Synthesis and interaction of terminal unsaturated chemical probes with Mycobacterium tuberculosis CYP124A1.

A series of C15-C20 isoprenyl derivatives bearing terminal alkenyl and alkynyl groups were synthesized as possible substrates of the methyl-branched lipid ω-hydroxylase CYP124A1 from Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The interactions of each compound with the enzyme active site were characterized using UV-vis spectroscopy. We found that C10 and C15 analogs bind with similar affinity to the corresponding parent C10 and C15 substrates geraniol and farnesol, respectively.

Substrate analog studies of the ω-regiospecificity of Mycobacterium tuberculosis cholesterol metabolizing cytochrome P450 enzymes CYP124A1, CYP125A1 and CYP142A1.

We report the synthesis and evaluation of a series of cholesterol side-chain analogs as mechanistic probes of three important Mycobacterium tuberculosis cytochrome P450 enzymes that selectively oxidize the ω-position of the methyl-branched cholesterol side-chain. To probe the structural requirements for the thermodynamically disfavored ω-regiospecificity we compared the binding of these substrate analogs to each P450, determined the turnover rates, and characterized the enzymatic products. The results are discussed in the context of the structure-activity relationships of the enzymes and how their active sites enforce ω-oxidation.