropionyl-CoA (0.31 min-1). These observations support the intermediacy of acrylyl-CoA in the chloropropionyl-CoA-dependent inactivation of hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA synthase. Inhibition of fatty acid synthase by chloropropionyl-CoA is primarily due to alkylation of a reactive cysteine, although secondary reaction with the enzyme's pantetheinyl sulfhydryl occurs. Modification of fatty acid synthase by S-acrylyl-N-acetylcysteamine occurs at a limiting rate (1.8 min-1) that is comparable to that estimated for chloropropionyl-CoA-dependent inactivation. However, this enzyme lacks the ability to deprotonate C2 of an acyl group such as the chloropropionyl moiety. Since such a step would be required to generate an acrylyl group from chloropropionyl-S-enzyme, it is likely that a typical affinity labeling process accounts for inactivation of fatty acid synthase by chloropropionyl-CoA. HMG-CoA lyase is also inhibited by S-acrylyl-N-acetylcysteamine. In contrast to the ability of this reagent to serve as a mechanism-based inhibitor of hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA synthase and an affinity label of fatty acid synthase, it acts as a group-specific reagent in modifying HMG-CoA lyase (kappa 2 = 86.7 M-1 min-1).

Identification of a cysteine residue at the active site of Escherichia coli isocitrate lyase.

Escherichia coli isocitrate lyase was inactivated by iodacetate in a pseudo-first-order process. Complete inactivation was associated with the incorporation of only one carboxymethyl group per enzyme subunit. The substrate and products of the enzyme protected against inactivation, suggesting that the reactive group may be located at the active site. Isolation and sequencing of a carboxymethylated peptide showed that the modified residue was a cysteine, in the sequence Cys-Gly-His-Met-Gly-Gly-Lys. The reactivity of isocitrate lyase to iodoacetate declined with pH, following a titration curve for a group of pKa 7.1. The Km of the enzyme for isocritrate declined over the same pH range.

Cyclic AMP, fructose-2,6-bisphosphate and catabolite inactivation of enzymes in the hydrocarbon-assimilating yeast Candida maltosa.

The inactivation of fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase, isocitrate lyase and cytoplasmic malate dehydrogenase in Candida maltosa was found to occur after the addition of glucose to starved cells. The concentration of cyclic AMP and fructose-2,6-bisphosphate increased drastically within 30 s when glucose was added to the intact cells of this yeast. From these results it was concluded that catabolite inactivation, with participation of cyclic AMP and fructose-2,6-bisphosphate, is an important control mechanism of the gluconeogenetic sequence in the n-alkane-assimilating yeast Candida maltosa, as described for Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Catabolite inactivation of isocitrate lyase from Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

A reversible carbon catabolite inactivation step is described for isocitrate lyase from Saccharomyces cerevisiae. This reversible inactivation step of isocitrate lyase is similar to that described for fructose 1,6-bisphosphatase. Addition of 2,4-dinitrophenol, nystatin or glucose to cultures, grown in ethanol as carbon source, caused a rapid loss of the isocitrate lyase and fructose 1,6-bisphosphatase activities at pH 5.5 but not at pH 7.5. These results suggest that intracellular acidification and thus a cAMP increase is involved in the catabolite inactivation mechanism of both enzymes. From results obtained by addition of glucose to yeast cultures at pH 7.5 it was concluded that others factors than cAMP can play a role in the catabolite inactivation mechanism of both enzymes.

Role of small subunit (IlvN polypeptide) of acetohydroxyacid synthase I from Escherichia coli K-12 in sensitivity of the enzyme to valine inhibition.

Most of the coding sequence for the IlvN polypeptide subunit of acetohydroxyacid synthase I was deleted from the ilvB+ ilvN+ plasmid pTCN12 by in vitro methods. Several ilvB+ delta ilvN derivatives of pTCN12 were identified among transformants of a strain otherwise lacking any acetohydroxyacid synthase. Deletion derivatives produced an enzymatically active IlvB polypeptide, as shown by the Ilv+ phenotype of transformed cells and by immunologic and enzymatic assays. However, whereas the growth of pTCN12 transformants was sensitive to valine inhibition, growth of the ilvB+ delta ilvN transformants was relatively resistant. Moreover, in vitro analyses confirmed that both acetolactate and acetohydroxybutyrate synthesis in extracts of the ilvB+ delta ilvN transformants was resistant to valine inhibition, in comparison with that in extracts of pTCN12 transformants or with that catalyzed by purified acetohydroxyacid synthase I. The IlvN polypeptide had a minimal effect, if any, on IlvB polypeptide accumulation as measured by immunoprecipitation, but its absence resulted in a greater than 10-fold reduction in enzyme specific activity.

Succinylation and inactivation of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA synthase by succinyl-CoA and its possible relevance to the control of ketogenesis.

Succinyl-CoA (3-carboxypropionyl-CoA) inactivates ox liver mitochondrial 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA synthase (EC 4.1.3.5) in a time-dependent manner, which is partially prevented by the presence of substrates of the enzyme. The inactivation is due to the enzyme catalysing its own succinylation. Complete inactivation corresponds to about 0.5 mol of succinyl group bound/mol of enzyme dimer. The succinyl-enzyme linkage appears to be a thioester bond and is probably formed with the active-site cysteine residue that is normally acetylated by acetyl-CoA. Succinyl-CoA binds to 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA synthase with a binding constant of 340 microM and succinylation occurs with a rate constant of 0.57 min-1. Succinyl-enzyme breaks down with a half-life of about 40 min (k = 0.017 min-1) at 30 degrees C and pH 7 and is destabilized by the presence of acetyl-CoA and succinyl-CoA. A control mechanism is postulated in which flux through the 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA cycle of ketogenesis is regulated according to the extent of succinylation of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA synthase.

Active-site-directed inhibition of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A synthase by 3-chloropropionyl coenzyme A.

3-Chloropropionyl coenzyme A (3-chloropropionyl-CoA) irreversibly inhibits avian liver 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA synthase (HMG-CoA synthase). Enzyme inactivation follows pseudo-first-order kinetics and is retarded in the presence of substrates, suggesting that covalent labeling occurs at the active site. A typical rate saturation effect is observed when inactivation kinetics are measured as a function of 3-chloropropionyl-CoA concentration. These data indicate a Ki = 15 microM for the inhibitor and a limiting kinact = 0.31 min-1. [1-14C]-3-Chloropropionyl-CoA binds covalently to enzyme with a stoichiometry (0.7 per site) similar to that measured for acetylation of enzyme by acetyl-CoA. While the acetylated enzyme formed upon incubation of HMG-CoA synthase with acetyl-CoA is labile to performic acid oxidation, the adduct formed upon 3-chloropropionyl-CoA inactivation is stable to such treatment. Therefore, such an adduct cannot solely involve a thio ester linkage. Exhaustive Pronase digestion of [14C]-3-chloropropionyl-CoA-labeled enzyme produces a radioactive compound which cochromatographs with authentic carboxyethylcysteine using reverse-phase/ion-pairing high-pressure liquid chromatography and both silica and cellulose thin-layer chromatography systems. This suggests that enzyme inactivation is due to alkylation of an active-site cysteine residue.