Nalpha-(pteroyltetra (gamma-glutamyl))-lysine as a ligand for the purification of thymidylate synthetase by affinity chromatography.

Nalpha-(pteroyltetra (gamma-glutamyl))-lysine Sepharose was synthesized and shown to be a stable high capacity affinity matrix capable of bringing about the purification of Lactobacillus casei thymidylate synthetase to maximum specific activity from crude extracts in high yield. Under conditions optimal for binding of thymidylate synthetase, dihydrofolate reductase was not bound.

Polyglutamyl and polylysyl derivatives of the lysine analogues of folic acid and homofolic acid.

A series of Nepsilon-poly-alpha-glutamyl and Nepsilon-polylysyl derivatives of Nalpha-pteroyllysine and Nalpha-homopteroyllysine, analogues of the naturally occurring gamma-polyglutamyl forms of folate, was prepared and tested as substrates for dihydrofolate reductase and as substrates and inhibitors of thymidylate synthetase. Nalpha-Dihydropteroyl-Nepsilon-(tri-alpha-glutamyl)lysine was 1.8 times as active as Nalpha-dihydropteroyl glutamate (dihydrofolate) as a substrate for L1210 murine leukemia dihydrofolate reductase. N-alpha-Dihydropteroyl-Nepsilon-(di-alpha-lysyl)lysine was 1.2 times as active as dihydrofolate in spite of its strong positive charge. The most active compound tested, Nepsilon-(tert-butyloxycarbonyl)lysine, was 3.5 times as active as dihydrofolate. None of the enzymatically prepared Nalpha-tetrahydropteroyllysine derivatives tested was as active as Nalpha-tetrahydropteroyl glutamate (tetrahydrofolate) as a substrate for E. coli thymidylate synthetase. However, there was a progressive increase in activity with the addition of each alpha-glutamyl residue, the Nepsilon-(penta-alpha-glutamyl)lysine being 88% as active as tetrahydrofolate. Nalpha-Tetrahydropteroyl-Nepsilon-(di-alpha-lysyl)lysine was the most active thymidylate synthetase substrate of the polylysine derivatives, being 67% as active as tetrahydrofolate. Addition or deletion of lysyl residues resulted in diminished activity. It is noteworthy that substrate activity is retained in spite of the positively charged poly(amino acid) side chain. None of the enzymatically prepared tetrahydrohomopteroyl derivatives tested was as active as Nalpha-tetrahydrohomopteroyl glutamate (tetrahydrohomofolate) as an inhibitor of E. coli thymidylate synthetase.

Inhibition of thymidylate synthetase and dihydrofolate reductase by naturally occurring oligoglutamate derivatives of folic acid.

Naturally occurring oligoglutamate derivatives of folic acid in extracts of Escherichia coli have been isolated on the basis of their inhibitory actions toward thymidylate synthetase and dihydrofolate reductase. The inhibitor of thymidylate synthetase has been identified as N-5-formyl-H4pteroyloligoglutamate (approximately 5 amino acid residues). It is 150-fold more inhibitory than the monoglutamate. Synthetic N-5-formyl derivatives containing 3 to 6 glutamyl residues were prepared and found to be 67- to 200-fold more inhibitory than the monoglutamate. N-5-Formimino-H4pteroyltriglutamate is one-twentieth as inhibitory as the corresponding N-5-formyl derivative. The inhibitor of mouse leukemia dihydrofolate reductase has been identified as N-10-formylpteropentaglutamate. It is approximately 7 times as inhibitory as N-10-formylpteroylmonoglutamate. It is 4,400 times as inhibitory toward mouse leukemia dihydrofolate reductase compared with the enzyme from E. coli. Lysine analogs of N-5-formyl-H4folate containing alpha0glutamyl groups in peptide linkage to the epsilon-amino group of lysine were relatively poor inhibitors of thymidylate synthetase. The inhibitory action of folic acid oligoglutamates on E. coli thymidylate synthetase was subject to reversal with 0.4 M NaCl, an effect that was more marked with various pteroyloligoglutamates than with H4homopteroylmonoglutamate and N-5, N-8-deaza-N-10-methylpteroylmonoglutamate.

Conformational changes induced in dihydrofolate reductase by folates, pyridine nucleotide coenzymes, and methotrexate.

Dihydrofolate reductase (EC 1.5.1.3; 5,6,7,8-tetrahydrofolate:NADP(+) oxidoreductase) from antifolate-resistant Lactobacillus casei has been isolated in pure form and examined in solution by high resolution proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The 220 MHz proton magnetic resonance spectrum of this small enzyme (about 15,000 daltons) consists of several distinct resonance peaks that provide a sensitive nonperturbing probe of its conformational state. Comparison of catalytically active enzyme with preparations denatured in 6 M urea demonstrates dramatically the overall contribution of secondary and tertiary structure to its proton magnetic resonance spectra. More subtle differences existing among several catalytically active enzyme forms may also be readily differentiated by proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy, e.g., the spectra of the ligand-free enzyme and forms containing stoichiometric amounts of tightly bound folate and dihydrofolate, each obtained separately by affinity chromatography, are easily identified. Addition of ligands to these spectroscopically distinct forms may induce changes in their proton magnetic resonance spectra. For example, addition of equimolar dihydrofolate to the apoenzyme converts its relatively featureless aromatic proton magnetic resonance spectrum to one indistinguishable from that of the original enzyme-dihydrofolate binary complex obtained chromatographically. Interaction of the pyridine nucleotide coenzymes NADP(+) or NADPH or of the antifolate Methotrexate with apoenzyme induces additional distinct spectral changes. Enzyme-NADPH and enzyme-Methotrexate binary complexes, which have different aromatic region proton magnetic resonance spectra, are converted to ternary complexes having quite similar spectra by addition of Methotrexate and NADPH, respectively, thus suggesting that an ordered addition of ligands is not required.