Novel computer simulation methods will be used to investigate proton and hydride transfer reactions in enzymes. The first application will be liver alcohol dehydrogenase (LADH), which catalyzes the reversible oxidation of alcohols to the corresponding aldehydes or ketones by the cofactor nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+). These redox reactions are key steps in metabolism, and the NADH generated from them plays in important role in oxidative phosphorylation. Moreover, the medical complications associated with alcoholism (e.g. ketoacidosis and hypoglycemia) are caused in part by the elevation of the NADH/NAD+ level resulting from the metabolism of excess ethanol by alcohol dehydrogenases. The second application will be glucose oxidase (GO), which catalyzes the oxidation of glucose to gluconolactone by flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD) and the subsequent reduction of oxgen to hydrogen peroxide. GO is a vital biosensor in diagnostic kits for the self-monitoring of blood glucose by diabetics. It also exhibits antitumor activity and is being tested as a treatment for some types of cancer. Kinetic isotope effect experiments indicate that hydrogen tunneling plays an important role in many proton and hydride transfer reactions, including those catalyzed by LADH and GO. The quantum dynamical behavior such as hydrogen tunneling will be incorporated into the simulations using a recently developed mixed quantum/classical molecular dynamics method, in which the transferring hydrogen atom(s) are treated quantum mechanically while the remaining nuclei are treated classically. The specific method that will be implemented is the molecular dynamics with quantum transitions method, which incorporates transitions among the adiabatic proton quantum states. The rates and kinetic isotope effects will be calculated for comparison to the available experimental data. These simulations will elucidate the fundamental general principles of proton and hydride transfer in enzymes, such as the significance of hydrogen tunneling and the role of the structure and dynamics of the enzyme. In terms of LADH, the significance of hydrogen tunneling, the detailed mechanism of the hydride transfer reaction (i.e. direct H- or sequential 1e-, H+, 1e-transfer), and the mechanism of the postulated proton relay system will be investigated. In terms of GO, the detailed mechanism (i.e. hydride transfer from glucose to FAD or proton abstraction from a glucosidic intermediate), the role of hydrogen tunneling, and the relation between protein dynamics and hydrogen tunneling will be investigated. The elucidation of the detailed mechanisms of LADH and GO will enhance the understanding of and guide the optimization of their biochemical and biomedical properties.
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