酮醇酸还原异构酶(keto-acid reductoisomerase,KARI或称作乙酰羟基酸异构还原酶(aceto hydroxyacid isomeroreductase,AHIR))是植物、微生物中的支链氨基酸生物合成途径中第二步的关键酶。由于哺乳动物和人体内不存在这种酶,因此靶向KARI酶的抑制剂具有安全、高效等特点,成为农用除草剂以及医药抗真菌药物的一个引入注目的研究方向。本文综述了KARI的酶学、KARI抑制剂及其抑制机理和理论研究进展,并对其发展趋势进行了展望。
Keto-acid reductoisomerase (KARI; EC 1.1.1.86) is an attractive target for argochemical discovery because it catalyzes the second important step in the biosynthesis of the branched chain amino acid which exists in higher plants and certain fungi only but not in animals. Thus it is an ideal target from which to design non-toxic KARI-inhibitors as potential novel herbicides and antibiotics. The X-ray crystallography of the KARl enzyme, inhibitors and their inhibit mechanism, and theoretical research are reviewed.