3158-42-7

CYP152 peroxygenases catalyze decarboxylation and hydroxylation of fatty acids using H2O2 as cofactor. To understand the molecular basis for the chemo- and regioselectivity of these unique P450 enzymes, we analyze the activities of three CYP152 peroxygenases (OleTJE, P450SPα, P450BSβ) towards cis- and trans-dodecenoic acids as substrate probes. The unexpected 6S-hydroxylation of the trans-isomer and 4R-hydroxylation of the cis-isomer by OleTJE, and molecular docking results suggest that the unprecedented selectivity is due to OleTJE’s preference of C2?C3 cis-configuration. In addition to the common epoxide products, undecanal is the unexpected major product of P450SPα and P450BSβ regardless of the cis/trans-configuration of substrates. The combined H218O2 tracing experiments, MD simulations, and QM/MM calculations unravel an unusual mechanism for Compound I-mediated aldehyde formation in which the active site water derived from H2O2 activation is involved in the generation of a four-membered ring lactone intermediate. These findings provide new insights into the unusual mechanisms of CYP152 peroxygenases.

Advanced glycation end products (AGEs) are a heterogeneous group of molecules that emerge from the condensation of sugars and proteins through the Maillard reaction. Despite a significant number of studies showing strong associations between AGEs and the pathologies of aging-related illnesses, it has been a challenge to establish AGEs as causal agents primarily due to the lack of tools in reversing AGE modifications at the molecular level. Herein, we show that MnmC, an enzyme involved in a bacterial tRNA-modification pathway, is capable of reversing the AGEs carboxyethyl-lysine (CEL) and carboxymethyl-lysine (CML) back to their native lysine structure. Combining structural homology analysis, site-directed mutagenesis, and protein domain dissection studies, we generated a variant of MnmC with improved catalytic properties against CEL in its free amino acid form. We show that this enzyme variant is also active on a CEL-modified peptidomimetic and an AGE-containing peptide that has been established as an authentic ligand of the receptor for AGEs (RAGE). Our data demonstrate that MnmC variants are promising lead catalysts toward the development of AGE-reversal tools and a better understanding of AGE biology.

The oxidation of glycolic, lactic, malic, and a few substituted mandelic acids by tetraethylammonium chlorochromate (TEACC) in dimethylsulfoxide leads to the formation of corresponding oxoacids. The reaction is first order each in TEACC and hydroxy acids. Reaction is failed to induce the polymerization of acrylonitrile. The oxidation of α-deuteriomandelic acid shows the presence of a primary kinetic isotope effect (kH/kD = 5.63 at 298 K). The reaction does not exhibit the solvent isotope effect. The reaction is catalyzed by the hydrogen ions. The hydrogen ion dependence has the following form: kobs = a + b[H+ ]. Oxidation of p-methylmandelic acid has been studied in 19 different organic solvents. The solvent effect has been analyzed by using Kamlet's and Swain's multiparametric equations. A mechanism involving a hydride ion transfer via a chromate ester is proposed.

The reaction of 2,6-dimethyl-4-methoxybenzyl alcohols, ethyl ethers, and acetates, possessing electrondonating and -withdrawing groups at the benzylic position, with bromine water was studied at different temperatures.The reaction was strongly affected by the electronegativity of a benzyl substituent to afford bromination products of aromatic nuclei and 2,4-dibromo-3,5-dimethylmethoxybenzene along with 2,4,6-tribromo derivatives formed by the cleavage of C-C bond.

Afroside (2) has the same carbohydrate as gomphoside (1), namely a 4,6-dideoxyhexosulose doubly linked to the aglycone at the 2α and 3β positions.It differs from gomphoside in having a 15β-hydroxy-group, the location of which is shown by n.m.r. (1H and 13C) and mass spectra, and is established by the formation of a 14,15-cyclic carbonate derivative (2e).The 14β,15β-diol group shows unusual inertness to glycol cleavage and to OO-isopropylidene derivative formation, in contrast with the behaviour of the 2',3'-diol in the carbohydrate, and the 2α,3β-diol in the genin, afrogenin (4).Degradation of the carbohydrate in afroside gave afrogenin (4), and 'anhydroafrogenin' (9) which is a 15-ketone with 14α-H.The conformation of the highly crowded ring D is studied using 1H and 13C n.m.r.