title: Remarkable stabilization of zwitterionic intermediates may account for a billion-fold rate acceleration by thiamin diphosphate-dependent decarboxylases.
abstract: When the E91D variant of apo-yeast pyruvate decarboxylase (EC 4.1.1. 1) is exposed to C2alpha-hydroxybenzylthiamin diphosphate, this putative intermediate is partitioned on the enzyme between release of the benzaldehyde product (as evidenced by regeneration of active enzyme) and dissociation of the proton at C2alpha to form the enamine-C2alpha-carbanion intermediate. While the pKa (the negative log of the acid dissociation constant) for this dissociation is approximately 15.4 in water, formation of the enamine at pH 6.0 on the enzyme indicates a >9 unit pKa suppression by the enzyme environment. The dramatic stabilization of this zwitterionic enamine intermediate at the active center is sufficient to account for as much as a 10(9)-fold rate acceleration on the enzyme. This "solvent" effect could be useful for achieving the bulk of the rate acceleration provided by the protein over and above that afforded by the coenzyme on all thiamin diphosphate-dependent 2-oxo acid decarboxylases.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Program in Cellular and Molecular Biodynamics, Rutgers, the State University, Newark, New Jersey 07102, USA.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Jordan
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Brown
mesh_terms: D001665:Binding Sites; D002021:Buffers; D004795:Enzyme Stability; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D007477:Ions; D007700:Kinetics; D011767:Pyruvate Decarboxylase / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism*; D012441:Saccharomyces cerevisiae / Q000201:enzymology; D013050:Spectrometry, Fluorescence; D013831:Thiamine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D013835:Thiamine Pyrophosphate / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D002021:Buffers; D007477:Ions; C009460:thiochrome diphosphate; D011767:Pyruvate Decarboxylase; D013835:Thiamine Pyrophosphate; D013831:Thiamine