Quinonoid Intermediates Research Articles

Nature-Inspired Radical Pyridoxal-Mediated C-C Bond Formation.

Pyridoxal-5'-phosphate (PLP) and derivatives of this cofactor enable a plethora of reactions in both enzyme-mediated and free-in-solution transformations. With few exceptions in each category, such chemistry has predominantly involved two-electron processes. This sometimes poses a significant challenge for using PLP to build tetrasubstituted carbon centers, especially when the reaction is reversible. The ability to access radical pathways is paramount to broadening the scope of reactions catalyzed by this coenzyme. In this study, we demonstrate the ability to access a radical PLP-based intermediate and engage this radical intermediate in a number of C-C bond-forming reactions. By selection of an appropriate oxidant, single-electron oxidation of the quinonoid intermediate can be achieved, which can subsequently be applied to C-C bond-forming reactions. Through this radical reaction pathway, we synthesized a series of α-tertiary amino acids and esters to investigate the substrate scope and identify nonproductive reaction pathways. Beyond the amino acid model system, we demonstrate that other classes of amine substrates can be applied in this reaction and that a range of small molecule reagents can serve as coupling partners to the semiquinone radical. We anticipate that this versatile semiquinone radical species will be central to the development of a range of novel reactions.

Structural Snapshots of Proteus vulgaris Tryptophan Indole-Lyase Reveal Insights into the Catalytic Mechanism.

Tryptophan indole lyase (TIL; [E.C. 4.1.99.1]) is a bacterial pyridoxal-5'-phosphate (PLP)-dependent enzyme that catalyzes reversible β-elimination of indole from L-tryptophan. The mechanism of elimination of indole from L-tryptophan starts with the formation of an external aldimine of the substrate and PLP, followed by deprotonation of the α-CH of the substrate, forming a resonance-stabilized quinonoid intermediate. Proton transfer to C3 of the indole ring and carbon-carbon bond cleavage of the quinonoid intermediate provide indole and aminoacrylate bound to PLP, which then releases indole, followed by iminopyruvate. We have now determined the X-ray crystal structures of TIL complexes with (3S)-dioxindolyl-l-alanine, an inhibitor, and with substrates L-tryptophan, 7-aza-L-tryptophan, and S-ethyl-l-cysteine (SEC) in the presence of benzimidazole (BZI), an isostere of the product indole. These structures show a mixture of gem-diamine, external aldimine, quinonoid, and aminoacrylate intermediates, in both open and closed active site conformations. In the closed conformations of L-tryptophan, (3S)-dioxindolyl-l-alanine, and 7-aza-L-tryptophan complexes, hydrogen bonds form between Asp-133 with N1 of the ligand heterocyclic ring and NE2 of His-458 in the small domain of TIL. This hydrogen bond also forms in the BZI complex with the aminoacrylate intermediates formed from both L-tryptophan and SEC. The closed quinonoid complex of 7-aza-L-tryptophan shows that the azaindole ring in the closed conformation is bent out of plane of the Cβ-C3 bond by about 40°, putting it in a geometry that leads toward the transition-state geometry. Thus, both conformational dynamics and substrate activation play critical roles in the reaction mechanism of the TIL.

Crystallographic Snapshots of the Dunathan and Quinonoid Intermediates provide Insights into the Reaction Mechanism of Group II Decarboxylases

PLP-dependent enzymes catalyze a plethora of chemical reactions affecting diverse physiological functions. Here we report the structural determinants of the reaction mechanism in a Group II PLP-dependent decarboxylase by assigning two early intermediates. The in-crystallo complexes of the PLP bound form, and the Dunathan and quinonoid intermediates, allowed direct observation of the active site interactions. The structures reveal that a subtle rearrangement of a conserved Arg residue in concert with a water-mediated interaction with the carboxylate of the Dunathan intermediate, appears to directly stabilize the alignment and facilitate the release of CO2 to yield the quinonoid. Modeling indicates that the conformational change of a dynamic catalytic loop to a closed form controls a conserved network of hydrogen bond interactions between catalytic residues to protonate the quinonoid. Our results provide a structural framework to elucidate mechanistic roles of residues that govern reaction specificity and catalysis in PLP-dependent decarboxylation.

The roles of Ser-36, Asp-132 and Asp-201 in the reaction of Pseudomonas fluorescens Kynureninase

Kynureninase from Pseudomonas fluorescens (Pfkynase) catalyzes the pyridoxal-5′-phosphate (PLP) dependent hydrolytic cleavage of L-kynurenine to give anthranilate and L-alanine. Asp-132 and Asp-201 are located in the structure near the pyridine NH of the PLP, with Asp-201 forming a hydrogen bond. Mutation of Asp-132 to alanine and glutamate and Asp-201 to glutamate results in reduced catalytic activity with L-kynurenine and β-benzoyl-L-alanine, but not O-benzoyl-l-serine. D132A, D132E D201E and S36A mutant Pfkynases all can form quinonoid and vinylogous amide intermediates with β-benzoyl-L-alanine, similar to wild-type enzyme. D132A, D132E, and D201E Pfkynase react more slowly with β-benzoyl-L-alanine and benzaldehyde to form an aldol product absorbing at 490 nm than wild-type, with D132E reacting the slowest. The 1H NMR spectra of wild-type and D201E Pfkynase are very similar in the low field region from 10 to 18 ppm, but that of D132A Pfkynase is missing a resonance at 13.1 ppm. These results show that these residues modulate the reactivity of the PLP at different stages during the reaction cycle. Ser-36 is located near the expected location of the carbonyl oxygen of the substrate. Mutation of Ser-36 to alanine results in a 230-fold reduction of kcat and 30-fold reduction in kcat/Km with L-kynurenine, but very little effect on the reaction of O-benzoyl-l-serine. Thus, the rate-determining step in the reaction of S36A Pfkynase is the Cβ-Cγ bond cleavage. These results support the hypothesis that Ser-36 together with Tyr-226 is part of an oxyanion hole that polarizes the carbonyl of the substrate in the catalytic mechanism of Pfkynase.

The crystal structure of Proteus vulgaris tryptophan indole-lyase complexed with oxindolyl-L-alanine: implications for the reaction mechanism.

Tryptophan indole-lyase (TIL) is a bacterial enzyme which catalyzes the reversible formation of indole and ammonium pyruvate from L-tryptophan. Oxindolyl-L-alanine (OIA) is an inhibitor of TIL, with a Ki value of about 5 µM. The crystal structure of the complex of Proteus vulgaris TIL with OIA has now been determined at 2.1 Å resolution. The ligand forms a closed quinonoid complex with the pyridoxal 5'-phosphate (PLP) cofactor. The small domain rotates about 10° to close the active site, bringing His458 into position to donate a hydrogen bond to Asp133, which also accepts a hydrogen bond from the heterocyclic NH of the inhibitor. This brings Phe37 and Phe459 into van der Waals contact with the aromatic ring of OIA. Mutation of the homologous Phe464 in Escherichia coli TIL to Ala results in a 500-fold decrease in kcat/Km for L-tryptophan, with less effect on the reaction of other nonphysiological β-elimination substrates. Stopped-flow kinetic experiments of F464A TIL show that the mutation has no effect on the formation of quinonoid intermediates. An aminoacrylate intermediate is observed in the reaction of F464A TIL with S-ethyl-L-cysteine and benzimidazole. A model of the L-tryptophan quinonoid complex with PLP in the active site of P. vulgaris TIL shows that there would be a severe clash of Phe459 (∼1.5 Å apart) and Phe37 (∼2 Å apart) with the benzene ring of the substrate. It is proposed that this creates distortion of the substrate aromatic ring out of plane and moves the substrate upwards on the reaction coordinate towards the transition state, thus reducing the activation energy and accelerating the enzymatic reaction.

Inhibition of tyrosine phenol-lyase by tyrosine homologues.

We have designed, synthesized, and evaluated tyrosine homologues and their O-methyl derivatives as potential inhibitors for tyrosine phenol lyase (TPL, E.C. 4.1.99.2). Recently, we reported that homologues of tryptophan are potent inhibitors of tryptophan indole-lyase (tryptophanase, TIL, E.C. 4.1.99.1), with K i values in the low µM range (Do et al. Arch Biochem Biophys 560:20-26, 2014). As the structure and mechanism for TPL is very similar to that of TIL, we postulated that tyrosine homologues could also be potent inhibitors of TPL. However, we have found that homotyrosine, bishomotyrosine, and their corresponding O-methyl derivatives are competitive inhibitors of TPL, which exhibit K i values in the range of 0.8-1.5mM. Thus, these compounds are not potent inhibitors, but instead bind with affinities similar to common amino acids, such as phenylalanine or methionine. Pre-steady-state kinetic data were very similar for all compounds tested and demonstrated the formation of an equilibrating mixture of aldimine and quinonoid intermediates upon binding. Interestingly, we also observed a blue-shift for the absorbance peak of external aldimine complexes of all tyrosine homologues, suggesting possible strain at the active site due to accommodating the elongated side chains.

Solution-State (17)O Quadrupole Central-Transition NMR Spectroscopy in the Active Site of Tryptophan Synthase.

Oxygen is an essential participant in the acid-base chemistry that takes place within many enzyme active sites, yet has remained virtually silent as a probe in NMR spectroscopy. Here, we demonstrate the first use of solution-state (17)O quadrupole central-transition NMR spectroscopy to characterize enzymatic intermediates under conditions of active catalysis. In the 143 kDa pyridoxal-5'-phosphate-dependent enzyme tryptophan synthase, reactions of the α-aminoacrylate intermediate with the nucleophiles indoline and 2-aminophenol correlate with an upfield shift of the substrate carboxylate oxygen resonances. First principles calculations suggest that the increased shieldings for these quinonoid intermediates result from the net increase in the charge density of the substrate-cofactor π-bonding network, particularly at the adjacent α-carbon site.

Solution‐State 17O Quadrupole Central‐Transition NMR Spectroscopy in the Active Site of Tryptophan Synthase

AbstractOxygen is an essential participant in the acid–base chemistry that takes place within many enzyme active sites, yet has remained virtually silent as a probe in NMR spectroscopy. Here, we demonstrate the first use of solution‐state 17O quadrupole central‐transition NMR spectroscopy to characterize enzymatic intermediates under conditions of active catalysis. In the 143 kDa pyridoxal‐5′‐phosphate‐dependent enzyme tryptophan synthase, reactions of the α‐aminoacrylate intermediate with the nucleophiles indoline and 2‐aminophenol correlate with an upfield shift of the substrate carboxylate oxygen resonances. First principles calculations suggest that the increased shieldings for these quinonoid intermediates result from the net increase in the charge density of the substrate–cofactor π‐bonding network, particularly at the adjacent α‐carbon site.

Mechanism-Based Trapping of the Quinonoid Intermediate by Using the K276R Mutant of PLP-Dependent 3-Aminobenzoate Synthase PctV in the Biosynthesis of Pactamycin.

Mutational analysis of the pyridoxal 5'-phosphate (PLP)-dependent enzyme PctV was carried out to elucidate the multi-step reaction mechanism for the formation of 3-aminobenzoate (3-ABA) from 3-dehydroshikimate (3-DSA). Introduction of mutation K276R led to the accumulation of a quinonoid intermediate with an absorption maximum at 580 nm after the reaction of pyridoxamine 5'-phosphate (PMP) with 3-DSA. The chemical structure of this intermediate was supported by X-ray crystallographic analysis of the complex formed between the K276R mutant and the quinonoid intermediate. These results clearly show that a quinonoid intermediate is involved in the formation of 3-ABA. They also indicate that Lys276 (in the active site of PctV) plays multiple roles, including acid/base catalysis during the dehydration reaction of the quinonoid intermediate.

Mechanism‐Guided Engineering of ω‐Transaminase to Accelerate Reductive Amination of Ketones

AbstractAsymmetric reductive amination of ketones using ω‐transaminases (ω‐TAs) offers a promising alternative to the chemocatalytic synthesis of chiral amines. One fundamental challenge to the biocatalytic strategy is the very low enzyme activities for most ketones compared with native substrates (i.e., <1% relative to pyruvate). Here we have demonstrated that a single point mutation in the active site of the (S)‐selective ω‐TA from Ochrobactrum anthropi could induce a remarkable acceleration of the amination reaction without any loss in stereoselectivity and enzyme stability. Molecular modeling of quinonoid intermediates, alanine scanning mutagenesis and kinetic analysis revealed that the W58 residue acted as a steric barrier to binding and catalytic turnover of ketone substrates. Removal of the steric strain by W58L substitution, which was selected by partial saturation mutagenesis, led to dramatic activity improvements for structurally diverse ketones (e.g., 340‐fold increase in kcat/KM for acetophenone). The W58L mutant afforded an efficient synthesis of enantiopure amines (i.e., >99% ee) using isopropylamine as an amino donor.magnified image

Unstable Reaction Intermediates and Hysteresis during the Catalytic Cycle of 5-Aminolevulinate Synthase: Implications from Using Pseudo and Alternate Substrates and a Promiscuous Enzyme Variant

5-Aminolevulinate (ALA), an essential metabolite in all heme-synthesizing organisms, results from the pyridoxal 5'-phosphate (PLP)-dependent enzymatic condensation of glycine with succinyl-CoA in non-plant eukaryotes and α-proteobacteria. The predicted chemical mechanism of this ALA synthase (ALAS)-catalyzed reaction includes a short-lived glycine quinonoid intermediate and an unstable 2-amino-3-ketoadipate intermediate. Using liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry to analyze the products from the reaction of murine erythroid ALAS (mALAS2) with O-methylglycine and succinyl-CoA, we directly identified the chemical nature of the inherently unstable 2-amino-3-ketoadipate intermediate, which predicates the glycine quinonoid species as its precursor. With stopped-flow absorption spectroscopy, we detected and confirmed the formation of the quinonoid intermediate upon reacting glycine with ALAS. Significantly, in the absence of the succinyl-CoA substrate, the external aldimine predominates over the glycine quinonoid intermediate. When instead of glycine, L-serine was reacted with ALAS, a lag phase was observed in the progress curve for the L-serine external aldimine formation, indicating a hysteretic behavior in ALAS. Hysteresis was not detected in the T148A-catalyzed L-serine external aldimine formation. These results with T148A, a mALAS2 variant, which, in contrast to wild-type mALAS2, is active with L-serine, suggest that active site Thr-148 modulates ALAS strict amino acid substrate specificity. The rate of ALA release is also controlled by a hysteretic kinetic mechanism (observed as a lag in the ALA external aldimine formation progress curve), consistent with conformational changes governing the dissociation of ALA from ALAS.

A straightforward kinetic evidence for coexistence of “induced fit” and “selected fit” in the reaction mechanism of a mutant tryptophan indole lyase Y72F from Proteus vulgaris

The interaction of the mutant tryptophan indole-lyase (TIL) from Proteus vulgaris Y72F with the transition state analogue, oxindolyl-l-alanine (OIA), with the natural substrate, l-tryptophan, and with a substrate S-ethyl-l-cysteine was examined. In the case of wild-type enzyme these reactions are described by the same kinetic scheme where binding of holoenzyme with an amino acid, leading to reversible formation of an external aldimine, proceeds very fast, while following transformations, leading finally to reversible formation of a quinonoid intermediate proceed with measureable rates. Principally the same scheme (“induced fit”) is realized in the case of mutant Y72F enzyme reaction with OIA. For the reaction of mutant enzyme with l-Trp at lower concentrations of the latter a principally different kinetic scheme is observed. This scheme suggests that binding of the substrate and formation of the quinonoid intermediate are at fast equilibrium, while preceding conformational changes of the holoenzyme proceed with measureable rates (“selected fit”). For the reaction with S-ethyl-l-cysteine the observed concentration dependence of kobs agrees with the realization of both kinetic schemes, the “selected fit” becoming predominant at lower concentrations of substrate, the “induced fit”— at higher ones. In the reaction with S-ethyl-l-cysteine the formation of the quinonoid intermediate proceeds slower than does catalytic α,β-elimination of ethylthiol from S-ethyl-l-cysteine, and consequently does not play a considerable role in the catalysis, which may be effected by a concerted E2 mechanism.

The role of substrate strain in the mechanism of the carbon–carbon lyases

The carbon–carbon lyases, tryptophan indole lyase (TIL) and tyrosine phenol-lyase (TPL) are bacterial enzymes which catalyze the reversible elimination of indole and phenol from l-tryptophan and l-tyrosine, respectively. These PLP-dependent enzymes show high sequence homology (∼40% identity) and both form homotetrameric structures. Steady state kinetic studies with both enzymes show that an active site base is essential for activity, and α-deuterated substrates exhibit modest primary isotope effects on kcat and kcat/Km, suggesting that substrate deprotonation is partially rate-limiting. Pre-steady state kinetics with TPL and TIL show rapid formation of external aldimine intermediates, followed by deprotonation to give quinonoid intermediates absorbing at about 500nm. In the presence of phenol and indole analogues, 4-hydroxypyridine and benzimidazole, the quinonoid intermediates of TPL and TIL decay to aminoacrylate intermediates, with λmax at about 340nm. Surprisingly, there are significant kinetic isotope effects on both formation and subsequent decay of the quinonoid intermediates when α-deuterated substrates are used. The crystal structure of TPL with a bound competitive inhibitor, 4-hydroxyphenylpropionate, identified several essential catalytic residues: Tyr-71, Thr-124, Arg-381, and Phe-448. The active sites of TIL and TPL are highly conserved with the exceptions of these residues: Arg-381(TPL)/Ile-396 (TIL); Thr-124 (TPL)/Asp-137 (TIL), and Phe-448 (TPL)/His-463 (TIL). Mutagenesis of these residues results in dramatic decreases in catalytic activity without changing substrate specificity. The conserved tyrosine, Tyr-71 (TPL)/Tyr-74 (TIL) is essential for elimination activity with both enzymes, and likely plays a role as a proton donor to the leaving group. Mutation of Arg-381 and Thr-124 of TPL to alanine results in very low but measurable catalytic activity. Crystallography of Y71F and F448H TPL with 3-fluoro-l-tyrosine bound demonstrated that there are two quinonoid structures, relaxed and tense. In the relaxed structure, the substrate aromatic ring is in plane with the Cβ–Cγ bond, but in the tense structure, the substrate aromatic ring is about 20° out of plane with the Cβ–Cγ bond. In the tense structure, hydrogen bonds are formed between the substrate OH and the guanidinium of Arg-381 and the OH of Thr-124, and the phenyl rings of Phe-448 and 449 provide steric strain. Based on the effects of mutagenesis, the substrate strain is estimated to contribute about 108 to TPL catalysis. Thus, the mechanisms of TPL and TIL require both substrate strain and acid/base catalysis, and substrate strain is probably responsible for the very high substrate specificity of TPL and TIL.

Colorimetric Behavior and Seasonal Characteristic of Xylem Sap Obtained by Mechanical Compression from Silver Birch (Betula pendula)

This study investigated the color development in fresh birch xylem sap (Betula pendula) squeezed by mechanical compression, which was not seen in birch exudate and squeezed spruce sap. Altering the pH of the colored xylem sap demonstrated distinctive patterns of light absorption bands which suggested the formation of quinonoid intermediates by the enzymatic activity of polyphenol oxidases (PPO). Comparison with other PPOs by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) suggested the presence of the enzyme in the sap. The major phenol which acts as a substrate for PPO was identified as (−)-epicatechin. Inhibition of the color development was also attempted using Na2SO3, ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA), and N2 gas. The results showed that Na2SO3 was the most effective inhibitor. Knowledge on the differences between squeezed and exuded sap is important because squeezing can be envisaged as a pretreatment step for any process—such as a biorefinery—that utilizes biomass and has the advantage of utilizing trees that have recently been felled.

Helicity as a Steric Force: Stabilization and Helicity-Dependent Reversion of Colored o-Quinonoid Intermediates of Helical Chromenes

Photolysis of regioisomeric helical chromenes 1 and 2 leads to colored reactive intermediates. While the latter generally decay quite rapidly, they are found to be longer lived in 1 and highly persistent in 2. The remarkable stability of the otherwise fleeting transient in 2 allowed isolation and structural characterization by X-ray crystallography. The structural analyses revealed that steric force inherent to the helical scaffold is the origin of stability as well as differentiation in the persistence of the intermediates of 1 and 2 (1Q and 2Q). The structure further shows that diphenylvinyl moiety in the TT isomer of 2Q gets splayed over the helical scaffold such that it is fraught with a huge steric strain to undergo required bond rotations to regenerate the precursor chromene. Otherwise, reversion of 2Q was found to occur at higher temperatures. Aazahelical chromenes 3 and 4 with varying magnitudes of helicity were designed in pursuit of o-quinonoid intermediates with graded activation barriers. Their photogenerated intermediates 3Q and 4Q were also isolated and structurally characterized. The activation barriers for thermal reversion of 2Q-4Q, as determined from Arrhenius and Eyring plots, are found to correlate nicely with the helical turn, which decisively determines the steric force. The exploitation of helicity is thus demonstrated to develop a novel set of photoresponsive helicenes 2-4 that lead to colored intermediates exhibiting graded stability. It is further shown that the photochromism of 2-4 in conjunction with response of 2Q-4Q to external stimuli (acid, heat, and visible radiation) permits development of molecular logic gates with INHIBIT function.

Aminolaevulinic acid synthase of Rhodobacter capsulatus: high-resolution kinetic investigation of the structural basis for substrate binding and catalysis

The first enzyme of haem biosynthesis, ALAS (5-aminolaevulinic acid synthase), catalyses the pyridoxal 5'-phosphate-dependent condensation of glycine and succinyl-CoA to 5-aminolaevulinic acid, CO(2) and CoA. The crystal structure of Rhodobacter capsulatus ALAS provides the first snapshots of the structural basis for substrate binding and catalysis. To elucidate the functional role of single amino acid residues in the active site for substrate discrimination, substrate positioning, catalysis and structural protein rearrangements, multiple ALAS variants were generated. The quinonoid intermediates I and II were visualized in single turnover experiments, indicating the presence of an α-amino-β-oxoadipate intermediate. Further evidence was obtained by the pH-dependent formation of quinonoid II from the product 5-aminolaevulinic acid. The function of Arg(21), Thr(83), Asn(85) and Ile(86), all involved in the co-ordination of the succinyl-CoA substrate carboxy group, were analysed kinetically. Arg(21), Thr(83)and Ile(86), all of which are located in the second subunit to the intersubunit active site, were found to be essential. Their location in the second subunit provides the basis for the required structural dynamics during the complex condensation of both substrates. Utilization of L-alanine by the ALAS variant T83S indicated the importance of this residue for the selectiveness of binding with the glycine substrate compared with related amino acids. Asn(85) was found to be solely important for succinyl-CoA substrate recognition and selectiveness of binding. The results of the present study provide a novel dynamic view on the structural basis of ALAS substrate-binding and catalysis.

Through-Space Control of the Persistence of Photogenerated o-Quinonoid Intermediates in Naphthalenes Containing Cofacially Oriented Chromenes and Arenes

Remarkable modulation of the persistence of the photogenerated colored o-quinonoid intermediates via a through-space interaction has been demonstrated in chromenes 1-4 based on 1,8-diarylnaphthalenes. Polar/π interaction is shown to stabilize the closed form of 4 to such an extent that photoinduced coloration is virtually invisible, while the same stabilization in the opened form of 2 permits ready coloration with a long-lived o-quinonoid intermediate.

Antioxidant Activity of Betanidin: Electrochemical Study in Aqueous Media

The antioxidative mechanism of action of betalains is of significant interest because these pigments are recently emerging as highly bio-active natural compounds with potential benefits to human health. Betanidin, the basic betacyanin, comprises the 5,6-dihydroxyl moiety, which results in its high antioxidant activity. Oxidation of betanidin by voltammetric techniques and chro matographic identification of the oxidation products with spectrophotometric and mass spectrometric detection (LC-DAD-MS/MS) were performed. Two main oxidation peaks for betanidin are observable at pH 3-5. These peaks become merged at higher pH, suggesting a different mechanism of oxidation at higher and lower pH values. The low oxidation potential of betanidin confirms its very strong reduction properties. The presence of two prominent oxidized products, 2-decarboxy-2,3-dehydrobetanidin and 2,17-bidecarboxy-2,3-dehydrobetanidin, indicates their generation through two reaction routes with two different quinonoid intermediates: dopachrome derivative and quinone methide. Both lead to the decarboxylative dehydrogenation of betanidin. Subsequent oxidation and rearrangement of the conjugated chromophoric system results in formation of 14,15-dehydrogenated derivatives.

New Pathways of Betanidin and Betanin Enzymatic Oxidation

Betanidin is a basic betacyanin with a 5,6-dihydroxyl moiety which causes its high antioxidant activity. For the purpose of structural study, the enzymatic oxidation of betanidin and betanin (5-O-glucosylated betanidin), followed by chromatographic separation of the oxidation products with spectrophotometric and mass spectrometric detection (LC-DAD-MS/MS) was performed. Within the pH 4-8 range, two main oxidation peaks of betanidin were observed, betanidin quinonoid (possibly betanidin o-quinone) and 2-decarboxy-2,3-dehydrobetanidin, whereas at pH 3 only dehydrogenated and decarboxylated derivatives were detected, suggesting different stabilities of the products at different pH values. The presence of two prominent oxidation products, 2-decarboxy-2,3-dehydrobetanidin and 2,17-bidecarboxy-2,3-dehydrobetanidin, at pH 3 indicates their generation via two possible reaction routes with two different quinonoid intermediates: dopachrome derivative and quinone methide. Both reaction paths lead to the decarboxylative dehydrogenation of betanidin. Subsequent oxidation and rearrangement of the conjugated chromophoric system results in the formation of 14,15-dehydrogenated derivatives. Betanin is oxidized with generation of a quinone methide intermediate, which rearranges to 2,3-dehydro- or neoderivatives. The products of enzymatic oxidation of betacyanins thus formed are derivatives of 5,6-dihydroxyindole and related structures known as the key intermediates in melanogenesis.

Product-assisted Catalysis as the Basis of the Reaction Specificity of Threonine Synthase

Threonine synthase (TS), which is a pyridoxal 5'-phosphate (PLP)-dependent enzyme, catalyzes the elimination of the γ-phosphate group from O-phospho-L-homoserine (OPHS) and the subsequent addition of water at Cβ to form L-threonine. The catalytic course of TS is the most complex among the PLP enzymes, and it is an intriguing problem how the elementary steps are controlled in TS to carry out selective reactions. When L-vinylglycine was added to Thermus thermophilus HB8 TS in the presence of phosphate, L-threonine was formed with k(cat) and reaction specificity comparable with those when OPHS was used as the substrate. However, in the absence of phosphate or when sulfate was used in place of phosphate, only the side reaction product, α-ketobutyrate, was formed. Global analysis of the spectral changes in the reaction of TS with L-threonine showed that compared with the more acidic sulfate ion, the phosphate ion decreased the energy levels of the transition states of the addition of water at the Cβ of the PLP-α-aminocrotonate aldimine (AC) and the transaldimination to form L-threonine. The x-ray crystallographic analysis of TS complexed with an analog for AC gave a distinct electron density assigned to the phosphate ion derived from the solvent near the Cβ of the analog. These results indicated that the phosphate ion released from OPHS by γ-elimination acts as the base catalyst for the addition of water at Cβ of AC, thereby providing the basis of the reaction specificity. The phosphate ion is also considered to accelerate the protonation/deprotonation at Cγ.