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Published on: September 5, 2018
Examining the Origin of Catalytic Power of Catechol O-Methyltransferase
1Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Arizona, 1306 East University Boulevard, Tucson, Arizona 85721, United States.
Abstract:
For decades, there has been debate regarding the origin of the catalytic power of enzymes. In this work, we use the approach of computational chemistry to study the enzyme catechol O-methyltransferase (COMT) and reveal that the two current views on the catalytic mechanism of enzymes, the rate-promoting vibrations and the electric field, may both be viewed as part of the chemical step catalyzed by COMT. However, we show that the rate-promoting vibrations cause the electrostatic effect. This work provides insight into the catalytic mechanism of COMT and resolves a longstanding controversy regarding this enzyme's mechanism.
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