| 1. |
- Bushnell, Eric A. C., et al.
(författare)
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The first branching point in porphyrin biosynthesis : a systematic docking, molecular dynamics and quantum mechanical/molecular mechanical study of substrate binding and mechanism of uroporphyrinogen-III decarboxylase
- 2011
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Ingår i: Journal of Computational Chemistry. - New York : John Wiley & Sons. - 0192-8651 .- 1096-987X. ; 32:5, s. 822-834
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In humans, uroporphyrinogen decarboxylase is intimately involved in the synthesis of heme, where the decarboxylation of the uroporphyrinogen-III occurs in a single catalytic site. Several variants of the mechanistic proposal exist; however, the exact mechanism is still debated. Thus, using an ONIOM quantum mechanical/molecular mechanical approach, the mechanism by which uroporphyrinogen decarboxylase decarboxylates ring D of uroporphyrinogen-III has been investigated. From the study performed, it was found that both Arg37 and Arg50 are essential in the decarboxylation of ring D, where experimentally both have been shown to be critical to the catalytic behavior of the enzyme. Overall, the reaction was found to have a barrier of 10.3 kcal mol−1 at 298.15 K. The rate-limiting step was found to be the initial protontransfer from Arg37 to the substrate before the decarboxylation. In addition, it has been found that several key interactions exist between the substrate carboxylate groups and backbone amides of various activesite residues as well as several other functional groups.
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| 2. |
- Erdtman, Edvin, et al.
(författare)
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Computational insights into the mechanism of porphobilinogen synthase
- 2010
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Ingår i: Journal of Physical Chemistry B. - Washington : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 1520-6106 .- 1520-5207. ; 114:50, s. 16860-16870
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Porphobilinogen synthase (PBGS) is a key enzyme in heme biosynthesis that catalyzes the formation of porphobilinogen (PBG) from two 5-aminolevulinic acid (5-ALA) molecules via formation of intersubstrateC-N and C-C bonds. The active site consists of several invariant residues, including two lysyl residues (Lys210 and Lys263; yeast numbering) that bind the two substrate moieties as Schiff bases. Based on experimental studies, various reaction mechanisms have been proposed for this enzyme that generally can be classified according to whether the intersubstrate C-C or C-N bond is formed first. However, the detailed catalytic mechanism of PBGS remains unclear. In the present study, we have employed density functional theory methods in combination with chemical models of the two key lysyl residues and two substrate moieties in order to investigate various proposed reaction steps and gain insight into the mechanism of PBGS. Importantly, it is found that mechanisms in which the intersubstrate C-N bond is formed first have a ratelimiting barrier (17.5 kcal/mol) that is lower than those in which the intersubstrate C-C bond is formed first (22.8 kcal/mol).
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| 3. |
- Erdtman, Edvin, et al.
(författare)
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Computational studies on Schiff-base formation : Implications for the catalytic mechanism of porphobilinogen synthase
- 2011
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Ingår i: Computational and Theoretical Chemistry. - Amsterdam : Elsevier. - 2210-271X .- 2210-2728. ; 963:2-3, s. 479-489
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Schiff bases are common and important intermediates in many bioenzymatic systems. The mechanism by which they are formed, however,is dependent on the solvent, pH and other factors. In the present study we have used density functional theory methods in combination with appropriate chemical models to get a better understanding of the inherent chemistry of the formation of two Schiff bases that have been proposed to be involved in the catalytic mechanism of porphobilinogensynthase (PBGS), a key enzyme in the biosynthesis of porphyrins. More specifically, we have investigated the uncatalysed reaction of its substrate 5-aminolevulinic acid (5-ALA) with a lysine residue for theformation of the P-site Schiff base, and as possibly catalysed by the second active site lysine, water or the 5-ALA itself. It is found that cooperatively both the second lysine and the amino group of the initial 5-ALA itself are capable of reducing the rate-limiting energy barrier to14.0 kcal mol-1. We therefore propose these to be likely routes involved in the P-site Schiff-base formation in PBGS.
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| 4. |
- Liljencrantz, Jaquette, et al.
(författare)
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Altered C-tactile processing in human dynamic tactile allodynia
- 2013
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Ingår i: Pain. - : Ovid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health). - 0304-3959 .- 1872-6623. ; 154:2, s. 227-234
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Human unmyelinated (C) tactile afferents signal the pleasantness of gentle skin stroking on hairy (nonglabrous) skin. After neuronal injury, that same type of touch can elicit unpleasant sensations: tactile allodynia. The prevailing pathophysiological explanation is a spinal cord sensitization, triggered by nerve injury, which enables Aβ afferents to access pain pathways. However, a recent mouse knockout study demonstrates that C-tactile afferents are necessary for allodynia to develop, suggesting a role for not only Aβ but also C-tactile afferent signaling. To examine the contribution of C-tactile afferents to the allodynic condition in humans, we applied the heat/capsaicin model of tactile allodynia in 43 healthy subjects and in 2 sensory neuronopathy patients lacking Aβ afferents. Healthy subjects reported tactile-evoked pain, whereas the patients did not. Instead, patients reported their C-touch percept (faint sensation of pleasant touch) to be significantly weaker in the allodynic zone compared to untreated skin. Functional magnetic resonance imaging in 18 healthy subjects and in 1 scanned patient indicated that stroking in the allodynic and control zones evoked different responses in the primary cortical receiving area for thin fiber signaling, the posterior insular cortex. In addition, reduced activation in the medial prefrontal cortices, key areas for C-tactile hedonic processing, was identified. These findings suggest that dynamic tactile allodynia is associated with reduced C-tactile mediated hedonic touch processing. Nevertheless, because the patients did not develop allodynic pain, this seems dependent on Aβ signaling, at least under these experimental conditions.
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