Substrate stereochemistry of the enoyl-CoA hydratase reaction.

1. A specimen of stereospecifically 2-tritiated 3-hydroxybutyric acid was prepared by hydroboration of ethyl crotonate. It was assumed that the hydroboration reaction took a syn course and hence that (2R,3S) plus (2S,3R)-3-hydroxy[2 minus 3H1]butyric acid was formed after oxidation and hydrolysis. 2. 3RS-3-Hydroxy[2 minus 3H2]butyric acid, symmetrically tritiated at C-2, was prepared by isotopic exchange of ethyl acetoacetate in tritiated water, followed by reduction and hydrolysis. 3. The 3R-enantiomers of the acids listed under paragraphs (1) and (2) were destroyed enzymically by use of 3R-specific 3-hydroxybutyrate dehydrogenase and the residual 3S-enantiomers were isolated. 4. The resulting specimens of 2R,3S-3-hydroxy[2 minus 3H1]butyric acid and 3S-3hydroxy[2 minus 3H2]-butyric acid were converted chemically to the acyl-CoA derivatives. These were incubated with enoyl-CoA hydratase. 5. In the presence of the enoyl-CoA hydratase symmetrically labelled 3S-3-hydroxy[2 minus 3H2]BUTYRYL-CoA lost nearly 50% of its tritium label; 2R,3S-3hydroxy [2-3-H1]butyryl-CoA lost about 78%. 6. It was concluded that the elimination of the elements of water from 3-hydroxybutyryl-CoA on the hydratase occurs stereospecifically with syn geometry.