Glyoxalase I inhibitors in cancer chemotherapy.

Several recent developments suggest that the GSH-dependent glyoxalase enzyme system deserves renewed interest as a potential target for antitumour drug development. This summary focuses on the design and development of new classes of tumoricidal agents that specifically target this elementary detoxification pathway in order to induce elevated concentrations of cytotoxic methylglyoxal in tumour cells. Special emphasis is placed on structure- and mechanism-based inhibitors of GlxI (glyoxalase I), the first enzyme in the pathway. A new class of bivalent transition-state analogues is described that simultaneously bind the active site on each subunit of the homodimeric human GlxI, resulting in K (i) values as low as 1 nM. Also described is a new family of bromoacyl esters of GSH that function as active-site-directed irreversible inhibitors of GlxI. Newer prodrugs for delivering the GSH-based inhibitors into tumour cells include reactive sulphoxide esters that undergo acyl exchange with endogenous GSH to give the inhibitors, and polymethacrylamide esters of the inhibitors that are potentially tumour-selective on the basis of the "enhanced permeability and retention effect". Finally, a preliminary evaluation of the efficacy of selected GlxI inhibitors in tumour-bearing mice is given.

Brief history of glyoxalase I and what we have learned about metal ion-dependent, enzyme-catalyzed isomerizations.

Glyoxalase I, a member of the metalloglutathione (GSH) transferase superfamily, plays a critical detoxification role in cells by catalyzing the conversion of cytotoxic methylglyoxal (as the diastereomeric GSH-thiohemiacetals) to S-D-lactoylglutathione via a 1,2-hydrogen transfer. The mechanism-of-action of this Zn2+-metalloenzyme has been the subject of considerable controversy over the past 50 years. Key issues relate to the role of the active-site metal ion in catalysis and how the enzyme is able to use directly both diastereomeric thiohemiacetals as substrates. The results of recent X-ray crystallographic measurements on the enzyme in complex with a transition state analogue and site-directed mutagenesis studies now strongly support a base-mediated, proton-transfer mechanism in which the bound diastereomeric substrates undergo catalytic interconversion before the 1S-diastereomer goes to product via a Zn2+-coordinated, cis-enediolate intermediate. Comparisons with chemical model systems suggest that Zn2+-coordination of thiohemiacetal substrate will dramatically increase the thermodynamic and kinetic acidity of the C1-H bond of substrate. In the human enzyme, the carboxyl group of Glu (172) is well positioned to catalyze a suprafacial proton transfer between the adjacent carbons of substrate. The Zn2+-coordinated carboxyl group of Glu(99) is a reasonable candidate to catalyze proton transfer between the Zn2+-coordinated oxygen atoms of the enediolate intermediate. Other Zn2+ metalloenzymes appear to use similar reaction mechanisms to facilitate proton transfers.

Role of hydrophobic interactions in binding S-(N-aryl/alkyl-N-hydroxycarbamoyl)glutathiones to the active site of the antitumor target enzyme glyoxalase I.

Hydrophobic interactions play an important role in binding S-(N-aryl/alkyl-N-hydroxycarbamoyl)glutathiones to the active sites of human, yeast, and Pseudomonas putida glyoxalase I, as the log K(i) values for these mechanism-based competitive inhibitors decrease linearly with increasing values of the hydrophobicity constants (pi) of the N-aryl/alkyl substituents. Hydrophobic interactions also help to optimize polar interactions between the enzyme and the glutathione derivatives, given that the K(i) value for S-(N-hydroxycarbamoyl)glutathione (pi = 0) with the human enzyme is 35-fold larger than the interpolated value for this compound obtained from the log K(i) versus pi plot. Computational studies, in combination with published X-ray crystallographic measurements, indicate that human glyoxalase I binds the syn-conformer of S-(N-aryl-N-hydroxycarbamoyl)glutathiones in which the N-aryl substituents are in their lowest-energy conformations. These studies provide both an experimental and a conceptual framework for developing better inhibitors of this antitumor target enzyme.

Reaction of COTC with glutathione: structure of the putative glyoxalase I inhibitor.

The structure of the active glyoxalase I inhibitor derived from the Streptomyces griseosporeus metabolite COTC 1 has been conclusively identified by means of total synthesis as 2c. Human glyoxalase I is competitively inhibited by 2c (K(i)() = 183 +/- 6 microM) but is not inhibited by 1 itself.

Pharmacokinetics and antitumor properties in tumor-bearing mice of an enediol analogue inhibitor of glyoxalase I.

PURPOSE: The enediol analogue S-(N-p-chlorophenyl-N-hydroxycarbamoyl)glutathione (CHG) is a powerful, mechanism-based, competitive inhibitor of the methylglyoxal-detoxifying enzyme glyoxalase I. The [glycyl,glutamyl]diethyl ester prodrug form of this compound (CHG(Et)2) inhibits the growth of different tumor cell lines in vitro, apparently by inducing elevated levels of intracellular methylglyoxal. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the pharmacokinetic properties of CHG(Et)2 in plasma esterase-deficient C57BL/6 (Es-1e) mice after intravenous (i.v.) or intraperitoneal (i.p.) administration of bolus doses of CHG(Et)2. In addition, the in vivo antitumor properties of CHG(Et)2 were evaluated against murine B16 melanoma in these mice, and against androgen-independent human prostate PC3 tumor and human colon HT-29 adenocarcinoma in plasma esterase-deficient nude mice. METHODS: Pharmacokinetics were evaluated after either i.v. or i.p. administration of CHG(Et)2 at the maximally tolerated dose of 120 mg/kg to both tumor-free male and female mice and male and female mice bearing subcutaneous B16 tumors. Tissue concentrations of CHG(Et)2, CHG and the [glycyl]monoethyl ester CHG(Et) were measured as a function of time by reverse-phase C18 high-performance liquid chromatography of deproteinized tissue samples. The efficacy of CHG(Et)2 in tumor-bearing mice was evaluated after i.v. bolus administration of CHG(Et)2 at 80 or 120 mg/kg for 5 days each week for 2 weeks, or after 14 days continuous infusion of CHG(Et)2 using Alzet mini-osmotic pumps. Hydroxypropyl-beta-cyclodextrin was used as a vehicle in the efficacy studies. RESULTS: Intravenous administration of CHG(Et)2 resulted in the rapid appearance of CHG(Et)2 in the plasma of tumor-bearing mice with a peak value of 40-60 microM, followed by a first-order decrease with a half-life of about 10 min. There was a corresponding increase in the concentration of inhibitory CHG in the B16 tumors, with a maximum concentration in the range 30-60 microM occurring at 15 min, followed by a decrease to a plateau value of about 6 microM after 120 min. Neither CHG(Et)2 nor its hydrolysis products were detectable in plasma, after i.p. administration of CHG(Et)2 to tumor-free female mice. From the efficacy studies, dosing schedules were identified that resulted in antitumor effects comparable to those observed with the standard antitumor agents Adriamycin (with B16 tumors), cisplatin (with PC3 tumors), and vincristine (with HT-29 tumors). CONCLUSION: This is the first demonstration that a mechanism-based competitive inhibitor of glyoxalase I effectively inhibits the growth of solid tumors in mice when delivered as the diethyl ester prodrug.

Reaction mechanism of glyoxalase I explored by an X-ray crystallographic analysis of the human enzyme in complex with a transition state analogue.

The structures of human glyoxalase I in complexes with S-(N-hydroxy-N-p-iodophenylcarbamoyl)glutathione (HIPC-GSH) and S-p-nitrobenzyloxycarbonylglutathione (NBC-GSH) have been determined at 2.0 and 1.72 A resolution, respectively. HIPC-GSH is a transition state analogue mimicking the enediolate intermediate that forms along the reaction pathway of glyoxalase I. In the structure, the hydroxycarbamoyl function is directly coordinated to the active site zinc ion. In contrast, the equivalent group in the NBC-GSH complex is approximately 6 A from the metal in a conformation that may resemble the product complex with S-D-lactoylglutathione. In this complex, two water molecules occupy the liganding positions at the zinc ion occupied by the hydroxycarbamoyl function in the enediolate analogue complex. Coordination of the transition state analogue to the metal enables a loop to close down over the active site, relative to its position in the product-like structure, allowing the glycine residue of the glutathione moiety to hydrogen bond with the protein. The structure of the complex with the enediolate analogue supports an "inner sphere mechanism" in which the GSH-methylglyoxal thiohemiacetal substrate is converted to product via a cis-enediolate intermediate. The zinc ion is envisioned to play an electrophilic role in catalysis by directly coordinating this intermediate. In addition, the carboxyl of Glu 172 is proposed to be displaced from the inner coordination sphere of the metal ion during substrate binding, thus allowing this group to facilitate proton transfer between the adjacent carbon atoms of the substrate. This proposal is supported by the observation that in the complex with the enediolate analogue the carboxyl group of Glu 172 is 3.3 A from the metal and is in an ideal position for reprotonation of the transition state intermediate. In contrast, Glu 172 is directly coordinated to the zinc ion in the complexes with S-benzylglutathione and with NBC-GSH.

Lentivirus-derived antimicrobial peptides: increased potency by sequence engineering and dimerization.

We have previously described a family of cationic amphipathic peptides derived from lentivirus envelope proteins that have properties similar to those of naturally occurring antimicrobial peptides. Here, we explored the effects of amino acid truncations and substitutions on the antimicrobial potency and selectivity of the prototype peptide, LLP1. Removal of seven residues from the C-terminus of LLP1 had little effect on potency, but abrogated haemolytic activity. Replacement of the two glutamic acid residues of LLP1 with arginine resulted in a peptide with greater bactericidal activity. We discovered that the cysteine-containing peptides spontaneously formed disulphide-linked dimers, which were 16-fold more bactericidal to Staphylococcus aureus. Monomeric and dimeric LLP1 possessed similar alpha helical contents, indicating that disulphide formation did not alter the peptide's secondary structure. The dimerization strategy was applied to magainin 2, enhancing its bactericidal activity eight-fold. By optimizing all three properties of LLP1, a highly potent and selective peptide, named TL-1, was produced. This peptide is significantly more potent than LLP1 against gram-positive bacteria while maintaining high activity against gram-negative organisms and low activity against eukaryotic cells. In addition to new antimicrobial peptides, these studies contribute useful information on which further peptide engineering efforts can be based.

A new method for rapidly generating inhibitors of glyoxalase I inside tumor cells using S-(N-aryl-N-hydroxycarbamoyl)ethylsulfoxides.

The enediol analogue S-(N-p-chlorophenyl-N-hydroxycarbamoyl)glutathione is a powerful mechanism-based competitive inhibitor of the anticancer target enzyme glyoxalase I. Nevertheless, this compound exhibits limited toxicity toward tumor cells in vitro because it does not readily diffuse across cell membranes. We describe an efficient method for indirectly delivering the enzyme inhibitor into murine leukemia L1210 cells via acyl interchange between intracellular glutathione and the cell-permeable prodrug S-(N-p-chlorophenyl-N-hydroxycarbamoyl)ethylsulfoxide. The second-order rate constant for the acyl-interchange reaction in a cell-free system is 1.84 mM-1 min-1 (100 mM potassium phosphate buffer, 5% ethanol, pH 7.5, 25 degrees C). Incubation of L1210 cells with the sulfoxide in vitro results in a rapid increase in the intracellular concentration of the glyoxalase I inhibitor (kapp = 1. 41 +/- 0.03 min-1 (37 degrees C)) and inhibition of cell growth (GI50 = 0.5 +/- 0.1 microM). This represents an improvement in both efficiency and potency over the dialkyl ester prodrug strategy in which the inhibitor is indirectly delivered into tumor cells as the [glycyl,glutamyl] diethyl or dicyclopentyl esters. The fact that pi-glutathione transferase catalyzes the acyl-interchange reaction between GSH and the sulfoxide suggests that the sulfoxide, or related compounds, might exhibit greater selective toxicity toward tumor cells that overexpress the transferase.

Mechanism-based competitive inhibitors of glyoxalase I: intracellular delivery, in vitro antitumor activities, and stabilities in human serum and mouse serum.

S-(N-Aryl-N-hydroxycarbamoyl)glutathione derivatives (GSC(O)N(OH)C6H4X, where GS = glutathionyl and X = H (1), Cl (2), Br (3)) have been proposed as possible anticancer agents, because of their ability to strongly inhibit the methylglyoxal-detoxifying enzyme glyoxalase I. In order to test this hypothesis, the in vitro antitumor activities of these compounds and their [glycyl,glutamyl] diethyl ester prodrug forms (1(Et)2-3(Et)2) have been examined. All three diethyl esters inhibit the growth of L1210 murine leukemia and B16 melanotic melanoma in culture, with GI50 values in the micromolar concentration range. Cell permeability studies with L1210 cells indicate that growth inhibition is associated with rapid diffusion of the diethyl esters into the cells, followed by enzymatic hydrolysis of the ethyl ester functions to give the inhibitory diacids. In contrast, the corresponding diacids neither readily diffuse into nor significantly inhibit the growth of these cells. Consistent with the hypothesis that cell growth inhibition is due to competitive inhibition of glyoxalase I, preincubation of L1210 cells with 2(Et)2 increases the sensitivity of these cells to the inhibitory effects of exogenous methylglyoxal. Compound 2(Et)2 is much less toxic to nonproliferating murine splenic lymphocytes, possibly reflecting reduced sensitivity to methylglyoxal and/or reduced chemical stability of the diacid inside these cells. Finally, a plasma esterase-deficient murine model has been identified that should allow in vivo testing of the diethyl esters.

Active monomeric and dimeric forms of Pseudomonas putida glyoxalase I: evidence for 3D domain swapping.

3D domain swapping of proteins involves the interconversion of a monomer containing a single domain-domain interface and a 2-fold symmetrical dimer containing two equivalent intermolecular interfaces. Human glyoxalase I has the structure of a domain-swapped dimer [Cameron, A. D., Olin, B., Ridderström, M., Mannervik, B., and Jones, T. A. (1997) EMBO J. 16, 3386-3395] but Pseudomonas putida glyoxalase I has been reported to be monomeric [Rhee, H.-I., Murata, K., and Kimura, A. (1986) Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 141, 993-999]. We show here that recombinant P. putida glyoxalase I is an active dimer (kcat approximately 500 +/- 100 s-1; KM approximately 0.4 +/- 0.2 mM) with two zinc ions per dimer. The zinc is required for structure and function. However, treatment of the dimer with glutathione yields an active monomer (kcat approximately 115 +/- 40 s-1; KM approximately 1.4 +/- 0.4 mM) containing a single zinc ion. The monomer is metastable and slowly reverts to the active dimer in the absence of glutathione. Thus, glyoxalase I appears to be a novel example of a single protein able to exist in two alternative domain-swapped forms. It is unique among domain-swapped proteins in that the active site and an essential metal binding site are apparently disassembled and reassembled by the process of domain swapping. Furthermore, it is the only example to date in which 3D domain swapping can be regulated by a small organic ligand.

Novel antimicrobial peptides derived from human immunodeficiency virus type 1 and other lentivirus transmembrane proteins.

We have previously described a conserved set of peptides derived from lentiviral envelope transmembrane proteins that are similar to the natural antimicrobial peptides cecropins and magainins in overall structure but bear no sequence homology to them or other members of their class. We describe here an evaluation of the antimicrobial properties of these virally derived peptides, designated lentivirus lytic peptides (LLPs). The results of this study demonstrate that they are potent and selective antibacterial peptides: the prototype sequence, LLP1, is bactericidal to both gram-positive and gram-negative organisms at micromolar concentrations in 10 mM phosphate buffer. Furthermore, LLP1 kills bacteria quite rapidly, causing a 1,000-fold reduction in viable organisms within 50 s. Peptides corresponding to sequences from three lentivirus envelope proteins were synthesized and characterized. Several of these peptides are selective, killing bacteria at concentrations 50- to 100-fold lower than those required to lyse erythrocytes. Development of antimicrobial agents based on these peptides may lead to improved therapeutics for the management of a variety of infectious diseases.

Diffusion-dependent kinetic properties of glyoxalase I and estimates of the steady-state concentrations of glyoxalase-pathway intermediates in glycolyzing erythrocytes.

The diffusion-dependent kinetic properties of the yeast glyoxalase I reaction have been measured by means of viscosometric methods. For the glyoxalase-I-catalyzed isomerization of glutathione (GSH)-methylglyoxal thiohemiacetal to S-D-lactoylglutathione, the k(cat)/Km (3.5 x 10(6) M(-1) s(-1), pH 7, 25 degrees C) undergoes a progressive decrease in magnitude with increasing solution viscosity, using sucrose as a viscogenic agent. The viscosity effect is unlikely to be due to a sucrose-induced change in the intrinsic kinetic properties of the enzyme, as the magnitude of k(cat)/Km for the slow substrate GSH-t-butylglyoxal thiohemiacetal (3.5 x 10(3) M(-1) s(-1), pH 7, 25 degrees C) is independent of solution viscosity. Quantitative treatment of the data by means of the Stokes-Einstein diffusion law suggests that catalysis will be about 50% diffusion limited under conditions where [substrate] << Km; the encounter complex between enzyme and substrate partitions nearly equally between product formation and dissociation to form free enzyme and substrate. In a related study, the steady-state concentrations of glyoxalase-pathway intermediates in glycolyzing human erythrocytes are estimated to be in the nanomolar concentration range, on the basis of published values for the activities of glyoxalase I and glyoxalase II in lysed erythrocytes and the steady-state rate of formation of D-lactate in intact erythrocytes. This is consistent with a model of the glyoxalase pathway in which the enzyme-catalyzed steps are significantly diffusion limited under physiological conditions.

Evidence for a (triosephosphate isomerase-like) "catalytic loop" near the active site of glyoxalase I.

The conformational mobility of glyoxalase I (Glx I) during catalysis has been probed using stable analogs of the enediol intermediate that forms along the reaction pathway: GSC(O)N(OH)R, where GS = glutathionyl and R = CH3 (1), C6H5 (2), C6H4Cl (3), or C6H4Br (4). For human erythrocyte Glx I, catalysis is unlikely to be coupled to major changes in protein secondary structure, as the circular dichroism spectrum of the enzyme (190-260 nm) is insensitive to saturating concentrations of either enediol analog or S-D-lactoylglutathione, the product of the Glx I reaction. However, a small conformational change is indicated by the fact that binding of enediol analog to the active site decreases intrinsic protein fluorescence by 11%, and protects the enzyme from proteolytic cleavage by Pronase E at the C-side of Ala-92 and Leu-93. In contrast, binding of S-D-lactoylglutathione does not affect protein fluorescence, and increases the rate of proteolytic cleavage by 1.5-fold. These observations are consistent with a model of catalysis in which a flexible peptide loop folds over and stabilizes the enediol intermediate bound to the active site. Indeed, a highly conserved sequence of amino acid residues is found near the proteolytic cleavage sites, for human Glx I (100-111) and Pseudomonas putida Glx I (93-105), that shows significant sequence homology to the "catalytic loop" of chicken muscle triosephosphate isomerase (TIM) (165-176). The active site base (Glu-165) of TIM, which catalyzes the proton transfer reaction during isomerization, corresponds in position to Glu-93 of P. putida Glx I. Consistent with a functional role for Glu-93, a mutant enzyme in which Glu-93 is replaced by Asp shows no detectable catalytic activity.

The gene encoding glyoxalase I from Pseudomonas putida: cloning, overexpression, and sequence comparisons with human glyoxalase I.

The gene encoding glyoxalase I (GlxI) from Pseudomonas putida has been cloned into the high-expression plasmid pBTacI. In the presence of IPTG, JM109 cells transformed with this vector give expression levels of GlxI 4000-fold higher than wild-type Escherichia coli. Contrary to a previous report, the nucleotide sequence of the gene encodes a 173-amino-acid polypeptide. Edman analysis indicates that the predicted N-terminal methionine is lost post-translationally to yield a 19407-Da protein. Mass spectrometry of the intact protein, and of the peptides generated from treatment with CNBr, does not indicate any additional post-translational modifications of the enzyme. Contrary to previous conclusions, there are no major regions of dissimilarity between the human and bacterial enzymes.

S-(N-aryl-N-hydroxycarbamoyl)glutathione derivatives are tight-binding inhibitors of glyoxalase I and slow substrates for glyoxalase II.

S-(N-Aryl-N-hydroxycarbamoyl)glutathione derivatives are powerful competitive inhibitors of the anticancer target enzyme glyoxalase I. Indeed, the N-p-bromophenyl derivative is the strongest inhibitor of the enzyme from human erythrocytes yet reported (Ki = 1.4 x 10(-8) M). Structure-activity correlations indicate that the high affinities of the derivatives for both human and yeast glyoxalase I are due to the fact that the derivatives are hydrophobic analogs of the enediol(ate) intermediate associated with the glyoxalase I reaction. The derivatives also proved to be slow substrates for the thioester hydrolase glyoxalase II (bovine liver). Compounds of this type are of interest as potential tumor-selective anticancer agents, based on the abnormally low levels of glyoxalase II activity in some types of cancer cells.

Inhibition of glyoxalase I by the enediol mimic S-(N-hydroxy-N-methylcarbamoyl)glutathione. The possible basis of a tumor-selective anticancer strategy.

In principle, competitive inhibitors of glyoxalase I that also serve as substrates for the thioester hydrolase glyoxalase II might function as tumor-selective anti-cancer agents, given the role of these enzymes in removing cytotoxic methylglyoxal from cells and the observation that glyoxalase II activity is abnormally low in some types of cancer cells. In support of the feasibility of this anticancer strategy, an inhibitor of this type has been synthesized by a thioester-interchange reaction between glutathione and N-hydroxy-N-methylcarbamate 4-chlorophenyl ester to give S-(N-hydroxy-N-methylcarbamoyl)glutathione (1). This compound was designed to be a tight-binding inhibitor of glyoxalase I, on the basis of its stereoelectronic similarity to the enediol(ate) intermediate that forms along the reaction pathway of this enzyme. Indeed, 1 is a competitive inhibitor of yeast glyoxalase I, with an inhibition constant (Ki = 68 microM) that is approximately 30-fold lower than that reported for S-D-lactoylglutathione and approximately 7-fold lower than the Km for glutathione-methylglyoxal thiohemiacetal. In addition, 1 is a substrate for bovine liver glyoxalase II, with a Km (0.48 mM) approximately equal to that of the normal substrate S-D-lactoyglutathione and a kcat approximately 2 x 10(-5)-fold that of the normal substrate. Membrane transport studies show that 1 can be delivered into human erythrocytes (used here as a model cell) either by direct diffusion of 1 across the cell membrane or by more rapid diffusion of the glycylethyl ester of 1 across the cell membrane, followed by the catalyzed hydrolysis of the ester to give 1.

Caution: the glycylmethyl and glycylethyl esters of glutathione are substrates for glyoxalase I.

The glycylmethyl and glycylethyl esters of glutathione have been synthesized and carefully characterized by both 1H-NMR and tandem FAB mass spectrometry. Contrary to previously published studies, these compounds (as their methylglyoxal-thiohemiacetals) do indeed serve as moderately efficient substrates for yeast glyoxalase I, with kcat values that are approx. 3-fold smaller and Km values that are approx. 3-fold larger than those of the thiohemiacetal formed from glutathione. Product inhibition studies show that the glycylmethyl and glycylethyl esters of (S)-D-lactoylglutathione bind approx. 1.4-fold less tightly to the active site than (S)-D-lactoylglutathione. These observations exclude an essential role for the glycyl-CO2- of substrate in active site binding and catalysis.

Enzyme chemistry of dithiohemiacetals: synthesis and characterization of S-D-dithiomandeloylglutathione as an alternate substrate for glyoxalase I.

Both the D- and L-forms of S-dithiomandeloylglutathione (1) have been synthesized by a dithioester-interchange reaction between GSH and S-carboxy-methyl(D,L)-dithiomandelate. Kinetic and product analysis studies indicate that yeast glyoxalase I efficiently catalyzes the stereoselective conversion of D-1 to GSH-phenylglyoxal dithiohemiacetal (2), isolated as a disulfide adduct between 2 and a second molecule of GSH. This observation suggests that dithioester substrate analogues should be generally useful as mechanistic probes of enzyme catalyzed reactions involving thiohemiacetal intermediates.

Synthesis and initial characterization of gamma-L-glutamyl-L-thiothreonylglycine and gamma-L-glutamyl-L-allo-thiothreonylglycine as steric probes of the active site of glyoxalase I.

The diastereomeric GSH derivatives gamma-L-Glu-L-allo-thioThr-Gly (6) and gamma-L-Glu-L-thioThr-Gly (6a) have been synthesized as specific probes of the steric environment near the cysteinyl residue of enzyme bound glutathionyl substrates. Experiments with glyoxalase I indicate that while 6a-methylglyoxal thiohemiacetal is a substrate for the enzyme, 6-methylglyoxal thiohemiacetal forms a tight-binding abortive complex with the active site (Ki congruent to 100 microM). Apparently, the small size of the cysteinyl C beta-Hs proton of the normal GSH-methylglyoxal thiohemiacetal substrate for glyoxalase I is a strict requirement for productive substrate binding. These compounds may provide a novel approach to the inhibition of GSH-dependent enzymes.

Bovine liver formaldehyde dehydrogenase. Kinetic and molecular properties.

The dimeric formaldehyde dehydrogenase from bovine liver has been resolved into three nearly homogeneous enzyme forms by the successive use of ion-exchange, affinity, and ampholine (chromatofocusing) chromatography. The different enzyme species were isolated in the approximate proportions 3:2:1, having pI values of 6.5, 6.2, and 6.0, respectively. The subunit molecular weights of the three forms are all similar (Mr congruent to 41,000), on the basis of sodium dodecyl sulfategel electrophoresis. The enzyme species appear to arise from covalent differences unrelated either to partial proteolysis during isolation or to differential sialization of homodimeric protein. Human liver contains a single major form and two minor forms of formaldehyde dehydrogenase having pI values very similar to those found for the bovine liver enzyme. The macroscopic kinetic constants (V, V/K) for the three forms of the dehydrogenase from bovine liver are all similar in magnitude, using NADH and S-hydroxymethylglutathione as substrates. The isotope-sensitive hydride transfer step is not significantly rate-limiting during catalysis by any of the forms, as evidenced by the near-unity primary deuterium isotope effects on both V and V/KS (for S-hydroxymethylglutathione); catalysis may be limited by the rate of dissociation of at least one (and possibly both) of the product molecules. In support of rate-limiting dissociation of NAD+ in the normal reaction, V increases by approximately 22-fold and isotope effects of approximately 1.4 are observed on both V and V/KS, using the coenzyme analog 3-acetylpyridine adenine dinucleotide. Product dissociation from the active site appears to be accelerated by the presence of dilute denaturing agents, perhaps indicative of a rate-limiting conformational transition associated with product release.