The DNA repair enzyme MutY plays an important role in the prevention of DNA mutations resulting from the presence of the oxidatively damaged lesion 7,8-dihydro-8-oxo-2'-deoxyguanosine (OG) in DNA by the removal of misincorporated adenine residues in OG:A mispairs. MutY also exhibits adenine glycosylase activity toward adenine in G:A and C:A mismatches, although the importance of this activity in vivo has not been established. We have investigated the kinetic properties of MutY's glycosylase activity with OG:A and G:A containing DNA duplexes. Our results indicate that MutY's processing of these two substrates is distinctly different. By using single-turnover experiments, the intrinsic rate for adenine removal by MutY from an OG:A substrate was found to be at least 6-fold faster than that from the corresponding G:A substrate. However, under conditions where [MutY] << [DNA], OG:A substrates are not quantitatively converted to product due to the inefficient turnover resulting from slow product release. In contrast, with a G:A substrate MutY's dissociation from the corresponding product is more facile, such that complete conversion of the substrate to product can be achieved under similar conditions. The kinetic results illustrate that the glycosylase reaction catalyzed by MutY has significant differences depending on the characteristics of the substrate. The lingering of MutY with the product of its reaction with OG:A mispairs may be biologically significant to prevent premature removal of OG. Thus, this approach is providing insight into factors that may be influencing the repair of damaged and mismatched DNA in vivo by base-excision repair glycosylases.

A kinetic study of the reaction of beta-methoxy-alpha-nitrostilbene (1-OMe) with cyanamide (CNA) over a pH range from 8.5 to 12.4 shows that it is the anion (CNA(-), pK(a) = 11.38) rather than the neutral amine that is the reactive species. Attempts at monitoring the reaction with the neutral CNA at low pH were unsuccessful because of competing hydrolysis. It is shown that the nucleophilic reactivity of CNA is abnormally low, probably because of a resonance effect, and that the reactivity of CNA(-) is high, higher than that of strongly basic oxyanion because of relatively weak solvation. The high reactivity of both 1-OMe and CNA(-) appeared to constitute favorable conditions conducive to the detection of the S(N)V intermediate, as has been the case in the reactions of 1-OMe with thiolate ions, alkoxide ions, and some amines. However, no intermediate was observed. Reasons for this failure are discussed.

The pK a = 13.41 of the title compound (5), determined by a kinetic method, is about 1.3 units lower than the pK a of (2-oxacyclopentylidene)pentacarbonylchromium(0) (1) in 50% MeCN−50% water at 25 °C. The acidifying effect of the methyl group is attributed to its stabilizing effect on the CC double-bond resonance structure of the anion (5 - ). The rate constant for deprotonation of 5 by OH- is about the same as for deprotonation of 1, despite the higher acidity of 5. This means that the intrinsic rate constant for proton transfer from 5 is significantly lower than that from 1. This reduction in the intrinsic rate constant is mainly the result of the imbalanced nature of the transition state which deprives the transition state from the stabilizing effect of the methyl group. Based on precedents, the most likely mechanism for the hydrolysis of 5 involves rate-limiting protonation of 5 - concerted with metal−carbon bond cleavage. Even though the relatively small kinetic solvent isotope effect cannot rigorously exclude an alternative nucleophilic substitution mechanism, a comparison of the reactivity of 5 and 1 allows one to rule out this latter mechanism.