Development of model systems for highly reactive amino-acid derivatives by taking advantage of nano-sized molecular cavities

2018 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 15H03776
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Organic chemistry
• Research Institution: Tokyo Institute of Technology
• Principal Investigator: Goto Kei 東京工業大学, 理学院, 教授 (70262144)
• Research Collaborator: Block Eric ; George Graham
• Project Period (FY): 2015-04-01 – 2018-03-31
• Keywords: 有機化学 / 酵素モデル / 活性中間体 / アミノ酸 / 合成化学 / セレノシステイン / セレネン酸 / ヨウ化セレネニル

Outline of Final Research Achievements

At the active site of enzymes, reactive species that are very unstable in artificial systems sometimes play crucial roles in chemical transformations. Such fabulous features of enzymatic reactions are highly associated with the geometrically isolated environments at the active sites. For modeling such an isolated environment of enzymes with synthetic systems, novel nano-sized molecular cavities incorporating highly reactive amino-acid derivatives have been developed and applied to stabilization of reactive intermediates of biological reactions. By utilizing the novel model system, chemical processes that have been proposed for the catalytic mechanism of selenoenzymes such as glutathione peroxidase have been demonstrated experimentally.

Free Research Field

有機元素化学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

セレンは生体必須超微量元素でありppbオーダーの含有量で高い生理活性を示すが、その機能を司る含セレン酵素の作用機序については、活性中間体の不安定性のために間接的な情報しか得られず、解明が困難であった。本研究で明らかになった活性中間体の化学的挙動に関する実験的エビデンスは、抗酸化酵素などの作用機序の化学的解明、引いては老化や細胞死などの機構研究の基盤になると期待される。