Ethylene-forming Enzyme: Structure and Mechanism

该项目的长期目标是充分了解乙烯形成酶的机制。本研究的重点是利用生物有机方法研究关键活性位点残基的识别；为一个可疑的自由基机制提供一个明确的论证；完成酶促反应的化学计量；并对氧活化机理建立了合理的模型。由于这类酶并不遵循经典的鲍林酶催化理论，因此需要发展新的多过渡态转化酶催化理论，这对这项工作具有进一步的意义。通过这个奖项，有机动力学项目支持了杜克大学化学系迈克尔·c·皮龙博士的研究。Pirrung教授将专注于了解乙烯形成酶作为一类非血红素铁氧化酶的有效和重要成员的机制。除其他原因外，这项工作被认为很重要，因为天然乙烯生产过程是水果成熟的关键步骤。

The long term goal of the project is to fully understand the the mechanism of the ethylene-forming enzyme. The focus of this research is to use bioorganic methods to study the identity of critical active-site residues; to provide an unambiguous demonstration of a suspected radical mechanism; to finalize the enzymatic reaction stoichiometry; and to create a reasonable model for the mechanism of oxygen activation. Since enzymes of this class do not follow classic Pauling theories of enzymatic catalysis, the need to develop new theories of enzymatic catalysis for multi-transition state conversions provides further significance to the work. With this award the Organic Dynamics Program is supporting the research of Dr. Michael C. Pirrung of the Department of Chemistry at Duke University. Professor Pirrung will focus his work on understanding the mechanism of the ethylene-forming enzyme as an available and significant member of the class of non-heme iron oxidizing enzymes. Among other reasons, the work is deemed important since the process of natural ethylene production is a key step in the ripening of fruit.