Stereoselectivity of interaction of phosphoenolpyruvate analogues with various phosphoenolpyruvate-utilizing enzymes

The halogenated phosphoenolpyruvate analogues (Z)-phosphoenol-3-fluoropyruvate, (E)-phosphoenol-3-fluoropyruvate, and (Z)-phosphoenol-3-bromopyruvate were synthesized and purified. The analogues were characterized by 1H and by 19F NMR where applicable. Absolute stereoselectivity of the fluorophosphoenolpyruvate isomers as substrates with the enzymes phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase, enolase, and pyruvate phosphate dikinase was observed. The Z isomer exhibited substrate activity with these enzymes while no substrate activity was measured with the E isomer. Both isomers exhibited substrate activity with the enzyme pyruvate kinase, however, with a substantial decrease in the Vmax/Km ratio compared to phosphoenolpyruvate as the substrate. A metal ion dependent stereoselectivity of inhibition was measured for these analogues with the enzymes phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase, enolase, and pyruvate kinase. The cation activator appears to affect the specificity and thus the catalytic site of these enzymes. Proton longitudinal relaxation rate titrations demonstrate that the dissociation constants, K3, of the fluorophosphoenolpyruvate isomers from the enzyme-Mn complex agree, in most cases, with the measured KI values and analogue binding resembles phosphoenolpyruvate binding. With the enzyme phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase, the KI not equal to K3 for (E)-fluorophosphoenolpyruvate which suggests that the binding of the E isomer is affected by the presence of the other substrates. The halogenated derivatives apparently undergo an enzyme-Mn catalyzed Michael-type addition reaction with the bromo-substituted analogue decomposing much faster than the fluoro analogues.