A novel class of mechanism-based inhibitors of the serine proteases is developed using epitaxial selection. Tripeptide boronates esterified by an alcohol or alcohols at the boron retain the tight binding to trypsin-like enzymes associated with transition-state analogs and incorporate additional groups that can be utilized for selectivity between proteases. Formed by reaction of a series of alcohols with the inhibitor boronate oxygen(s), the most structurally compatible alcohol-derivatized inhibitors are either selected by binding to the enzyme (epitaxial selection) or assembled by epitaxial reaction on the enzyme surface. Mass spectrometry of the derivatized boronates and X-ray crystallography of the complexes identify the chemical structures and the three-dimensional interactions of inhibitors generated. This scheme also engineers novel, potent (Ki approximately 7 nM), and more specific inhibitors of individual serine proteases, by derivitizations of compounds obtained by epitaxial selection.
No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.
Katz et al. (1995) studied this question.