Catalytic mechanism of limonene epoxide hydrolase, a theoretical study

J Am Chem Soc. 2005 Oct 19;127(41):14339-47. doi: 10.1021/ja050940p.

Abstract

The catalytic mechanism of limonene epoxide hydrolase (LEH) was investigated theoretically using the density functional theory method B3LYP. LEH is part of a novel limonene degradation pathway found in Rhodococcus erythropolis DCL14, where it catalyzes the hydrolysis of limonene-1,2-epoxide to give limonene-1,2-diol. The recent crystal structure of LEH was used to build a model of the LEH active site composed of five amino acids and a crystallographically observed water molecule. With this model, hydrolysis of different substrates was investigated. It is concluded that LEH employs a concerted general acid/general base-catalyzed reaction mechanism involving protonation of the substrate by Asp101, nucleophilic attack by water on the epoxide, and abstraction of a proton from water by Asp132. Furthermore, we provide an explanation for the experimentally observed regioselective hydrolysis of the four stereoisomers of limonene-1,2-epoxide.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Bacterial Proteins / antagonists & inhibitors
  • Bacterial Proteins / chemistry*
  • Catalysis
  • Crystallography, X-Ray
  • Cyclohexane Monoterpenes
  • Epoxide Hydrolases / antagonists & inhibitors
  • Epoxide Hydrolases / chemistry*
  • Hydrogen Bonding
  • Hydrolysis
  • Models, Theoretical*
  • Molecular Structure
  • Monoterpenes / chemical synthesis
  • Monoterpenes / chemistry
  • Protein Conformation
  • Protein Structure, Tertiary
  • Stereoisomerism
  • Structure-Activity Relationship
  • Valproic Acid / analogs & derivatives
  • Valproic Acid / chemistry
  • Valproic Acid / pharmacology

Substances

  • Bacterial Proteins
  • Cyclohexane Monoterpenes
  • Monoterpenes
  • limonene-1,2-epoxide
  • Valproic Acid
  • Epoxide Hydrolases
  • limonene-1,2-epoxide hydrolase
  • dipropylacetamide