A pair of isomeric acetyl-coenzyme A (acetyl-CoA) analogs have
been prepared in which the thioester
group is replaced with a secondary alcohol. The two isomers differ
in stereoconfiguration of the secondary alcohol
and were designed to mimic the two possible configurations of the
tetrahedral intermediate or transition state in the
reactions of acetyl-CoA dependent acetyltransferases. These two
isomers were tested as inhibitors of chloramphenicol
acetyltransferase and carnitine acetyltransferase, both of which have
previously been predicted to form a tetrahedral
intermediate which matches the configuration of the
(S)-alcohol. The (S)-isomer was the more
potent inhibitor of
both enzymes, with K
i values 12-fold and 6-fold
lower than the K
i values for the
(R)-isomer. The (S)-isomer was
also the more potent inhibitor of phosphate acetyltransferase,
acetyl-CoA synthetase, and arylamine acetyltransferase,
for which the stereochemistry of the tetrahedral intermediate was
previously unknown. These results suggest a
common stereoconfiguration of the tetrahedral intermediate among
acetyl-CoA dependent acetyltransferases.