Abstract
Uridine 5'-diphosphate-5-fluorogalactopyranose (UDP-5F-Galp, 7) was synthesized, and its effect on UDP-Galp mutase (UGM) was investigated. UGM facilitated the hydrolysis of 7 to yield UDP and 5-oxogalactose (24), but no 11 was detected. (19)F NMR and trapping experiments demonstrated that the reaction involves the initial formation of a substrate-cofactor adduct followed by decomposition of the resulting C5 gem-fluorohydrin to generate a 5-oxo intermediate (10). The results support the current mechanistic proposal for UGM and suggest new directions for designing mechanism-based inhibitors.