Secondary tritium and solvent deuterium isotope effects as a probe of the reaction catalyzed by porcine recombinant dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase.

Dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase catalyzes the rate-limiting step in the degradation of pyrimidines in mammals, the reduction of uracil or thymine to their 5,6-dihydro derivatives. The reduction of uracil by enzyme-bound reduced flavin involves both proton and hydride transfer. In order to determine whether hydride and proton transfer occur in a concerted or stepwise fashion, and to determine the nature of the transition state for the reduction, secondary tritium kinetic isotope effects were measured in H2O and D2O. The tritium isotope effect using 5-3H-uracil is 0.90 +/- 0.03 in H2O and becomes more inverse, 0.85 +/- 0.04, in D2O. Data are interpreted in terms of a stepwise reduction at C-6 followed by protonation at C-5. A late transition state is proposed for the proton transfer at C-5 of uracil.