Sandbox 35: Difference between revisions

[[Image:Papainmech6.jpg|200px|left|thumb| General mechanism of papain catalysis<ref>[http://chemistry.umeche.maine.edu/CHY431/Peptidase10.html] University of Maine</ref>.]]

Papain's catalytic mechanism is like serine proteases. Its catalytic triad of residues Cys 25- His159- Arg-175 appear to work with a fourth residue, Gln-19, suspected to be involved in oxyanion hole formation. When a peptide binds to the active site, His-159 deprotonates  Cys-25 which in turn attacks the substrate carbonyl carbon. The oxyanion hole then stabilizes the resulting covalent, tetrahedral intermediate. Subsequently, nitrogen in the peptide bond is protonated by His-159 (acting as an acid). This action frees the C-terminal portion of the peptide so that it is released. The entrance of water into the active site then attacks the carbonyl carbon while it is deprotonated by His-159, resulting in another tetrahedral covalent intermediate once again stabilized through the oxyanion hole. At the end, carbonyl reformation and the Cys-25 sulfur action as the leaving group releases the N-terminal portion of the peptide. The enzyme is regenerated for the cycle to begin again. <ref>[http://chemistry.umeche.maine.edu/CHY431/Peptidase10.html] University of Maine</ref>