Enzymatic effects on reactant and transition states. The case of chalcone isomerase

Chalcone isomerase catalyzes the transformation of chalcone to naringerin as a part of flavonoid biosynthetic pathways. The global reaction takes place through a conformational change of the substrate followed by chemical reaction, being thus an excellent example to analyze current theories about enzyme catalysis. We here present a detailed theoretical study of the enzymatic action on the conformational pre-equilibria and on the chemical steps for two different substrates of this enzyme. Free-energy profiles are obtained in terms of potentials of mean force using hybrid quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics potentials. The role of the enzyme becomes clear when compared to the counterpart equilibria and reactions in aqueous solution. The enzyme does not only favor the chemical reaction lowering the corresponding activation free energy but also displaces the conformational equilibria of the substrates toward the reactive form. These results, which can be rationalized in terms of the electrostatic interactions established in the active site between the substrate and the environment, agree with a more general picture of enzyme catalysis. According to this, an active site designed to accommodate the transition state of the reaction would also have consequences on the reactant state, stabilizing those forms which are geometrically and/or electronically closer to the transition structure.