We have utilized tritium isotope effects to probe the in vitro binding equilibrium between glucose and human brain hexokinase (E.C.2.7.1.1). Replacing a backbone hydrogen atom in glucose with tritium can significantly increase or decrease the equilibrium association constant. Specifically, the equilibrium tritium isotope effects are 1.027 +/- 0.002, 0.927 +/- 0.0003, 1.027 +/- 0.004, 1.051 +/- 0.001, 0.988 +/- 0.001, and 1.065 +/- 0.003 for [1-t]-, [2-t]-, [3-t]-, [4-t]-, [5-t]-, and [6,6-t(2)]glucose, respectively. We have shown that the existence of prebinding equilibrium isotope effects can contribute to binding isotope effect studies but that this effect is insignificant for glucose binding to hexokinase. The binding isotope effects are interpreted in the context of structural studies of hexokinase-glucose complexes. Ab initio calculations on 2-propanol with or without a hydrogen bonding partner, in steric collision with formaldehyde or methane, and on ethanol, cyclohexanol and 1-hydroxymethyl-tetrahydropyran are presented to clarify the magnitude of isotope effects possible in such interactions and the accompanying changes in free energy. Position-specific binding isotope effects provide direct evidence of the partial deprotonation and activation of O6 by Asp657, of other hydrogen bonding interactions with ionic residues, and of the steric compression of CH2 by the backbone carbonyl of Ser603.

Anomeric equilibrium isotope effects for dissolved sugars are required preludes to understanding isotope effects for these molecules bound to enzymes. This paper presents a full molecule study of the alpha- and beta-anomeric forms of D-glucopyranose in water using deuterium conformational equilibrium isotope effects (CEIE). Using 1D (13)C NMR, we have found deuterium isotope effects of 1.043 +/- 0.004, 1.027 +/- 0.005, 1.027 +/- 0.004, 1.001 +/- 0.003, 1.036 +/- 0.004, and 0.998 +/- 0.004 on the equilibrium constant, (H/D)K(beta/alpha), in [1-(2)H]-, [2-(2)H]-, [3-(2)H]-, [4-(2)H]-, [5-(2)H]-, and [6,6'-(2)H(2)]-labeled sugars, respectively. A computational study of the anomeric equilibrium in glucose using semiempirical and ab initio methods yields values that correlate well with experiment. Natural bond orbital (NBO) analysis of glucose and dihedral rotational equilibrium isotope effects in 2-propanol strongly imply a hyperconjugative mechanism for the isotope effects at H1 and H2. We conclude that the isotope effect at H1 is due to n(p) --> sigma* hyperconjugative transfer from O5 to the axial C1--H1 bond in beta-glucose, while this transfer makes no contribution to the isotope effect at H5. The isotope effect at H2 is due to rotational restriction of OH2 at 160 degrees in the alpha form and 60 degrees in the beta-sugar, with concomitant differences in n --> sigma* hyperconjugative transfer from O2 to CH2. The isotope effects on H3 and H5 result primarily from syn-diaxial steric repulsion between these and the axial anomeric hydroxyl oxygen in alpha-glucose. Therefore, intramolecular effects play an important role in isotopic perturbation of the anomeric equilibrium. The possible role of intermolecular effects is discussed in the context of recent molecular dynamics studies on aqueous glucose.

Glucose is a central molecule in biology and chemistry, and the anomerization reaction has been studied for more than 150 years. Transition state structure is the last impediment to an in-depth understanding of its solution chemistry. We have measured kinetic isotope effects on the rate constants for approach of α-glucopyranose to its equilibrium with β-glucopyranose, and these were converted into unidirectional kinetic isotope effects using equilibrium isotope effects. Saturation transfer 13 C-NMR spectroscopy has yielded the relative free energies of the transition states for the ring-opening and ring-closing reactions and both transition states contribute to the experimental kinetic isotope effects. Both transition states of the anomerization process have been modeled with high-level computational theory with constraints from the primary, secondary and solvent kinetic isotope effects. We have found the transition states for anomerization and we have also concluded that it is forbidden for the water molecule to form a hydrogen bond bridge to both OH1 and O5 of glucose simultaneously in either transition state.

Isotope effects can yield detailed information about contacts made between a bound compound and its host receptor or enzyme. In this study, we have measured isotope effects upon the equilibrium constant for the association of glucose and human brain hexokinase [E.C.2.7.1.1] in the presence of beta,gamma-CH(2)-ATP and compared these with data for the same equilibrium in the absence of ATP-analogue. We have found isotope effects of 1.012, 0.929, 1.031, 1.052, 0.998, and 1.032 for the competitive binding of [1-(3)H]-, [2-(3)H]-, [3-(3)H]-, [4-(3)H]-, [5-(3)H]-, or [6,6-(3)H(2)]- and either [2-(14)C]- or [6-(14)C]glucose to brain hexokinase. We observed changes only at H1, H5, and H6, and we attribute these to a slight change in the position of Asn683 and Glu742 due to nucleotide binding and to partial satisfaction of activated OH6 by the terminal nucleotide phosphorus.

Isotopic substitution is known to affect kinetic rate constants and equilibrium constants in chemistry. In this study, we have used tritium substitution and high pH to probe the glucose left harpoon over right harpoon glucose(-) + H(+) equilibrium. Passing partially ionized mixtures of [(3)H]- and [(14)C]glucose over anionic exchange resin has permitted the detection of subtle differences in pK(a). We have found that, at pH 11.7 in an anionic exchange system, [(3)H]glucose always elutes ahead of the [(14)C]glucose, and we report isotope effects of 1.051 +/- 0.0007, 1.012 +/- 1.0005, 1.014 +/- 0.0004, 1.024 +/- 0.0003, 1.014 +/- 0.0004, and 1.015 +/- 0.0014 for [1-(3)H]-, [2-(3)H]-, [3-(3)H]-, [4-(3)H]-, [5-(3)H]-, and [6,6-(3)H(2)]glucose, respectively, as compared to either [2-(14)C]-or [6-(14)C]glucose. The elevated isotope effects at H1 and H4 imply unusual charge sharing in anionic aqueous glucose. Base titration of (13)C-chemical shift changes demonstrates the dominance of pyranose forms at elevated pH, and ab initio isotope effect computations on gas-phase glucose anions are presented.