2Department of Biochemistry and Food Chemistry, University of Turku, Turku, FIN-20500, Finland; fax: (358-2) 633-6860; E-mail: reijo.lahti@utu.fi
* To whom correspondence should be addressed.
Received November 1, 2004
Imidodiphosphate (the pyrophosphate analog containing a nitrogen atom in the bridge position instead of oxygen) is a potent inhibitor of family II pyrophosphatases from Streptococcus mutans and Streptococcus gordonii (inhibition constant Ki ~ 10 µM), which is slowly hydrolyzed by these enzymes with a catalytic constant of ~1 min-1. Diphosphonates with different substituents at the bridge carbon atom are much less effective (Ki = 1-6 mM). The value of Ki for sulfate (a phosphate analog) is only 12 mM. The inhibitory effect of the pyrophosphate analogs exhibits only a weak dependence on the nature of the metal ion (Mn, Mg, or Co) bound in the active site.
KEY WORDS: pyrophosphatase, diphosphonate, phosphate, inhibition, family II, Streptococcus mutans, Streptococcus gordonii