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PubMed1987

Dynamic interaction between components of hexaprenyl diphosphate synthase from Micrococcus luteus BP-26.

Hexaprenyl diphosphate synthase from Micrococcus luteus BP-26, which has been known to be dissociated into two essential components, designated as components A and B, during hydroxyapatite chromatography [Fujii, H., Koyama, T., & Ogura, K. (1982) J. Biol. Chem. 257, 14610-14612], was also resolved similarly by Sephadex G-100 or DEAE ion-exchange chromatography. Each component takes various self-aggregated forms. The apparent molecular mass of component B estimated by gel filtration on Superose 12 varied depending on its concentration, ranging from approximately 18 to 49 kilodaltons (kDa). On the other hand, the apparent molecular mass of component A varied depending on not only its concentration but also the ionic strength of the medium, ranging from approximately 13 to 24 kDa. When a mixture of components A and B preincubated in the presence of Mg2+ but in the absence of substrate was subjected to Superose 12 gel filtration, they were eluted at positions identical with those observed when they were chromatographed individually. In contrast, when a mixture of components A and B incubated in the presence of Mg2+ and substrates was filtrated on Superose 12, the elution positions were markedly changed, showing that an approximately 24-kDa aggregate of component A (designated as A) and an approximately 27-kDa aggregate of component B (designated as B) were the major species. Evidence was also obtained to show that farnesyl diphosphate (FPP) binds to the components to form an aggregate, A-B-FPP-Mg2+, which probably represents an intermediary state of enzyme catalysis.

Alkyl and Aryl Transferases↗
PubMed2001

Binding and activation of thiamin diphosphate in acetohydroxyacid synthase.

Acetohydroxyacid synthases (AHASs) are biosynthetic thiamin diphosphate- (ThDP) and FAD-dependent enzymes. They are homologous to pyruvate oxidase and other members of a family of ThDP-dependent enzymes which catalyze reactions in which the first step is decarboxylation of a 2-ketoacid. AHAS catalyzes the condensation of the 2-carbon moiety, derived from the decarboxylation of pyruvate, with a second 2-ketoacid, to form acetolactate or acetohydroxybutyrate. A structural model for AHAS isozyme II (AHAS II) from Escherichia coli has been constructed on the basis of its homology with pyruvate oxidase from Lactobacillus plantarum (LpPOX). We describe here experiments which further test the model, and test whether the binding and activation of ThDP in AHAS involve the same structural elements and mechanism identified for homologous enzymes. Interaction of a conserved glutamate with the N1' of the ThDP aminopyrimidine moiety is involved in activation of the cofactor for proton exchange in several ThDP-dependent enzymes. In accord with this, the analogue N3'-pyridyl thiamin diphosphate does not support AHAS activity. Mutagenesis of Glu47, the putative conserved glutamate, decreases the rate of proton exchange at C-2 of bound ThDP by nearly 2 orders of magnitude and decreases the turnover rate for the mutants by about 10-fold. Mutant E47A also has altered substrate specificity, pH dependence, and other changes in properties. Mutagenesis of Asp428, presumed on the basis of the model to be the crucial carboxylate ligand to Mg(2+) in the "ThDP motif", leads to a decrease in the affinity of AHAS II for Mg(2+). While mutant D428N shows ThDP affinity close to that of the wild-type on saturation with Mg(2+), D428E has a decreased affinity for ThDP. These mutations also lead to dependence of the enzyme on K(+). These experiments demonstrate that AHAS binds and activates ThDP in the same way as do pyruvate decarboxylase, transketolase, and other ThDP-dependent enzymes. The biosynthetic activity of AHAS also involves many other factors beyond the binding and deprotonation of ThDP; changes in the ligands to ThDP can have interesting and unexpected effects on the reaction.

Acetolactate Synthase↗
PubMed2003

Structural and kinetic analysis of catalysis by a thiamin diphosphate-dependent enzyme, benzoylformate decarboxylase.

Benzoylformate decarboxylase is a member of the family of enzymes that are dependent on the cofactor thiamin diphosphate. A structure of this enzyme binding (R)-mandelate, a competitive inhibitor, suggests that at least two hydrogen bonds are formed between the substrate, benzoylformate, and active site side chains. The first is between the carboxylate group of benzoylformate and the hydroxyl group of S26, and the second is between carbonyl group of the substrate and an imidazole nitrogen of H70. Steady-state kinetic studies indicate that the catalytic parameters are strongly affected in three active site mutants, S26A, H70A, and H281A. The K(m) of S26A was increased most dramatically, 25-fold more than that of the wild-type enzyme, while the K(i) of (R)-mandelate was increased 100-fold, suggesting that the serine hydroxyl is important for substrate binding. The k(cat) of H70A is reduced more than 3 orders of magnitude, strongly implicating this residue in catalysis, and H281 showed significant, but smaller magnitude, effects on both K(m) and k(cat). Stopped-flow experiments using an alternative substrate, p-nitrobenzoylformate, lead to kinetic resolution of the fate of key thiamin diphosphate-bound intermediates. Together, the experimental results suggest the following roles for residues in the active site. The residue H70 is important for the protonation of the 2-alpha-mandelyl-ThDP intermediate, thereby assisting in decarboxylation, and for the deprotonation of the 2-alpha-hydroxybenzyl-ThDP intermediate, aiding product release. H281 is involved in protonation of the enamine. Surprisingly, S26 appears to be involved not only in substrate binding but also in other steps of the reaction.

Alanine↗
PubMed2004

Structural determinants of enzyme binding affinity: the E1 component of pyruvate dehydrogenase from Escherichia coli in complex with the inhibitor thiamin thiazolone diphosphate.

Thiamin thiazolone diphosphate (ThTDP), a potent inhibitor of the E1 component from the Escherichia coli pyruvate dehydrogenase multienzyme complex (PDHc), binds to the enzyme with greater affinity than does the cofactor thiamin diphosphate (ThDP). To identify what determines this difference, the crystal structure of the apo PDHc E1 component complex with ThTDP and Mg(2+) has been determined at 2.1 A and compared to the known structure of the native holoenzyme, PDHc E1-ThDP-Mg(2+) complex. When ThTDP replaces ThDP, reorganization occurs in the protein structure in the vicinity of the active site involving positional and conformational changes in some amino acid residues, a change in the V coenzyme conformation, addition of new hydration sites, and elimination of others. These changes culminate in an increase in the number of hydrogen bonds to the protein, explaining the greater affinity of the apoenzyme for ThTDP. The observed hydrogen bonding pattern is not an invariant feature of ThDP-dependent enzymes but rather specific to this enzyme since the extra hydrogen bonds are made with nonconserved residues. Accordingly, these sequence-related hydrogen bonding differences likewise explain the wide variation in the affinities of different thiamin-dependent enzymes for ThTDP and ThDP. The sequence of each enzyme determines its ability to form hydrogen bonds to the inhibitor or cofactor. Mechanistic roles are suggested for the aforementioned reorganization and its reversal in PDHc E1 catalysis: to promote substrate binding and product release. This study also provides additional insight into the role of water in enzyme inhibition and catalysis.

Binding Sites↗
PubMed2004

Tetrahedral intermediates in thiamin diphosphate-dependent decarboxylations exist as a 1',4'-imino tautomeric form of the coenzyme, unlike the michaelis complex or the free coenzyme.

Two circular dichroism signals observed on thiamin diphosphate (ThDP)-dependent enzymes, a positive band in the 300-305 nm range and a negative one in the 320-330 nm range, were investigated on yeast pyruvate decarboxylase (YPDC) and on the E1 subunit of the Escherichia coli pyruvate dehydrogenase complex (PDHc-E1). Addition of the tetrahedral ThDP-acetaldehyde adduct, 2-alpha-hydroxyethylThDP, to PDHc-E1 generates the positive band at 300 nm, consistent with the formation of the 1',4'-iminopyrimidine tautomer, as also demonstrated for phosphonolactylthiamin diphosphate, a stable analogue of the tetrahedral ThDP-pyruvate adduct 2-alpha-lactylThDP (Jordan, F. et al. (2003) J. Am. Chem. Soc. 125, 12732-12738). Therefore, we suggest that all tetrahedral ThDP-bound covalent complexes will also prefer this tautomer, and that the 4'-aminopyrimidine of ThDP participates in multiple steps of acid-base catalysis on ThDP enzymes. Studies with YPDC and PDHc-E1, and their active center variants, in conjunction with chemical models, enabled assignment of the negative band at 330 nm to a charge-transfer transition between the 4'-aminopyrimidine tautomer (presumed electron donor) and the thiazolium ring (presumed electron acceptor) of ThDP, with no significant contributions from any amino acid side chain of the proteins. However, in both YPDC and PDHc-E1, the presence of substrate or substrate surrogate was required to enable detection, suggesting that the band at 320-330 nm be used as a reporter for the Michaelis complex, involving the amino tautomer, on both enzymes. As the positive band near 300 nm reports on the 1',4'-imino tautomer of ThDP, methods are now available for kinetic monitoring of both tautomeric forms.

Binding Sites↗
PubMed2006

Half-of-sites binding of orotidine 5'-phosphate and alpha-D-5-phosphorylribose 1-diphosphate to orotate phosphoribosyltransferase from Saccharomyces cerevisiae supports a novel variant of the Theorell-Chance mechanism with alternating site catalysis.

A ping-pong bi-bi kinetic mechanism ascribed to yeast orotate phosphoribosyltransferase (OPRTase) [Victor, J., Greenberg, L. B., and Sloan, D. L. (1979) J. Biol. Chem. 254, 2647-2655] has been shown to be inoperative [Witte, J. F., Tsou, R., and McClard, R. W. (1999) Arch. Biochem. Biophys. 361, 106-112]. Radiolabeled orotidine 5'-phosphate (OMP), generated in situ from [7-(14)C]-orotate and alpha-d-5-phoshorylribose 1-diphosphate (PRPP), binds tightly enough to OPRTase (a dimer composed of identical subunits) that the complex survives gel-filtration chromatography. When a sample of OMP.OPRTase is extensively dialyzed, a 1:1 (per OPRTase dimer) complex is detected by (31)P NMR. Titration of the apoenzyme with OMP yields a (31)P NMR spectrum with peaks for both free and enzyme-bound OMP when OMP is in excess; the complex maintains an OMP/enzyme ratio of 1:1 even when OMP is in substantial excess. A red shift in the UV spectrum of the OMP.OPRTase complex was exploited to measure K(d(OMP)) = 0.84 muM and to verify the 1:1 binding stoichiometry. PRPP forms a Mg(2+)-dependent 1:1 complex with the enzyme as observed by (31)P NMR. Isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) experiments revealed 1:1 stoichiometries for both OMP and Mg(2+)-PRPP with OPRTase yielding K(d) values of 0.68 and 10 microM, respectively. The binding of either 1 equiv of OMP or PRPP is mutually exclusive. ITC experiments demonstrate that the binding of OMP is largely driven by increased entropy, suggesting substantial distal disordering of the protein. Analytical gel-filtration chromatography confirms that the OMP.OPRTase complex involves the dimeric form of enzyme. The off rate for release of OMP, determined by magnetization inversion transfer, was determined to be 27 s(-)(1). This off rate is somewhat less than the k(cat) in the biosynthetic direction (about 39 s(-)(1)); thus, the release of OMP from OMP.OPRTase may not be kinetically relevant to the steady-state reaction cycle. The body of available data can be explained in terms of alternating site catalysis with either a classical Theorell-Chance mechanism or, far more likely, a novel "double Theorell-Chance" mechanism unique to alternating site catalysis, leading us to propose co-temporal binding of orotate and the release of diphosphate as well as the binding of PRPP and the release of OMP that occur via ternary complexes in alternating site fashion across the two highly cooperative subunits of the enzyme. This novel "double Theorell-Chance" mechanism yields a steady-state rate equation indistinguishable in form from the observed classical ping-pong bi-bi kinetics.

Binding Sites↗
PubMed1998

Small-angle X-ray solution-scattering studies on ligand-induced subunit interactions of the thiamine diphosphate dependent enzyme pyruvate decarboxylase from different organisms.

The quaternary structures of the thiamine diphosphate dependent enzyme pyruvate decarboxylase (EC 4.1.1.1) from the recombinant wild type of Saccharomycescerevisiae and Zymomonas mobilis and from germinating Pisum sativum seeds were examined by X-ray solution scattering. The dependence of the subunit association equilibrium on the pH and the presence of the cofactors thiamine diphosphate and magnesium ions were compared, and the differences between the catalytic properties of the different enzymes are discussed. The influence of amino acid substitutions at the cofactor binding site of the enzyme from Saccharomyces cerevisiae (E51 is substituted by Q or A and G413 by W) on the subunit association was examined. Low-resolution models of the P. sativum, Z.mobilis, and S. cerevisiae enzymes were evaluated ab initio from the scattering data. The enzyme from the bacterium and yeast appear as a dimer of dimers, whereas the plant enzyme is an octamer formed by two tetramers arranged side-by-side. The shape of the S. cerevisiae enzyme agrees well with the atomic structure in the crystal but suggests that the dimers in the latter should be tilted by approximately 10 degrees. The resulting modification of the atomic structure also yields a significantly better fit to the experimental solution scattering data than that calculated form the original crystallographic model.

Bacterial Proteins↗
PubMed1998

Cocrystal structure of protein farnesyltransferase complexed with a farnesyl diphosphate substrate.

Protein farnesyltransferase (FTase) catalyzes the transfer of the hydrophobic farnesyl group from farnesyl diphosphate (FPP) to cellular proteins such as Ras at a cysteine residue near their carboxy-terminus. This process is necessary for the subcellular localization of these proteins to the plasma membrane and is required for the transforming activity of oncogenic variants of Ras, making FTase a prime target for anticancer therapeutics. The high-resolution crystal structure of rat FTase was recently determined, and we present here the X-ray crystal structure of the first complex of FTase with a FPP substrate bound at the active site. The isoprenoid moiety of FPP binds in an extended conformation in a hydrophobic cavity of the beta subunit of the FTase enzyme, and the diphosphate moiety binds to a positively charged cleft at the top of this cavity near the subunit interface. The observed location of the FPP molecule is consistent with mutagenesis data. This binary complex of FTase with FPP leads us to suggest a "molecular ruler" hypothesis for isoprenoid substrate specificity, where the depth of the hydrophobic binding cavity acts as a ruler discriminating between isoprenoids of differing lengths. Although other length isoprenoids may bind in the cavity, only the 15-carbon farnesyl moiety binds with its C1 atom in register with a catalytic zinc ion as required for efficient transfer to the Ras substrate.

Alkyl and Aryl Transferases↗
PubMed1998

Is a hydrophobic amino acid required to maintain the reactive V conformation of thiamin at the active center of thiamin diphosphate-requiring enzymes? Experimental and computational studies of isoleucine 415 of yeast pyruvate decarboxylase.

The residue I415 in pyruvate decarboxylase from Saccharomyces cerevisiae was substituted with a variety of uncharged side chains of varying steric requirements to test the hypothesis that this residue is responsible for supporting the V coenzyme conformation reported for this enzyme [Arjunan et al. (1996) J. Mol. Biol. 256, 590-600]. Changing the isoleucine to valine and threonine decreased the kcat value and shifted the kcat-pH profile to more alkaline values progressively, indicating that the residue at position 415 not only is important for providing the optimal transition state stabilization but also ensures correct alignment of the ionizable groups participating in catalysis. Substitutions to methionine (the residue used in pyruvate oxidase for this purpose) or leucine (the corresponding residue in transketolase) led to greatly diminished kcat values, showing that for each thiamin diphosphate-dependent enzyme an optimal hydrophobic side chain evolved to occupy this key position. Computational studies were carried out on the wild-type enzyme and the I415V, I415G, and I415A variants in both the absence and the presence of pyruvate covalently bound to C2 of the thiazolium ring (the latter is a model for the decarboxylation transition state) to determine whether the size of the side chain is critically required to maintain the V conformation. Briefly, there are sufficient conformational constraints from the binding of the diphosphate side chain and three conserved hydrogen bonds to the 4'-aminopyrimidine ring to enforce the V conformation, even in the absence of a large side chain at position 415. There appears to be increased coenzyme flexibility on substitution of Ile415 to Gly in the absence compared with the presence of bound pyruvate, suggesting that entropy contributes to the rate acceleration. The additional CH3 group in Ile compared to Val also provides increased hydrophobicity at the active center, likely contributing to the rate acceleration. The computational studies suggest that direct proton transfer to the 4'-imino nitrogen from the thiazolium C2H is eminently plausible.

Amino Acid Substitution↗
PubMed1999

Remarkable stabilization of zwitterionic intermediates may account for a billion-fold rate acceleration by thiamin diphosphate-dependent decarboxylases.

When the E91D variant of apo-yeast pyruvate decarboxylase (EC 4.1.1. 1) is exposed to C2alpha-hydroxybenzylthiamin diphosphate, this putative intermediate is partitioned on the enzyme between release of the benzaldehyde product (as evidenced by regeneration of active enzyme) and dissociation of the proton at C2alpha to form the enamine-C2alpha-carbanion intermediate. While the pKa (the negative log of the acid dissociation constant) for this dissociation is approximately 15.4 in water, formation of the enamine at pH 6.0 on the enzyme indicates a >9 unit pKa suppression by the enzyme environment. The dramatic stabilization of this zwitterionic enamine intermediate at the active center is sufficient to account for as much as a 10(9)-fold rate acceleration on the enzyme. This "solvent" effect could be useful for achieving the bulk of the rate acceleration provided by the protein over and above that afforded by the coenzyme on all thiamin diphosphate-dependent 2-oxo acid decarboxylases.

Binding Sites↗
PubMed2003

Chrysanthemyl diphosphate synthase. The relationship among chain elongation, branching, and cyclopropanation reactions in the isoprenoid biosynthetic pathway.

The genes for chrysanthemyl diphosphate (CPP) synthase and farnesyl diphosphate (FPP) synthase from sagebrush, Artemisia tridentata spiciformis, were used to prepare a series of chimeric proteins to investigate the 1'-4 chain elongation, 1'-2 branching, and c1'-2-3 cyclopropanation reactions that join isoprenoid units to build more complex structures. The two genes were modified by site-directed mutagenesis to generate an identical set of six unique restriction sites at identical locations. The locations were selected to place a restriction site between each of the five conserved regions found in prenyltransferases that catalyze chain elongation. A series of chimeric proteins were generated by replacing amino acids in FPP synthase, beginning at the N-terminus of the enzyme, with increasing stretches of peptide from CPP synthase. An analysis of the products produced by the chimeras revealed a transition from 1'-4 chain elongation, to 1'-2 branching, and ultimately to c1'-2-3 cyclopropanation. These results demonstrate that the catalytic site for chain elongation, with minor modifications in its architecture, also catalyzes 1'-2 branching and c1'-2-3 cyclopropanation, and suggest that the branching and cyclopropanation reactions, in analogy to chain elongation, are electrophilic alkylations.

Alkyl and Aryl Transferases↗
PubMed1999

Conversion of citronellyl diphosphate and citronellyl beta-D-glucoside into rose oxide by Pelargonium graveolens.

Deuterium-labeled citronellyl diphosphate and citronellyl beta-D-glucoside were fed to Pelargonium graveolens. Both precursors were converted into cis-/trans-rose oxide. Citronellyl diphosphate is more effectively converted into rose oxide. The phloem exudate of P. graveolens was analyzed after enzymatic cleavage of the glucosidated and phosphorylated volatiles. It could be shown that glucosidically bound citronellol is translocated in the plant. Phosphorylated citronellol could not be detected.

Deuterium↗
PubMed1992

3'-Azido-3',5'-dideoxythymidine-5'-methylphosphonic acid diphosphate: synthesis and HIV-1 reverse transcriptase inhibition.

3'-Azido-3'-deoxythymidine-5'-phosphonate was synthesized by a five-step reaction sequence. The 5'-phosphonate was inactive against HIV-1 in MT4 cells. The absence of activity against HIV-1 was at least partially explained by demonstrating that the Km value for the 5'-deoxy-5'-methylphosphonic acid diphosphate analog with HIV-1 reverse transcriptase (RT) was 320-fold greater than the Km value for 3'-azido-3'- deoxythymidine-5'-triphosphate (AZTTP), and the kcat value for the 5'-deoxy-5'-methylphosphonic acid diphosphate analog was one-seventh the value for AZTTP. These differences in kinetic constants were due to a change in the rate-determining step from dissociation of the RT chain-terminated template-primer complex to the catalytic step. Thus, substitution of a methylene group for the 5'-oxygen atom of AZTTP resulted in an 1800-fold reduction in the rate constant for RT-catalyzed phosphodiester bond formation.

Antiviral Agents↗
PubMed1991

2'-Deoxy-2'-methylenecytidine and 2'-deoxy-2',2'-difluorocytidine 5'-diphosphates: potent mechanism-based inhibitors of ribonucleotide reductase.

It has been found that 2'-deoxy-2'-methyleneuridine (MdUrd), 2'-deoxy-2'-methylenecytidine (MdCyd), and 2'-deoxy-2',2'-difluorocytidine (dFdCyd) 5'-diphosphates (MdUDP (1) MdCDP (2) and dFdCDP (3), respectively) function as irreversible inactivators of the Escherichia coli ribonucleoside diphosphate reductase (RDPR). 2 is a much more potent inhibitor than its uridine analogue 1. It is proposed that 2 undergoes abstraction of H3' to give an allylic radical that captures a hydrogen atom and decomposes to an active alkylating furanone species. RDPR also accepts 3 as an alternative substrate analogue and presumably executes an initial abstraction of H3' to initiate formation of a suicide species. Both 2 and 3 give inactivation results that differ from those of previously studied inhibitors. The potent anticancer activities of MdCyd and dFdCyd indicate a significant chemotherapeutic potential. The analogous RDPR of mammalian cells should be regarded as a likely target and/or activating enzyme for these novel mechanism-based inactivators.

Cytosine↗
PubMed1996

Geranylgeranyl diphosphate-based inhibitors of post-translational geranylgeranylation of cellular proteins.

A novel series of stable analogs of geranylgeranyl diphosphate (GGdP) are described in which the biologically labile diphosphate moiety of GGdP is replaced by portions that can act as stable isosters. The compounds inhibited the geranylgeranyltransferase activity in whole PC-3 prostate cancer cells, as determined by the inhibition of post-translational isoprenylation of the small GTP-binding protein p21rap 1 and the accumulation of unprocessed p21rap 1 in the cytosolic fraction. However, the compounds did not affect the farnesylation of p21ras, as shown by protein immunoprecipitation after whole cell labeling with [3 H]-(R,S)-mevalonolactone. Despite the absence of effects of post-translational processing of p21ras, these compounds proved to be cytotoxic for prostate cancer cells, with half-maximal inhibition of cell growth obtained in the range 18.5-35.1 microM. The GGdP analogs described in the this study are novel, non-peptidic inhibitors of geranylgeranylation that may be active as antitumor agents.

Alkyl and Aryl Transferases↗
PubMed2005

Rapid synthetic route toward structurally modified derivatives of cyclic adenosine 5'-diphosphate ribose.

A concise synthesis of five new analogues of the second messenger cADPR (cyclic adenosine 5'-diphosphate ribose) is presented. The synthetic plan centered around the key derivative 8-Br-N1-cIDPR (cyclic 8-Br-inosine 5'-diphosphate ribose, 2), which was prepared in only three steps from IMP (inosine 5'-monophosphate) via an unusual enzymatic cyclization reaction. The enhanced stability of 2 allowed for the direct modification of this cyclic dinucleotide at the 8 position, providing the unsubstituted parent N1-cIDPR (4) as well as the 8-phenyl (5), 8-azido (6), and 8-amino (7) N1-cIDPR analogues. In Jurkat T-lymphocytes, N1-cIDPR 4 induced Ca2+ release with an almost identical profile as the natural agonist cADPR, illustrating the value of this approach.

Animals↗
PubMed2001

Synthesis of farnesyl diphosphate analogues containing ether-linked photoactive benzophenones and their application in studies of protein prenyltransferases.

Protein prenylation is a posttranslational lipid modification in which C(15) and C(20) isoprenoid units are linked to specific protein-derived cysteine residues through a thioether linkage. This process is catalyzed by a class of enzymes called prenyltransferases that are being intensively studied due to the finding that Ras protein is farnesylated coupled with the observation that mutant forms of Ras are implicated in a variety of human cancers. Inhibition of this posttranslational modification may serve as a possible cancer chemotherapy. Here, the syntheses of two new farnesyl diphosphate (FPP) analogues containing photoactive benzophenone groups are described. Each of these compounds was prepared in six steps from dimethylallyl alcohol. Substrate studies, inhibition kinetics, photoinactivation studies, and photolabeling experiments are also included; these experiments were performed with a number of protein prenyltransferases from different sources. A X-ray crystal structure of one of these analogues bound to rat farnesyltransferase illustrates that they are good substrate mimics. Of particular importance, these new analogues can be enzymatically incorporated into Ras-based peptide substrates allowing the preparation of molecules with photoactive isoprenoids that may serve as valuable probes for the study of prenylation function. Photoaffinity labeling of human protein geranylgeranyltransferase with (32)P-labeled forms of these analogues suggests that the C-10 locus of bound geranylgeranyl diphosphate (GGPP) is in close proximity to residues from the beta-subunit of this enzyme. These results clearly demonstrate the utility of these compounds as photoaffinity labeling analogues for the study of a variety of protein prenyltransferases and other enzymes that employ FPP or GGPP as their substrates.

Animals↗