Nucleobase-Containing Metallated Polymeric Resins as Artificial Phosphodiesterases: Kinetics of Hydrolysis, pH Dependence, and Catalyst Recycling

Two metallated polymeric resins that contain the nucleobase adenine have been investigated for their ability to catalyze the hydrolysis of model phosphodiester substrates. These resins behave in a catalytic manner and display classical Michaelis-Menten kinetics. Consequently, parameters such as kobs, Km, Vmax, and kcat were determined for the two resins for both of the substrates. The most attractive feature of our nucleolytic system is its facile reusability that permits catalysis of multiple hydrolytic reactions, after resin recovery and a simple washing step, without significantly compromising the reaction rate. Involvement of a hydrolytic mechanism for phosphodiester cleavage is proposed on the basis of pH versus hydrolytic rate profiles for the two resins. We have also been able to demonstrate temperature-dependence, solvent effects, and inhibitory nature of vanadate ions on the observed rate of hydrolytic reaction aided by the resins. In conclusion, metallated nucleobase resins represent a new class of nucleolytic reagents and these systems have the potential to be further developed for multifarious applications in chemical biology.