Synthesis and evaluation of a miniature organic model of chymotrypsin.

An artificial chymotrypsin, with all the features of the real chymotrypsin, namely a binding site (from cyclodextrin) attached to a catalytic site containing an imidazolyl group, a carboxylate group and a hydroxyl group, has been synthesized. This artificial chymotrypsin has a molecular weight of only 1,365 while the real enzyme has a molecular weight of 24,800. However, from preliminary measurements, both the real and artificial enzymes have approximately the same catalytic activity (both rate and binding constants).