Molecular Aspects of Herbicide Action on Protoporphyrinogen Oxidase

Abstract

Abstract Protoporphyrinogen oxidase, the last enzyme of the common tetrapyrrole biosynthetic pathway, is inhibited by several peroxidizing compounds resulting in accumulation of photodynamic tetrapyrroles, mainly protoporphyrin IX. The inhibition characteristics of two chemi­cally unrelated compounds were studied using membrane bound protoporphyrinogen oxidase from corn etioplasts. As shown by Lineweaver-Burk-analysis, the inhibition of enzyme activity by the diphenyl ether oxyfluorfen and the cyclic imide MCI 15 are competitive with respect to the substrate. The competitive interaction of protoporphyrinogen and the two chemically un­related inhibitors indicate a relative specificity of the binding site. The reversibility of oxyfluorfen inhibition was evaluated by dilution experiments and was shown to be independent of the presence of DTT. The analysis of structure-activity-relationship on protoporphyrinogen oxidase inhibition was investigated with para-substituted derivatives of phenyl-3,4,5,6-tetrahydro-phthalimides. The results obtained by QSAR -calculation yielded a good correlation of the inhibitory activity determined by the lipophilicity of the para-substituent. These data point to one binding region of the inhibitors within a lipophilic environment associated with the active center of the enzyme.