Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Thioester Hydrolysis Reactivity Of Metal Complexes, James Justin Danford

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Glyoxalase II is one of two metalloenzymes found in the glyoxalase pathway and is responsible for catalyzing the hydrolysis of a thioester substrate. Its bimetallic active site is found to contain a variety of metal combinations, including Fe(III)Zn(II). A recent report indicates that human glyoxalase II, while containing a Fe(II)Zn(II) center, is catalytically active as a mononuclear Zn(II) enzyme. Detailed mechanistic studies of glyoxalase II enzymes are limited due to uncertainty in the metal ion content of recombinantly prepared samples. The research presented in this thesis is focused on gaining mechanistic insight into thioester hydrolysis promoted by well-characterized metal complexes …