title: Drosophila alcohol dehydrogenase: stereoselective hydrogen transfer from ethanol.
abstract: Drosophila alcohol dehydrogenase shows a broad substrate specificity, with secondary alcohols being better substrates than primary alcohols. This specificity indicates that the active site contains two hydrophobic interaction sites and hence, a primary alcohol should be able to bind in two productive modes. This was tested by studying the activity of the enzyme with ethanol, [2H6]-ethanol and 1S-[2H1]-ethanol. An identical primary kinetic isotope effect of 2.5 for the two deuterated ethanols showed that deuterium was transferred from the enantiomeric 1S-[2H1]-ethanol to the coenzyme. Thus, ethanol interacts with only one hydrophobic region of the active site.
authors.affiliation: Polar Institute of Medical Genetics, Regional Hospital, Tromsö, Norway.
authors.forename: J O
authors.initials: JO
authors.lastname: Winberg
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Martinoni
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Roten
authors.forename: J S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: McKinley-McKee
mesh_terms: D000426:Alcohol Dehydrogenase / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster; D000431:Ethanol / Q000378:metabolism*; D007700:Kinetics; D011522:Protons; D013237:Stereoisomerism; D013379:Substrate Specificity
chemical_list: D011522:Protons; D000431:Ethanol; D000426:Alcohol Dehydrogenase