Chiral recognition of prochiral centres and general acid-base catalysis. Necessarily interrelated manifestations of active-site structure.

On the basis of Ogston's [(1948) Nature (London) 162, 963] argument, the following conclusions are indicated by the stereochemistry of the reversible oxidation of glycollate by lactate dehydrogenase: (1) general acid-base catalysis is involved in the reaction; (2) the transformation of enzyme-bound (tetrahedral) substrate into enzyme-bound (trigonal) product involves a conformational transition of the enzyme-coenzyme complex.