Interaction of yeast alcohol dehydrogenase with protoberberine alkaloids

Oxidation of ethanol and reduction of aldehyde catalysed by yeast alcohol dehydrogenase is inhibited by several naturally occurring as well as semi-synthetic protoberberine alkaloids. The affinity of these compounds for the enzyme depends essentially on their hydrophobicity. Corysamine and coptisine are the most potent inhibitors among the natural alkaloids of this group. The kinetics of yeast alcohol dehydrogenase inhibition with coptisine were analysed and equilibrium measurements using optical methods were carried out. The results suggest that the binding site of the enzyme for protoberberines is not identical with those for coenzyme and substrate though it should be located near the nicotinamide ring of bound NAD. The binding of protoberberines seems to be limited to rather superficially located hydrophobic groups in the vicinity of the active site of the enzyme. The inability of these alkaloids to protrude deeply into the molecule of yeast alcohol dehydrogenase at the catalytically important region is the main difference in their behaviour towards alcohol dehydrogenases from yeast and horse liver.