Synthesis and evaluation of an inhibitor of carboxypeptidase A with a Ki value in the femtomolar range

Comparative studies among a series of tripeptide phosphonate inhibitors of the zinc peptidase carboxypeptidase A indicate that incorporation of the phosphonic acid analogue of valine at the P1 position results in significantly higher affinity than the glycine, alanine, or phenylalanine analogues. When applied to the tripeptide analogue Cbz-Phe-ValP-(O)Phe [ZFVP(O)F], determination of the inhibition constant Ki was complicated by the very slow rate of dissociation. The rate of exchange of [3H]ZFVP(O)F with enzyme-bound [14C]ZFVP(O)F was followed for periods of 3-4 months to measure dissociation rate constants in the range of (1.7-4.4) x 10(-9) s-1, corresponding to half-lives of 5-13 years. Although the on- and off-rate constants differ for different carboxypeptidase isozymes, their ratios, corresponding to the inhibition constants Ki, are consistently in the range of 10-27 fM. Both the inhibition constants and the dissociation rate constants appear to be the lowest values yet determined for an enzyme-small inhibitor interaction.