The mechanism of the bond forming events in pyridine nucleotide linked oxidoreductases. Studies with epoxide inhibitors of lactic dehydrogenase and beta-hydroxybutyrate dehydrogenase.

2,3-Epoxybutyrate and 2,3-epoxypropionate act as effective competitive inhibitors of pig heart lactic dehydrogenase. KIapp for both inhibitors was pH dependent and varied according to the general equation KIapp = KI(1 +Ka/H+) which may be predicted if the binding of the epoxide to the E-NADH complex involves a compulsory protonation step. Values of KI(epoxybutyrate), KI(epoxypropionate) and pKa were estimated as 150 muM, 860 muM, and 6.8, respectively. The formation of an E-NADH epoxide inhibitor complex was followed directly by fluorescence measurements. Both epoxybutyrate and epoxypropionate enhanced fluorescence of the E-NADH complex and caused a 20-nm blue shift in the maximum emission wavelenght. The dissociation constants measured by fluorescence titration for both epoxides increased as the pH was raised reflecting a decreased affinity for the E-NADH complex. 2,3-Epoxybutyrate was also shown to inhibit beta-hydroxybutyrate dehydrogenase by a mechanism which is consistent with compulsory protonation prior to addition of the epoxide. These results are discussed in terms of a general mechanism for the bond forming events in pyridine nucleotide linked oxidore-ductases.