131771-47-6

Pathways in the degradation of the C6 1,2-dicarbonyl sugar (osone) d-glucosone 2 (d-arabino-hexos-2-ulose) in aqueous phosphate buffer at pH 7.5 and 37 °C have been investigated by 13C and 1H NMR spectroscopy with the use of singly and doubly 13C-labeled isotopomers of 2. Unlike its 3-deoxy analogue, 3-deoxy-d-glucosone (3-deoxy-d-erythro-hexos-2-ulose) (1), 2 does not degrade via a 1,2-hydrogen shift mechanism but instead initially undergoes C1-C2 bond cleavage to yield d-ribulose 3 and formate. The latter bond cleavage occurs via a 1,3-dicarbonyl intermediate initially produced by enolization at C3 of 2. However, a careful monitoring of the fates of the sketetal carbons of 2 during its conversion to 3 revealed unexpectedly that C1-C2 bond cleavage is accompanied by C1-C2 transposition in about 1 out of every 10 transformations. Furthermore, the degradation of 2 is catalyzed by inorganic phosphate (Pi), and by the Pi-surrogate, arsenate. C1-C2 transposition was also observed during the degradation of the C5 osone, d-xylosone (d-threo-pentose-2- ulose), showing that this transposition may be a common feature in the breakdown of 1,2-dicarbonyl sugars bearing an hydroxyl group at C3. Mechanisms involving the reversible formation of phosphate adducts to 2 are proposed to explain the mode of Pi catalysis and the C1-C2 transposition. These findings suggest that the breakdown of 2 in vivo is probably catalyzed by Pi and likely involves C1-C2 transposition.

The tautomeric compositions of D-erythro-2-pentulose (D-ribulose) and D-threo-2-pentulose (D-xylulose) in aqueous solution have been studied by 13C-n.m.r. spectroscopy at various temperatures using 2-13C-substituted compounds. The alpha-furanose, beta-furanose, and acyclic carbonyl (keto) forms were detected at all temperatures, whereas the acyclic hydrate (gem-diol) form was not observed. The percentage of keto form increased with increasing temperature, at the expense of the furanose forms. Thermodynamic (delta G0, delta H0, delta S0) and kinetic parameters for the interconversion of alpha- and beta-furanoses with the acyclic carbonyl form were determined and compared with those determined under similar conditions for the structurally-related aldotetrofuranoses. The ring-opening rate constant (kopen) measured by 13C saturation-transfer n.m.r. spectroscopy in 50mM sodium acetate (pH 4.0) at 55 degrees were as follows: beta-threofuranose (0.65 s-1) greater than alpha-erythrofuranose (0.51 s-1) greater than beta-erythrofuranose (0.37 s-1) approximately beta-threo-2-pentulofuranose (0.35 s-1) greater than alpha-threofuranose (0.25 s-1) greater than alpha-threo-2-pentulofuranose (0.20 s-1) approximately alpha-erythro-2-pentulofuranose (0.18 s-1) approximately beta-erythro-2-pentulofuranose (0.18 s-1). Within each structural type the pentulofuranose anomer having O-2 and O-3 cis (O-1 and O-2 cis in aldotetrofuranoses) opens faster than, or at a similar rate to, the alternative anomer having these oxygen atoms trans. Ring-closing rate constants (kclose), calculated from kopen and Keq, decrease in the order beta-erythrofuranose (15 s-1) greater than beta-threofuranose (12 s-1) greater than alpha-erythrofuranose (9.9 s-1) greater than alpha-threofuranose (6.2 s-1) greater than beta-threo-2-pentulofuranose (0.71 s-1) greater than alpha-erythro-2-pentulofuranose (0.38 s-1) greater than alpha-threo-2-pentulofuranose (0.13 s-1) approximately beta-erythro-2-pentulofuranose (0.13 s-1). Replacement of H-1 in aldotetrofuranoses by a hydroxymethyl group (i.e., conversion to 2-pentuloses) significantly decreases the ring-opening and ring-closing rate constants of furanose anomerization.