Syntheses and Kinetic Evaluation of Racemic and Optically Active 2-Benzyl-2-methyl-3,4-epoxybutanoic Acids as Irreversible Inactivators for Carboxypeptidase A Original Research Article

Racemic and optically active 2-benzyl-2-methyl-3,4-epoxybutanoic acids were synthesized and evaluated as inactivators for carboxypeptidase A, a representative zinc-containing proteolytic enzyme. Only the threo-form of the inactivator is effective and its potency in terms of kinact/KI value is lower by 42-fold compared with 2-benzyl-3,4-epoxybutanoic acid, indicating that the α-methyl group affects adversely in the inactivation contrary to the expectation that it would enhance the inactivation activity of the inhibitor through additional interactions of the methyl group with a small cavity (α-methyl hole) present next to the S1′ hydrophobic pocket. Of the enantiomeric pair, the inactivator having the (2S,3R)-configuration is more potent than its enantiomer by 44-fold. The observed kinetic results may be rationalized on the basis that the methyl group in the inactivator having the (2R,3S)-configuration experiences the van der Waals repulsive interactions with the bottom of the active site crevice in binding to CPA, casting a doubt on the presence of the so-called α-methyl hole at the active site of carboxypeptidase A.