Enzymatic synthesis of β-N-(γ-l(+)-glutamyl)-4-carboxyphenylhydrazine with Escherichia coli γ-glutamyltransferase

A new method for the synthesis of β-N-(γ-l(+)-glutamyl)-4-carboxyphenylhydrazine, a precursor of agaritine, is presented. This compound was prepared from l-glutamine and 4-hydrazinobenzoic acid through the transpeptidation reaction catalyzed by the Escherichia coli γ-glutamyltransferase. The optimum reaction conditions for the production of β-N-(γ-l(+)-glutamyl)-4-carboxyphenylhydrazine were 50 mM l-glutamine, 500 mM 4-hydrazinobenzoic acid and 40 U γ-glutamyltransferase/mL at pH 8 and 37 °C for 24 h. The product was obtained with a conversion rate of 90% (mol/mol). γ-Glutamyltransferase activity was not inhibited by 4-hydrazinobenzoic acid at concentrations up to 1000 mM. This simple and efficient method would facilitate the synthesis of glutamyl phenylhydrazine analogs, including agaritine.