Alkyl isocyanates as active site-directed inactivators of guinea pig liver transglutaminase

Alkyl isocyanates are effective inactivators of guinea pig liver transglutaminase. Based on the specificity of the reaction the protection against inactivation by glutamine substrate, and the essential nature of calcium for the inactivation reaction, it is concluded that these reagents act as amide substrate analogs and, thus function in an active site-specific manner. Support for the contention that inactivation results from alkyl thiocarbamate ester formation through the single active site sulfhydryl group of the enzyme is (a) the loss of one free--SH group and the incorporation of 1 mol of reagent/mol of enzyme in the reaction, (b) similarity in chemical properties of the inactive enzyme derivative formed to those previously reported for another alkyl thiocarbamoylenzyme and an alkyl thiocarbamoylcysteine derivative, and (c) the finding that labeled peptides from digests of [methyl-14C]thiocarbamoyltransglutaminase and those from digests of iodoacetamide-inactivated enzyme occupy similar positions on peptide maps. Transglutaminase was found to be inactivated neither by urethan anlogs of its active ester substrates nor by urea analogs of its amide substrates. It is concluded on the basis of these findings that inactive carbamoylenzyme derivatives are formed only by direct addition of the transglutaminase active--SH group to the isocyanate C--N double bond, and not, like several serine active site enzymes, by nucleophilic displacement with urethan analogs of substrate, or by nucleophilic displacement with urea analogs of substrate.