Peptidic mechanism-based inactivators for carboxypeptidase A.

Abstract N-(Cyanoacetyl)-L-phenylalanine (compound 1) and N-(3-chloropropionyl)-L-phenylalanine (compound 2) were studied as the first peptidic mechanism-based inactivators (suicide substrates) for the zinc protease carboxypeptidase A (CPA). A crucial deprotonation on the methylene alpha to the amide carbonyl of 1 and 2 has been suggested to lead to the transient formation of a ketenimine and an alpha, beta-unsaturated amide, respectively. Subsequently, it is proposed that these key intermediates trap an active site nucleophile, resulting in covalent modification of the protein. In competition with the inactivation process, the enzyme hydrolyzes the amide bonds in these molecules. Partition ratios of 1180 +/- 40 and 1680 +/- 60 were determined for 1 and 2, respectively. N-Acrolyl-L-phenylalanine (compound 4), the putative intermediate from 2, was independently studied to test the validity of the mechanistic scheme and was observed to be an active site-directed inactivator of CPA. A solvent deuterium isotope effect of 1.39 +/- 0.02 was noted for inactivation by 2 and one of 1.31 +/- 0.01 for its hydrolysis, in keeping with a proposed promoted water hydrolytic pathway for peptide hydrolysis by CPA (Christanson, D. W., and Lipscomb, W. N. (1989) Acc. Chem. Res. 22, 62-69). Details of the kinetic analysis and design concepts are discussed.