Thioamide substrate probes of metal-substrate interactions in carboxypeptidase A catalysis

Three thioamide peptides in which the oxygen atom of the scissile peptide bond is replaced by sulfur (denoted by (= S)) were synthesized and found to be good, convenient substrates for carboxypeptidase A. The thioamide bond absorbs strongly in the ultraviolet region, and enzymatic hydrolysis is monitored easily using a continuously recording spectrophotometric assay. The reaction follows Michaelis-Menten kinetics with kcat values of 68, 9.0, and 3.7 sec-1 and Km values of 0.83, 0.81, and 0.53 mM for Z-Glu-Phe(= S)-Phe, Z-Gly-Ala(= S)-Phe, and Z-Phe(= S)-Phe, respectively. Activities of the thioamides and their oxygen amide analogs were determined with a series of metal-substituted carboxypeptidases. The Cd(II), Mn(II), Co(II), and Ni(II) enzymes exhibit 30%-35%, 60%-85%, 150%-190%, and 40%-55% of the Zn(II) enzyme activity with the amide substrates; this compares with 240%-970%, 0%-15%, 340%-840%, and 30%-140% of the Zn(II) activity, respectively, with the thioamides. The activity of the Cu(II) and Hg(II) enzymes is less than 3% toward all substrates. Cadmium, a thiophilic metal, yields an enzyme which is exceedingly active with the thioamides; the kcat/Km values are 2.4-9.7-fold higher than with Zn(II) carboxypeptidase. In contrast, Mn(II), which has a relatively low affinity for sulfur, yields an enzyme with correspondingly low activity toward the thioamides. The results are consistent with a mechanism for peptide bond hydrolysis in which the metal atom interacts with the substrate carbonyl atom during catalysis.