Publications

• Mechanism of alpha-amino-epsilon-caprolactam racemase reaction.

  Ahmed S.A., Esaki N., Tanaka H., Soda K.

  alpha-Amino-epsilon-caprolactam racemase catalyzes the exchange of the alpha-hydrogen of the substrate with deuterium during racemization in deuterium oxide. The rate of the hydrogen exchange measured by 1H NMR is lower than that of racemization in deuterium oxide for both the enantiomers. Both th ... >> More

  alpha-Amino-epsilon-caprolactam racemase catalyzes the exchange of the alpha-hydrogen of the substrate with deuterium during racemization in deuterium oxide. The rate of the hydrogen exchange measured by 1H NMR is lower than that of racemization in deuterium oxide for both the enantiomers. Both the enantiomers of alpha-amino-epsilon-caprolactam show an overshoot of the optical rotation during the enzymatic racemization in deuterium oxide (but not in water). This phenomenon may be attributable to a primary deuterium isotope effect at the alpha-position: alpha-deuterium isotope effects of 3.6 and 2.0 were observed for the racemization of the D and L enantiomers of alpha-amino-epsilon-caprolactam, respectively. Results of tritium-labeling experiments showed that the enzyme catalyzes both retention and inversion of configuration of the substrate with a similar probability in each turnover. Conversion of [alpha-2H]-D-alpha-amino-epsilon-caprolactam in water and unlabeled D-alpha-amino-epsilon-caprolactam in deuterium oxide into the L isomer under nearly single turnover conditions with the enzyme showed significant internal return of the alpha-hydrogen. These results support a single base mechanism for the racemization reaction catalyzed by the enzyme. << Less

  Biochemistry 25:385-388(1986) [PubMed] [EuropePMC]

• The novel structure of a pyridoxal 5'-phosphate-dependent fold-type I racemase, alpha-amino-epsilon-caprolactam racemase from Achromobacter obae.

  Okazaki S., Suzuki A., Mizushima T., Kawano T., Komeda H., Asano Y., Yamane T.

  Alpha-amino-epsilon-caprolactam (ACL) racemase (ACLR) from Achromobacter obae catalyzes the interconversion of l- and d-ACL. ACLR belongs to the fold-type I group of pyridoxal 5'-phosphate (PLP) dependent enzymes. In this study, the first crystal structures of a fold-type I racemase are solved for ... >> More

  Alpha-amino-epsilon-caprolactam (ACL) racemase (ACLR) from Achromobacter obae catalyzes the interconversion of l- and d-ACL. ACLR belongs to the fold-type I group of pyridoxal 5'-phosphate (PLP) dependent enzymes. In this study, the first crystal structures of a fold-type I racemase are solved for the native form and epsilon-caprolactam-complexed form of ACLR at 2.21 and 2.40 A resolution, respectively. Based on the location of epsilon-caprolactam in the complex structure, the substrate-binding site is assigned between Trp49 and Tyr137. The carboxyl group of Asp210 is a reasonable candidate that recognizes the nitrogen atom of a lactam or amide in the substrate. Based on a structural comparison with fold-type III alanine racemase, Tyr137 is potentially the acid/base catalytic residue that is essential for the two-base racemization mechanism. The overall structure of ACLR is similar to that of fold-type I enzymes. A structural comparison with these enzymes explains the different reaction specificities. << Less

  Biochemistry 48:941-950(2009) [PubMed] [EuropePMC]