J. Biol. Chem., Vol. 261, Issue 16, 7257-7263, Jun, 1986
Inhibition of monoterpene cyclases by sulfonium analogs of presumptive carbocationic intermediates of the cyclization reaction
R Croteau, CJ Wheeler, R Aksela and AC Oehlschlager
The enzymatic cyclization of geranyl pyrophosphate to monoterpenes is
thought to proceed through a series of carbocation-pyrophosphate anion
paired intermediates. Sulfonium analogs of two putative carbocationic
intermediates of the cyclization sequence were shown to be inhibitors of
the conversion of the acyclic precursor to the bicyclic monoterpenes
(+)-alpha-pinene and (+)-bornyl pyrophosphate by partially purified cyclase
preparations from sage (Salvia officinalis). The sulfonium analog of the
tertiary allylic, linalyl, intermediate (i.e. methyl-(4-
methylpent-3-en-1-yl)vinyl-sulfonium perchlorate) provided respective Ki
values of 2.5 microM and 3.0 microM against the cyclization to alpha-
pinene and bornyl pyrophosphate at a substrate concentration of 5 microM,
whereas the sulfonium analog of the monocyclic, alpha-terpinyl,
intermediate (i.e. dimethyl-(4-methylcyclohex-3-en-1-yl) sulfonium iodide)
exhibited respective Ki values of 3.4 microM and 3.9 microM against the
same two cyclizations. The potency of inhibition in all cases increased
with increasing substrate concentration, indicating that the affinity of
the enzymes for the sulfonium analogs was increased by the presence of the
pyrophosphate ester. Inorganic pyrophosphate at a concentration of 50
microM, which alone had little influence on the cyclizations, increased the
effectiveness of inhibition of the sulfonium analogs severalfold, and the
apparent Ki for inorganic pyrophosphate was reduced manyfold by the
presence of either analog at 5 microM. That the combination of sulfonium
analog and pyrophosphate provided synergistic inhibition of the
electrophilic cyclizations indicated that the cyclases bind the paired
species more tightly than either partner alone. Specificity studies
suggested that inhibition by the above sulfonium ion:pyrophosphate pairs
was due to both electronic and structural resemblance to intermediates of
the reaction.