Organocatalysis by hydrogen bonding networks.

In biological systems, hydrogen bonding is used extensively for molecular recognition, substrate binding, orientation and activation. In organocatalysis, multiple hydrogen bonding by man-made catalysts can effect remarkable accelerations and selectivities as well. The lecture presents four examples of non-enzymatic (but in some cases enzyme-like!) catalysis effected by hydrogen bonding networks: epoxidation of olefins and Baeyer-Villiger oxidation of ketones with H2O2 in fluorinated alcohol solvents; peptide-catalyzed asymmetric epoxidation of enones by H2O2; dynamic kinetic resolution of azlactones, affording enantiomerically pure alpha-amino acids; and kinetic resolution of oxazinones, affording enantiomerically pure beta-amino acids. All four types of transformations are of preparative value, and their mechanisms are discussed.

Highly enantioselective enone epoxidation catalyzed by short solid phase-bound peptides: dominant role of peptide helicity.

The series of L-Leu 1-20-mers, peptides carrying 1-5 N-terminal Gly residues, and oligomers of (S)-beta(3)-Leu and (1R,2R)-2-aminocyclohexanecarboxylic acid were synthesized on TentaGel S NH(2). Five L-Leu residues were found sufficient to catalyze the Juliá-Colonna epoxidation of chalcone with 96-98% ee. Experiment and molecular modeling suggest that catalysis is effected by binding of the enone to the N-terminus, and the helicity of the peptide determines the epoxide configuration through face-selective delivery of a hydroperoxide anion. [reaction: see text]

Activation of dihydrogen without transition metals.

The metal-free hydrogenase from methanogenic archaea (Hmd) is a unique enzyme: it catalyzes the reaction of its substrate, methenyl-tetrahydromethanopterin, with molecular hydrogen without the aid of a transition metal. In other words, Hmd is currently the only example of a purely organic hydrogenation catalyst. Recent results from various fields have shed new light on this enzyme. In biochemistry, there is experimental proof that a tightly bound (and metal-free) cofactor exists. Ab initio calculations have revealed that the concerted action of the Lewis-acidic substrate and a Brønsted-base appears to induce facile heterolysis of the hydrogen molecule. In chemical model studies, a transition-metal-free hydrogenation of ketones was achieved in the presence of catalytic base. Taken together, the experimental results available to date point to an enzymatic mechanism in which the hydrogen molecule is heterolyzed by the joint action of the Lewis-acidic substrate methenyl-tetrahydromethanopterin and a Brønsted-base in the active site (i.e. by bifunctional catalysis).

Photochemistry of 4'-benzophenone-substituted nucleoside derivatives as models for ribonucleotide reductases: competing generation of 3'-radicals and photoenols.

Ribonucleotide reductases (RNRs) catalyze the 2'-reduction of ribonucleotides, thus providing 2'-deoxyribonucleotides, the monomers for DNA-biosynthesis. The current mechanistic hypothesis for the catalysis effected by this class of enzymes involves a sequence of radical reactions. A 3'-hydrogen abstraction, effected by a radical at the enzyme's active site, is believed to initiate the catalytic cycle. As models for this substrate-enzyme interaction, the photochemically induced intramolecular hydrogen abstraction in a series of 4'-benzophenone-substituted nucleoside analogues was studied. Model compounds with hydroxy-, methoxy-, mesyloxy-groups or a cyclic carbonate in 2'- and 3'-positions were investigated. Depending on the substitution pattern, two different types of photoproducts were observed: Those which result from photoenol formation (gamma-H-abstraction) and those which result from abstraction of the 3'-H-atom (delta-H-abstraction). Photoenol formation was further supported by H/D-exchange experiments. Thus, the 3'-H-abstraction postulated as the initial step in RNR action was successfully modeled by photolysis of 4'-benzophenone-substituted nucleoside analogues. The regioselectivity of the photochemical H-abstraction and thus of the product distribution as a function of the 2'- and 3'-substituents was rationalized on the basis of a conformational analysis of the four model systems, utilizing molecular mechanics simulations.

Activation and thermostabilization effects of cyclic 2, 3-diphosphoglycerate on enzymes from the hyperthermophilic Methanopyrus kandleri.

Enzymes involved in methane formation from carbon dioxide and dihydrogen in Methanopyrus kandleri require high concentrations (> 1 M) of lyotropic salts such as K2HPO4/KH2PO4 or (NH4)2SO4 for activity and for thermostability. The requirement correlates with high intracellular concentrations of cyclic 2,3-diphosphoglycerate (cDPG; approximately 1 M) in this hyperthermophilic organism. We report here on the effects of potassium cDPG on the activity and thermostability of the two methanogenic enzymes cyclohydrolase and formyltransferase and show that at cDPG concentrations prevailing in the cells the investigated enzymes are highly active and completely thermostable. At molar concentrations also the potassium salts of phosphate and of 2,3-bisphosphoglycerate, the biosynthetic precursor of cDPG, were found to confer activity and thermostability to the enzymes. Thermodynamic arguments are discussed as to why cDPG, rather than these salts, is present in high concentrations in the cells of Mp. kandleri.

Structure elucidation and chemical synthesis of stigmolone, a novel type of prokaryotic pheromone.

Approximately 2 micromol of a novel prokaryotic pheromone, involved in starvation-induced aggregation and formation of fruiting bodies by the myxobacterium Stigmatella aurantiaca, were isolated by a large-scale elution procedure. The pheromone was purified by HPLC, and high-resolution MS, IR, 1H-NMR, and 13C-NMR were used to identify the active substance as the hydroxy ketone 2,5, 8-trimethyl-8-hydroxy-nonan-4-one, which has been named stigmolone. The analysis was complicated by a solvent-dependent equilibrium between stigmolone and the cyclic enol-ether 3,4-dihydro-2,2, 5-trimethyl-6-(2-methylpropyl)-2H-pyran formed by intramolecular nucleophilic attack of the 8-OH group at the ketone C4 followed by loss of H2O. Both compounds were synthesized chemically, and their structures were confirmed by NMR analysis. Natural and synthetic stigmolone have the same biological activity at ca. 1 nM concentration.

Substrate-analogue-induced changes in the nickel-EPR spectrum of active methyl-coenzyme-M reductase from Methanobacterium thermoautotrophicum.

Methyl-coenzyme-M reductase (MCR) catalyzes the formation of methane from methyl-coenzyme M [2-(methylthio)ethanesulfonate] and 7-mercaptoheptanoylthreonine phosphate in methanogenic archaea. The enzyme contains the nickel porphinoid coenzyme F430 as a prosthetic group. In the active, reduced (red) state, the enzyme displays two characteristic EPR signals, MCR-red1 and MCR-red2, probably derived from Ni(I). In the presence of the substrate methyl-coenzyme M, the rhombic MCR-red2 signal is quantitatively converted to the axial MCR-red1 signal. We report here on the effects of inhibitory substrate analogues on the EPR spectrum of the enzyme. 3-Bromopropanesulfonate (BrPrSO3), which is the most potent inhibitor of MCR known to date (apparent Ki = 0.05 microM), converted the EPR signals MCR-red1 and MCR-red2 to a novel axial Ni(I) signal designated MCR-BrPrSO3. 3-Fluoropropanesulfonate (apparent Ki < 50 microM) and 3-iodopropanesulfonate (apparent Ki < 1 microM) induced a signal identical to that induced by BrPrSO3 without affecting the line shape, despite the fact that the fluorine, bromine and iodine isotopes employed have nuclear spins of I = 1/2, I = 3/2 and I = 5/2, respectively. This finding suggests that MCR-BrPrSO3 is not the result of a close halogen-Ni(I) interaction. 7-Bromoheptanoylthreonine phosphate (BrHpoThrP) (apparent Ki = 5 microM), which is an inhibitory substrate analogue of 7-mercaptoheptanoylthreonine phosphate, converted the signals MCR-red1 and MCR-red2 to a novel axial Ni(I) signal, MCR-BrHpoThrP, similar but not identical to MCR-BrPrSO3. The results indicate that inhibition of MCR by the halogenated substrate analogues investigated above is not via oxidation of Ni(I)F430. The different MCR EPR signals are assigned to different enzyme/substrate and enzyme/inhibitor complexes.

Purification and properties of heterodisulfide reductase from Methanobacterium thermoautotrophicum (strain Marburg).

The reduction of the heterodisulfide of coenzyme M (H-S-CoM) and 7-mercaptoheptanoyl-L-threonine phosphate (H-S-HTP) is a key reaction in the metabolism of methanogenic bacteria. The heterodisulfide reductase catalyzing this step was purified 80-fold to apparent homogeneity from Methanobacterium thermoautotrophicum. The native enzyme showed an apparent molecular mass of 550 kDa. Sodium dodecyl sulfate/polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis revealed the presence of three different subunits of apparent molecular masses 80 kDa, 36 kDa, and 21 kDa. The enzyme, which was brownish yellow, contained per mg protein 7 +/- 1 nmol FAD, 130 +/- 10 nmol non-heme iron and 130 +/- 10 nmol acid-labile sulfur, corresponding to 4 mol FAD and 72 mol FeS/mol native enzyme. The purified heterodisulfide reductase catalyzed the reduction of CoM-S-S-HTP (app. Km = 0.1 mM) with reduced benzylviologen at a specific rate of 30 mumol.min-1.mg protein-1 (kcat = 68 s-1) and the reduction of methylene blue with H-S-CoM (app. Km = 0.2 mM) plus H-S-HTP (app. Km less than 0.05 mM) at a specific rate of 15 mumol.min-1.mg-1. The enzyme was highly specific for CoM-S-S-HTP and H-S-CoM plus H-S-HTP. The physiological electron donor/acceptor remains to be identified.

N-furfurylformamide as a pseudo-substrate for formylmethanofuran converting enzymes from methanogenic bacteria.

Methanofuran (4-[N-(4,5,7-tricarboxyheptanoyl-gamma-L-glutamyl)-gamma-L- glutamyl)-p-(beta-aminoethyl)phenoxymethyl]-2-(aminomethyl)furan is a coenzyme involved in methanogenesis. The N-formyl derivative is an intermediate in the reduction of CO2 to CH4 and the disproportionation of methanol to CO2 and CH4. Formylmethanofuran dehydrogenase and formylmethanofuran:tetrahydromethanopterin formyltransferase are the enzymes catalyzing its conversions. We report here that the two enzymes from Methanosarcina barkeri and the formyltransferase from Methanobacterium thermoautotrophicum can also use N-furfurylformamide as a pseudo-substrate albeit with higher apparent Km and lower apparent Vmax values. N-Methylformamide, formamide, and formate were not converted indicating that the furfurylamine moiety of methanofuran is the minimum structure required for the correct binding of the coenzyme.

Methyl-coenzyme-M reductase from Methanobacterium thermoautotrophicum (strain Marburg). Purity, activity and novel inhibitors.

Methyl-coenzyme-M reductase from Methanobacterium thermoautotrophicum (strain Marburg) was purified to a stage where, besides the alpha, beta and gamma subunits, no additional polypeptides were detectable in the preparation. Under appropriate conditions the enzyme was found to catalyze the reduction of methyl-CoM with 7-mercaptoheptanoylthreonine phosphate (H-S-HTP) to CH4 at a specific rate of 2.5 mumol.min-1.mg protein-1. This finding contradicts a recent report that methyl-CoM reductase is only active when some contaminating proteins are present. The two polypeptides encoded by the open reading frames ORF1 and ORF2 of the methyl-CoM reductase transcription unit did not co-purify with the alpha, beta and gamma subunits. They were neither required nor did they stimulate the activity under the assay conditions. 3-Bromopropanesulfonate (apparent Ki = 0.05 microM) and 2-azidoethanesulfonate (apparent Ki = 1 microM) were found to be two new competitive inhibitors of methyl-CoM reductase. Both inhibitors were considerably more effective than the "classical" 2-bromoethanesulfonate (apparent Ki = 4 microM).