Chemoenzymatic Assembly of Isotopically Labeled Folates

J Am Chem Soc. 2017 Sep 20;139(37):13047-13054. doi: 10.1021/jacs.7b06358. Epub 2017 Sep 6.

Abstract

Pterin-containing natural products have diverse functions in life, but an efficient and easy scheme for their in vitro synthesis is not available. Here we report a chemoenzymatic 14-step, one-pot synthesis that can be used to generate 13C- and 15N-labeled dihydrofolates (H2F) from glucose, guanine, and p-aminobenzoyl-l-glutamic acid. This synthesis stands out from previous approaches to produce H2F in that the average yield of each step is >91% and it requires only a single purification step. The use of a one-pot reaction allowed us to overcome potential problems with individual steps during the synthesis. The availability of labeled dihydrofolates allowed the measurement of heavy-atom isotope effects for the reaction catalyzed by the drug target dihydrofolate reductase and established that protonation at N5 of H2F and hydride transfer to C6 occur in a stepwise mechanism. This chemoenzymatic pterin synthesis can be applied to the efficient production of other folates and a range of other natural compounds with applications in nutritional, medical, and cell-biological research.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Carbon Isotopes
  • Folic Acid / analogs & derivatives
  • Folic Acid / biosynthesis*
  • Folic Acid / chemistry
  • Isotope Labeling*
  • Molecular Structure
  • Nitrogen Isotopes
  • Tetrahydrofolate Dehydrogenase / chemistry
  • Tetrahydrofolate Dehydrogenase / metabolism*

Substances

  • Carbon Isotopes
  • Nitrogen Isotopes
  • Folic Acid
  • Tetrahydrofolate Dehydrogenase