Role Of Tautomerism Research Articles

Deaminated purine bypass by DNA polymerase η.

A recent work by Jung and colleagues (Biochem J. 477, 4797–4810) provides an explanation of how DNA polymerase η replicates through deaminated purine bases such as xanthine and hypoxanthine. This commentary discusses the crystal structures of the polymerase η complexes that implicate the role of tautomerism in the bypass of these DNA lesions.

Liquid-phase hydrodeoxygenation of lignin-derived phenolics on Pd/Fe: A mechanistic study

Abstract Although Pd/Fe bimetallic catalysts have been extensively studied in vapor-phase hydrodeoxygenation of phenolics (i.e., guaiacol, cresol), little is yet known about their performance in liquid-phase reactions. In this work, we present a mechanistic study on the Pd/Fe bimetallic catalysts in liquid-phase hydrodeoxygenation of phenolics. The role of tautomerization in hydrodeoxygenation of the lignin-derived phenolics, particularly for ring saturation, is systematically studied by employing two representative modeling compounds: phenol (a molecule that is keto-enol tautomeric) and diphenyl ether (a molecule that does not allow ketol-enol tautomerization). It was found that although the addition of oxyphilic Fe inhibits the direct aromatic ring saturation reaction typically occurring on Pd, tautomerization opens another reaction pathway toward ring saturation products (i.e. cyclohexanone, cyclohexanol, cyclohexane et al.), where both tautomerization and the hydrogenation of keto isomers are significantly enhanced to produce cyclohexanol followed by direct hydrogenolysis of the cyclohexanol to cyclohexane.

Role of tautomerism in RNA biochemistry.

Heterocyclic nucleic acid bases and their analogs can adopt multiple tautomeric forms due to the presence of multiple solvent-exchangeable protons. In DNA, spontaneous formation of minor tautomers has been speculated to contribute to mutagenic mispairings during DNA replication, whereas in RNA, minor tautomeric forms have been proposed to enhance the structural and functional diversity of RNA enzymes and aptamers. This review summarizes the role of tautomerism in RNA biochemistry, specifically focusing on the role of tautomerism in catalysis of small self-cleaving ribozymes and recognition of ligand analogs by riboswitches. Considering that the presence of multiple tautomers of nucleic acid bases is a rare occurrence, and that tautomers typically interconvert on a fast time scale, methods for studying rapid tautomerism in the context of nucleic acids under biologically relevant aqueous conditions are also discussed.

Role of tautomerism and solvatochromism in UV–VIS spectra of arylhydrazones of β-diketones

New arylhydrazones of β-diketones, 5-chloro-3-(2-(1-ethoxy-1,3-dioxobutan-2-ylidene)hydrazinyl)-2-hydroxybenzenesulfonic acid (1), 3-(2-(1-ethoxy-1,3-dioxobutan-2-ylidene)hydrazinyl)-2-hydroxy-5-nitrobenzenesulfonic acid (2), and 3-(2-(4,4-dimethyl-2,6-dioxocyclohexylidene) hydrazinyl)-2-hydroxy-5-nitrobenzenesulfonic acid (3), have been synthesized and characterized by IR, 1H and 13C NMR spectroscopies and elemental analysis. 3 and known 5-(2-(4,4-dimethyl-2,6-dioxocyclohexylidene)hydrazinyl)-4-hydroxybenzene-1,3-disulfonic acid (4) exist in DMSO solution exclusively in the hydrazone form, while 1 and 2 exist in DMSO and H2O solutions as a mixture of enol-azo and hydrazone tautomeric forms, in ratios dependent on the solvent polarity and inductive effect of the substituents. DFT and TDDFT approaches were applied for simulations of experimental UV–VIS absorption spectra of the studied compounds, taking into account solvatochromic as well as tautomeric effect. The performed simulations have established a correlation of substantial experimental 120nm red shift of the enol-azo form with respect to hydrazone with HOMO and LUMO orbitals' delocalization.

Role of tautomerism and rotational isomerism in the interaction of α-hydroxyanthraquinones with boric acid

The products of reaction of α-hydroxyanthraquinones with boric acid are mixtures of 9,10-, 1,10 -, 1,4- and 1,5-quinoid tautomeric complexes of boric acid and borate esters differing by the coordination bonds with carbonyl groups existing in the dynamic equilibrium. The deepening of the reagents color in the presence of boron does not a result only of the complexation, but in the accompanying shift of the tautomeric equilibria.

The role of tautomerization in acetylacetone as a complexing agent: Theoretical perspectives

The interaction between CdS and acetylacetone as a complexing agent is examined. We have performed conformational searches, optimizations and frequency calculations in the MP2/LANL2DZ level of theory. The importance of acetylacetone lies in its ability to tautomerize and form stable compounds through the accessibility of the physical position of its oxygens.

Thymine relaxation after UV irradiation: the role of tautomerization and πσ* states

Ab initio calculations and femtosecond pump-probe ionization experiments were carried out to identify excited state relaxation processes in isolated thymine monomer and small thymine-water clusters. Three transient species with life times of < or =100 fs, 7 ps and >1 ns were observed in the experiments on gas phase thymine. The longer-lived transients were weak or absent in thymine-water clusters. Available theoretical results on thymine agree with the assignment of low-lying pi-pi* and n-pi* excited states to the femtosecond and picosecond transients but the assignment of the third transient remains opaque. Our theoretical results seem to exclude the possibility of ground or excited state tautomerization as well as the involvement of states with pi-sigma* character. Remaining explanations for the observed transients are: very fast intersystem crossing to the triplet manifold or the observation of transient signals from local minima on the potential energy surfaces.

Theoretical Study of Guanine from Gas Phase to Aqueous Solution: Role of Tautomerism and Its Implications in Absorption and Emission Spectra

Correlated ab initio methods have been exploited to study geometries and electronic structures of ground and lowest singlet excited states of isolated and solvated keto−amino tautomers of guanine. ...

Role of tautomerism of 2-azaadenine and 2-azahypoxanthine in substrate recognition by xanthine oxidase.

The tautomerism of 2-azaadenine and 2-hypoxanthine has been examined in the gas phase and in aqueous solution. The tautomerism in the gas phase has been studied by means of semiempirical and ab initio quantum-mechanical computations, as well as density-functional calculations. The influence of the aqueous solvent on the relative stability between tautomers has been estimated from self-consistent reaction field calculations performed with different high-level continuum models. The results provide a detailed picture of the tautomeric preference for these purine bases. The importance of tautomerism in the substrate recognition by xanthine oxidase is discussed. Finally, the rate of oxidation of 2-azaadenine and 2-hypoxanthine by xanthine oxidase is discussed in terms of the recognition model at the enzyme active site.

NMR studies of 1H resonances in the 10-18-ppm range for aspartate aminotransferase from Escherichia coli.

We have recorded 500-MHz 1H NMR spectra in the 10-18-ppm range for aspartate aminotransferase from Escherichia coli and for three specific mutant forms. Histidine 143 has been replaced by either alanine or asparagine. In the third mutant, tryptophan 140 has been replaced by phenylalanine. The NMR spectrum of the native enzyme is very similar to that of porcine cytosolic aspartate aminotransferase in the most downfield region. However, the resonances of the proton on the ring nitrogen of the pyridoxal 5'-phosphate (peak A) and on the His-143 imidazole ring (peak B) of the E. coli enzyme are broader and more readily lost at low pH or higher temperatures than those of the porcine enzyme. The possible role of tautomerism in promoting such broadening is discussed. In the histidine mutant proteins, peak A of the pyridoxal 5'-phosphate form is too broad to see under most conditions but is clearly present in the pyridoxamine phosphate form. Peak B is missing in the 2 histidine mutants. Observation of nuclear Overhauser effects further confirms the identity of B as the resonance of HN epsilon 2 of His-143 and that of peak D at approximately 11.8 ppm as HN epsilon 2 of His-189. The mutant spectra also provide insight into electronic interactions between groups in and near the active site which confirm and supplement conclusions drawn from spectra of porcine cAspAT. While no clear loss of a peak was observed for the Trp-140 mutant in its free form, the spectrum of the succinate complex lacked a strong band at 11.26 ppm. This may represent the Trp-140 indole NH proton which has been shifted downfield by binding to a succinate carboxylate group. While our results confirm the basic similarity of cytosolic aspartate aminotransferase and E. coli aspartate aminotransferase 1H NMR spectra, they also point out differences that may be useful in identifying resonances. A large number of mutant proteins have been prepared for the E. coli enzyme. The present results provide essential information for future study of these mutants and for study of NMR spectra of isotopically labeled enzyme.