Interaction of uridine diphosphate glucose analogs with calf liver uridine diphosphate glucose dehydrogenase. Influence of substituents at C-5 of pyrimidine nucleus.

The interaction of alpha-D-glucopyranosyl pyrophosphates of 5-X-uridines (X = CH3, NH2, CH3O, I, Br, Cl, OH) with uridine diphosphate glucose (UDPGlc) dehydrogenase (EC 1.1.1.22) from calf liver has been studied. All the derivatives investigated were able to serve as substrates for the enzyme. The apparent Michaelis constants for UDPGlc-analogs were dependent both on electronic and steric factors. Increase of substituent negative inductive effect lead to decrease of pKa for ionization of the NH-group in the uracil nucleus and, consequently, to a diminishing of the proportion of the active analog species under the conditions of assay. After correction for the ionization effect, the Km values were found to depend on the van der Waals radius of the substituent. The value of 1.95 A seems to be critical, as the analogs with bulkier substituents at C-5 showed a decreased affinity to the enzyme. The maximal velocity values of the analogs were also dependent on nature of the substituent. Good linear correlation between log V and substituent hydrophobic phi-constant was observed for a number of the analogs, although V values for the nucleotides with X = H, OH or NH2 were higher than would be expected on the basis of the correlation. The significance of the results for understanding of the topography of UDPGlc dehydrogenase active site is discussed.