Kaiser, E.T.

Biopolymers 1990, 29, 39-43, 10.1002/bip.360290107

The semisyntehtic enzyme 6 was prepared by alkylation of the cysteine‐25 sulfhydryl group of papain with the bipyridine 5 and was shown to stoichiometrically bind copper ion; 7 catalyzed the autoxidation of ascorbic acid derivatives with saturation kinetics approximately 20‐fold faster than a model system using 3‐Cu(II).

Ebright, R.H.; Gunasekeram, A.

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 1990, 87, 2882-2886, 10.1073/pnas.87.8.2882

Escherichia coli catabolite gene activator protein (CAP) is a helix-turn-helix motif sequence-specific DNA binding protein [de Crombrugghe, B., Busby, S. & Buc, H. (1984) Science 224, 831-838; and Pabo, C. & Sauer, R. (1984) Annu. Rev. Biochem. 53, 293-321]. In this work, CAP has been converted into a site-specific DNA cleavage agent by incorporation of the chelator 1,10-phenanthroline at amino acid 10 of the helix-turn-helix motif. [(N-Acetyl-5-amino-1,10-phenanthroline)-Cys178]CAP binds to a 22-base-pair DNA recognition site with Kobs = 1 x 10(8) M-1. In the presence of Cu(II) and reducing agent, [(N-acetyl-5-amino-1,10-phenanthroline)-Cys178]CAP cleaves DNA at four adjacent nucleotides on each DNA strand within the DNA recognition site. The DNA cleavage reaction has been demonstrated using 40-base-pair and 7164-base-pair DNA substrates. The DNA cleavage reaction is not inhibited by dam methylation of the DNA substrate. Such semisynthetic site-specific DNA cleavage agents have potential applications in chromosome mapping, cloning, and sequencing.

Schultz, P.G.

J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1990, 112, 9414-9415, 10.1021/ja00181a065

The specificity and diversity of the immune system have recently been exploited in the generation of antibodies that catalyze a wide variety of chemical reactions.1·2 Several general strategies for the design of catalytic antibodies have emerged, including the use of antibody binding energy to enhance the chemical reactivity of a cofactor or to position a cofactor and a substrate in close proximity.3,4 An intriguing target for antibody-cofactor catalysis is the oxidative reactions characteristic of heme proteins. Here we report that antibodies specific for A-methylmesoporphyrin IX bind iron(III) mesoporphyrin IX and that the resulting complex catalyzes the oxidation of several substrates. These studies are a first step toward the development of selective antibody-heme monooxygenase catalysts.

Keinan, E.

Pure Appl. Chem. 1990, 62, 2013-2019, 10.1351/pac199062102013

An attempt was made to mimic cytochrome P-450-like activity using antibodies elicited against metallo-porphyrins. Monoclonal antibodies raised against a water-soluble Sn(1V) porphyrin complex (1) exhibited Specificity for a variety of monomeric metalloporphyrins, as well as for the b-0x0-Fe(III) porphyrin dimer 2. Some antibodies were found to be more selective for the monomer 1 than for the dimer 2, suggesting an "edge-on" recognition of the planar porphyrin molecule. The catalytic activity of the antibody-metalloporphyrin complexes was investigated using the epoxidation of styrene by iodosobenzene as a model reaction. Three biphasic media were studied for this reaction: reverse micelles, microemulsions, and solid catalyst in organic solvent. The most promising results were obtained with solid catalyst (obtained via lyophilization of equimolar amounts of Mn(TCP)Cl and specific antibody) in dry CHzClz at room temperature, as indicated by the high turnover numbers of the catalyst. A difference in the relative activity of the various monoclonal antibodies (MABs) was noted. The anti-1 antibodies displayed ca. 30-60% higher activity compared to a nonrelevant MAB.