Major Enhancement of the Affinity of an Enzyme for a Transition-State Analog by a Single Hydroxyl Group

Abstract
The compound 1,6-dihydropurine ribonucleoside, prepared by reduction of nebularine in the presence of ultraviolet light, is bound by adenosine deaminase approximately 10(8)-fold less tightly than 6-hydroxy-1,6-dihydropurine ribonucleoside, a nearly ideal transition-state analog. This difference in affinities, which is associated with the presence of a single hydroxyl group in the second compound, suggests the degree to which one or a few hydrogen bonds may stabilize the transition state in an enzyme reaction of this type.