The enzyme deoxyribose 5-phosphate aldolase was irreversibly inactivated by the substrate analogue acrolein with a pseudo-first-order rate constant of 0.324 min-1 and a Ki (apparent) of 2.7 × 10(-4) m. No inactivation was observed after prolonged incubation with the epoxide analogues glycidol phosphate and glycidaldehyde. It is suggested that the acrolein is first activated by forming a Schiff base with the enzyme active-site lysine residue and it is the activated inhibitor that reacts with a suitable-active-site nucleophile.
