We reported previously that lithocholic acid (LCA, 3-
![](/images/gifchars/alpha.gif)
-hydroxy-5-
![](/images/gifchars/beta2.gif)
-cholan-24-oic acid), oneof the major compounds in the secondary bile acids, selectively inhibited the activity of mammalian DNApolymerase
![](/images/gifchars/beta2.gif)
(pol
![](/images/gifchars/beta2.gif)
) [Mizu
shina, Y., Ohkubo, T., Sugawara, F., and Sakaguchi, K. (2000)
Biochemistry39, 12606-12613]. The purpose of this study was to investigate the molecular structural relationship ofLCA and its 10 chemically synthesized derivatives. The inhibitory activities of pol
![](/images/gifchars/beta2.gif)
by some derivativecompounds were stronger than that by LCA, and these compounds bound tightly to the 8-kDa domainfragment but not to the 31-kDa domain fragment of pol
![](/images/gifchars/beta2.gif)
. Biacore analysis demonstrated that the 8-kDadomain bound selectively to compound
9 (3-
![](/images/gifchars/alpha.gif)
-
O-lauroyl-5-
![](/images/gifchars/beta2.gif)
-cholan-24-oic acid), which was the strongestpol
![](/images/gifchars/beta2.gif)
inhibitor tested, as a 1:1 complex with a dissociation constant (
Kd) of 1.73 nM. From computermodeling analysis (i.e., molecular dynamics analysis), the 8-kDa domain had two inhibitor binding areas.Three amino acid residues (Lys60, Leu77, and Thr79) of the 8-kDa domain bound to LCA and compound
2 (3-
![](/images/gifchars/alpha.gif)
-methoxy-5-
![](/images/gifchars/beta2.gif)
-cholan-24-oic acid), and four amino acid residues (Leu11, Lys35, His51, and Thr79)of the 8-kDa domain bound to compound
9. From these results, the structure-function relationship amongpol
![](/images/gifchars/beta2.gif)
and its selective inhibitors was discussed.