Synthetic Models of Metalloenzymes Capable of Catalyzing Phosphodiester Bond Cleavage

Abstract

Phosphodiester bond cleavage is one of the most important processes in all living systems. Cell regulation is based on the effective and selective P–O bond cleavage, which is achieved by natural enzymes – phosphodiestera­ses. Some enzymes of this group rank among the most efficient known. The structure of these enzymes and their mechanism of action are important for designing the artificial enzyme models capable of catalyzing P–O bond cleavage. The present review summarizes the current approaches leading to synthesis of enzyme models and provides a comprehensive overview of the most important systems that have been synthesized and studied.