Phosphorylated thiosugars: synthesis, properties, and reactivity in enzymatic reactions

5'-Chalcogen-Substituted Nucleoside Pyrophosphate and Phosphate Monoester Analogues: Preparation and Hydrolysis Studies

Novel sulfur and selenium substituted 5',5'-linked dinucleoside pyrophate analogues were prepared in a vibration ball mill from the corresponding persilylated monophosphate. The chemical hydrolysis of pyrophosphorochalcogenolate-linked dimers was studied over a wide pH-range. The effect of the chalcogeno-substitution on the reactivity of dinucleoside pyrophosphates was surprisingly modest, and the chemical stability is promising considering the potential therapeutic or diagnostic applications. The chemical stability of the precursor phosphorochalcogenolate monoesters was also investigated. Hydrolytic desilylation of these materials was effected in aqueous buffer at pH 3, 7 or 11 and resulted in phosphorus-chalcogen bond scission which was monitored using ³¹P NMR. The rate of dephosphorylation was dependent upon both the nature of the chalcogen and the pH. The integrity of the P-S bond in the corresponding phosphorothiolate was maintained at high pH but rapidly degraded at pH 3. In contrast, P-Se bond cleavage of the phosphoroselenolate monoester was rapid and the rate increased with alkalinity. The results obtained in kinetic experiments provide insight on the reactivity of the novel pyrophosphates studied as well as of other types of thiosubstituted biological phosphates. At the same time, these results also provide evidence for possible formation of unexpectedly reactive intermediates as the chalcogen-substituted analogues are metabolised.

Synthesis and biological evaluation of phosphonic and thiophosphoric acid derivatives of lysophosphatidic acid

Using an N-oleoyl ethanolamide scaffold, a series of phosphate polar head group analogues of LPA comprised of various alpha-substituted phosphonates and thiophosphates was prepared. In a broken cell GTP[gamma35S] binding assay, agonist activity was evaluated at the three LPA receptors of the endothelial differentiation gene (Edg) family. This study has resulted in the discovery of a nonhydrolyzable LPA1-selective agonist (11). Additionally, thiophosphate 19 bears an isosteric phosphate mimetic that confers agonism at the LPA1 receptor but not LPA2.

Chemical and enzymatic properties of bridging 5'-S-phosphorothioester linkages in DNA

We describe physicochemical and enzymatic properties of 5' bridging phosphorothioester linkages at specific sites in DNA oligonucleotides. The susceptibility to hydrolysis at various pH values is examined and no measurable hydrolysis is observed at pH 5-9 after 4 days at 25 degrees C. The abilities of three 3'- and 5'-exonuclease enzymes to hydrolyze the DNA past this linkage are examined and it is found that the linkage causes significant pauses at the sulfur linkage for T4 DNA polymerase and calf spleen phosphodiesterase, but not for snake venom phosphodiesterase. Restriction endonuclease (Nsi I) cleavage is also attempted at a 5'-thioester junction and strong resistance to cleavage is observed. Also tested is the ability of polymerase enzymes to utilize templates containing single 5'-S-thioester linkages; both Klenow DNA polymerase and T7 RNA polymerase are found to synthesize complementary strands successfully without any apparent pause at the sulfur linkage. Finally, the thermal stabilities of duplexes containing such linkages are measured; results show that T m values are lowered by a small amount (2 degrees C) when one or two thioester linkages are present in an otherwise unmodified duplex. The chemical stability and surprisingly small perturbation by the 5' bridging sulfur make it a good candidate as a physical and mechanistic probe for specific protein or metal interactions involving this position in DNA.

The substrate reactivity of mu-monothiopyrophosphate with pyrophosphate-dependent phosphofructokinase: evidence for a dissociative transition state in enzymatic phosphoryl group transfer

mu-Monothiopyrophosphate (MTP), an analogue of pyrophosphate (PPi) with sulfur in place of oxygen in the bridge position, is a substrate for the enzyme pyrophosphate-dependent phosphofructokinase. At pH 9.4 and 6 degrees C, the maximal velocity for the phosphorylation of fructose 6-phosphate (F6P) by MgMTP is about 2.8% of that with MgPPi as the phosphoryl donor. The kinetic mechanism is equilibrium random with rate-limiting transformation of the substrate ternary complex to the product when either MgMTP or MgPPi is the phosphoryl donor. This is known from independent studies to be kinetic mechanism at pH 8.0 and 25 degrees C [Bertagnolli, B. L., & Cook, P. F. (1984) Biochemistry 23, 4101-4108]. The dissociation constant of MgPPi is 14 microM, that of MgMTP is 64 microM, and that of F6P from the enzyme is about 5 mM. The Km values for MgPPi and MgMTP are 14.5 and 173 microM, respectively. MgMTP competes with MgPPi for binding to the enzyme. The values of kcat are 3.4 s-1 and 140 s-1 for MgMTP and MgPPi, respectively, at pH 9.4 and 6 degrees C. The estimated rate enhancement factors are 3.6 x 10(5) and 1.4 x 10(14) for the reactions of MgMTP and MgPPi, respectively. Therefore, MgMTP is a reasonably good substrate for PPi-dependent PKF, on the basis of comparisons of kcat. However, the rate enhancement factors show that the enzyme is a poor catalyst for the reaction of MgMTP. Lesser enzymatic catalysis in the reaction of MgMTP compared with MgPPi is largely compensated for by the greater intrinsic reactivity of MgMTP. Thus, the larger substrate MgMTP is well accommodated in the active site, and the dissociative reaction of MgMTP is well accommodated in the transition state. The results are interpreted to indicate a dissociative transition state for phosphoryl group transfer by PPi-dependent PFK. A modified synthesis and purification of MTP are described, in which (trimethylsilyl)trifluoromethanesulfonate and tetra-N-butylammonium iodide are used in place of iodotrimethylsilane to dealkylate tetramethyl-MTP.