Design of Inhibitors from the Three-Dimensional Structure of Alcohol Dehydrogenase. Chemical Synthesis and Enzymatic Properties

Article abstract of DOI:10.1021/ja00323a048

Inhibitors of liver alcohol dehydrogenase were designed from the three-dimensional structure of the enzyme.The ligand to the catalytic zinc ion is an amide group or, better, a formamide group.With the latter function, a hydrogen bond between the NH group and the hydroxyl group of Ser-48 may be formed.The hydrophobic substrate binding site brings structural restraints. α-ω bifunctional molecules show good inhibitory properties possibly due to the interactions with polar residues at the entrance of the substrate binding site.