title: A molecular mechanism of enantiorecognition of tertiary alcohols by carboxylesterases.
abstract: Carboxylesterases containing the sequence motif GGGX catalyze the hydrolysis of esters of chiral tertiary alcohols, albeit with only low to moderate enantioselectivity, for three model substrates (linalyl acetate, methyl-1-pentin-1-yl acetate, 2-phenyl-3-butin-2-yl acetate). In order to understand the molecular mechanism of enantiorecognition and to improve enantioselectivity for this interesting substrate class, the interaction of both enantiomers with the substrate binding sites of acetylcholinesterases and p-nitrobenzyl esterase from Bacillus subtilis was modeled and correlated to experimental enantioselectivity. For all substrate-enzyme pairs, enantiopreference and ranking by enantioselectivity could be predicted by the model. In p-nitrobenzyl esterase, one of the key residues in determining enantioselectivity was G105: exchange of this amino acid for an alanine residue led to a sixfold increase of enantioselectivity (E = 19) towards 2-phenyl-3-butin-2-yl acetate. However, the effect of this mutation is specific: the same mutant had the opposite enantiopreference towards the substrate linalyl acetate. Thus, depending on the substrate structure, the same mutant has either increased enantioselectivity or opposite enantiopreference compared to the wild-type enzyme.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Technical Biochemistry University of Stuttgart Allmandring 31 70569 Stuttgart, Germany.
authors.forename: Erik
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Henke
authors.forename: Uwe T
authors.initials: UT
authors.lastname: Bornscheuer
authors.forename: Rolf D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Schmid
authors.forename: Jürgen
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Pleiss
mesh_terms: D000438:Alcohols / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism*; D001412:Bacillus subtilis / Q000737:chemistry / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics; D001665:Binding Sites; D002265:Carboxylic Ester Hydrolases / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D008958:Models, Molecular; D015394:Molecular Structure; D016297:Mutagenesis, Site-Directed / Q000235:genetics; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary; D013237:Stereoisomerism; D013329:Structure-Activity Relationship; D013379:Substrate Specificity
chemical_list: D000438:Alcohols; D002265:Carboxylic Ester Hydrolases