Inhibition and Oxygen Activation in Copper Amine Oxidases
- Shepard, Eric M. [ Montana State University: Chemistry & Biochemistry ]
- Dooley, David M. [ Office of the President, University of Rhode Island ]
Copper-containing amine oxidases (CuAOs) use both copper and 2,4,5-trihydroxyphenylalanine quinone (TPQ) to catalyze the oxidative deamination of primary amines. The CuAO active site is highly conserved and comprised of TPQ and a mononuclear type II copper center that exhibits five-coordinate, distorted square pyramidal coordination geometry with histidine ligands and equatorially and axially bound water in the oxidized, resting state. The active site is buried within the protein, and CuAOs from various sources display remarkable diversity with respect to the composition of the active site channel and cofactor accessibility. Structural and mechanistic factors that influence substrate preference and inhibitor sensitivity and selectivity have been defined. This Account summarizes the strategies used to design selective CuAO inhibitors based on active site channel characteristics, leading to either enhanced steric fits or the trapping of reactive electrophilic products. These findings provide a framework to support the future development of candidate molecules aimed at minimizing the negative side effects associated with drugs containing amine functionalities. This is vital given the existence of human diamine oxidase and vascular adhesion protein-1, which have distinct amine substrate preferences and are associated with different metabolic processes. Inhibition of these enzymes by antifungal or antiprotozoal agents, as well as classic monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibitors, may contribute to the adverse side effects associated with drug treatment. These observations provide a rationale for the limited clinical value associated with certain amine-containing pharmaceuticals and emphasize the need for more selective AO inhibitors.