Cobalamin-Catalysed Chemical Reactions: Probing the Role of the Nucleotide Loop

Abstract

The nucleotide loop in the vitamin B12 structure affects its biological and physicochemical properties, but its role in cobalamin-catalysed reactions still remains disputable. Herein, we show the synthesis of a series of model compounds including N-methylcobalamin (NMICbl) in a base-off form with the nucleotide attached. The structure-activity relationship studies reveal that in the studied cobalamin-catalysed reaction, the reduction step is not rate-determining.