Enzymatic Synthesis of Deoxyribonucleotides

Abstract

Deoxycytidine diphosphate was synthesized in [ 2 H 2 ] water from cytidine diphosphate with the ribonucleoside diphosphate reductase system from Escherichia coli B. After dephosphorylation and crystallization, deoxycytidine was analyzed by nuclear magnetic resonance at 60 and 100 megaHertz. The spectra indicated that one atom of deuterium had been introduced stereospecifically into position 2′. From earlier calculations of Lemieux [10] and our own data it is tentatively concluded that the enzyme reaction occurred without change of the stereospecificity at carbon 2′.