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Pectin is found in the cell wall of plants and is often discarded as waste. A number of research groups are interested in redirecting this biomass waste stream for the production of fuel and bulk chemicals. The primary monomeric subunit of this polysaccharide is D-galacturonate, a six-carbon acid sugar that is degraded in a five-step pathway to central metabolic intermediates by some bacteria, including Agrobacterium tumefaciens. In the third step of the pathway, D-galactaro-1,4-lactone is converted to 2-keto-3-deoxy-L- threo-hexarate by a member of the mandelate racemase subgroup of the enolase superfamily with a novel activity for the superfamily. The 1.6 Å resolution structure of this enzyme was determined, revealing an overall modified (β/α)7β TIM-barrel domain, a hallmark of the superfamily. D-Galactaro-1,4-lactone was manually docked into the active site located at the interface between the N-terminal lid domain and the C-terminal barrel domain. On the basis of the position of the lactone in the active site, Lys166 is predicted to be the active-site base responsible for abstraction of the α proton. His296 on the opposite side of the active site is predicted to be the general acid that donates a proton to the β carbon as the lactone ring opens. The lactone ring appears to be oriented within the active site by stacking interactions with Trp298. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gene rv0802c from Mycobacterium tuberculosis encodes a 218-amino-acid protein and is annotated as a hypothetical protein with homology to GCN5-related N-acetyltransferases. The structure of Rv0802c was determined in an unliganded form to 2.0 Å resolution utilizing single-wavelength anomalous dispersion from a samarium soak that resulted in a single bound Sm3+:citrate2 complex. The structure confirms that Rv0802c exhibits the GCN5-related N-acetyltransferase fold and revealed a tetramer composed of a dimer of dimers with approximate 222 symmetry. In addition, a bound acetate ion indicated that Rv0802c may utilize a unique acyl donor for the family. The subsequent determination of the structure of Rv0802c in complex with succinyl-CoA to 2.3 Å resolution suggests that Rv0802c is the first known GCN5-related N-acetyltransferase family member to utilize succinyl-CoA as a substrate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The three ribosomal proteins L7, S5, and S18 are included in the rare subset of prokaryotic proteins that are known to be Nα-acetylated. The GCN5-related N-acetyltransferase (GNAT) protein RimI, responsible for the Nα-acetylation of the ribosomal protein S18, was cloned from Salmonella typhimurium LT2 (RimIST), overexpressed, and purified to homogeneity. Steady-state kinetic parameters for RimIST were determined for AcCoA and a peptide substrate consisting of the first six amino acids of the target protein S18. The crystal structure of RimIST was determined in complex with CoA, AcCoA, and a CoA-S-acetyl-ARYFRR bisubstrate inhibitor. The structures are consistent with a direct nucleophilic addition-elimination mechanism with Glu103 and Tyr115 acting as the catalytic base and acid, respectively. The RimIST-bisubstrate complex suggests that several residues change conformation upon interacting with the N terminus of S18, including Glu103, the proposed active site base, facilitating proton exchange and catalysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aminoglycosides are antibacterial compounds that act by binding to the A site of the small 30S bacterial ribosomal subunit and inhibiting protein translation. Clinical resistance to aminoglycosides is generally the result of the expression of enzymes that covalently modify the antibiotic, including phosphorylation, adenylylation, and acetylation. Bisubstrate analogs for the aminoglycoside N-acetyl- transferases are nanomolar inhibitors of Enterococcus faecium AAC(6')-Ii. However, in the case of the Salmonella enterica aac(6')-Iy-encoded aminoglycoside N-acetyltransferase, we demonstrate that a series of bisubstrate analogs are only micromolar inhibitors. In contrast to studies with AAC(6')-Ii, the inhibition constants toward AAC(6')-Iy are essentially independent of both the identity of the aminoglycoside component of the bisubstrate and the number of carbon atoms that are used to link the CoA and aminoglycoside components. The patterns of inhibition suggest that the CoA portion of the bisubstrate analog can bind to the enzyme-aminoglycoside substrate complex and that the aminoglycoside portion can bind to the enzyme-CoA product complex. However, at the high concentrations of bisubstrate analog used in crystallization experiments, we could crystallize and solve the three-dimensional structure of the enzyme-bisubstrate complex. The structure reveals that both the CoA and aminoglycoside portions bind in essentially the same positions as those previously observed for the enzyme-C0A-ribostamycin complex, with only a modest adjustment to accommodate the "linker". These results are compared to previous studies of the interaction of similar bisubstrate analogs with other aminoglycoside N-acetyltransferases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The biosynthesis of UDP-GlcNAc in bacteria is carried out by GlmU, an essential bifunctional uridyltransferase that catalyzes the CoA-dependent acetylation of GlcN-1-PO4 to form GlcNAc-1-PO4 and its subsequent condensation with UTP to form pyrophosphate and UDP-GlcNAc. As a metabolite, UDP-GlcNAc is situated at a branch point leading to the biosynthesis of lipopolysaccharide and peptidoglycan. Consequently, GlmU is regarded as an important target for potential antibacterial agents. The crystal structure of the Escherichia coli GlmU acetyltransferase active site has been determined in complexes with acetyl-CoA, CoA/GlcN-1-PO4, and desulpho-CoA/GlcNAc-1-PO4. These structures reveal the enzyme groups responsible for binding the substrates. A superposition of these complex structures suggests that the 2-amino group of GlcN-1-PO4 is positioned in proximity to the acetyl-CoA to facilitate direct attack on its thioester by a ternary complex mechanism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Streptococcus pneumoniae, a ubiquitous gram-positive pathogen with an alarming, steadily evolving resistance to frontline antimicrobials, poses a severe global health threat both in the community and in the clinic. The recent discovery that diphosphomevalonate (DPM), an essential intermediate in the isoprenoid biosynthetic pathway, potently and allosterically inhibits S. pneumoniae mevalonate kinase (SpMK) without affecting the human isozyme established a new target and lead compound for antimicrobial design. Here we present the crystal structure of the first S. pneumoniae mevalonate kinase, at a resolution of 2.5 Å and in complex with DPM·Mg2+ in the active-site cleft. Structural comparison of SpMK with other members of the GHMP kinase family reveals that DPM functions as a partial bisubstrate analog (mevalonate linked to the pyrophosphoryl moiety of ATP) in that it elicits a ternary-complexlike form of the enzyme, except for localized disordering in a region that would otherwise interact with the missing portion of the nucleotide. Features of the SpMK-binding pockets are discussed in the context of established mechanistic findings and inherited human diseases linked to MK deficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Nostoc punctiforme genes Np275 and Np276 are two adjacently encoded proteins of 98 and 75 amino acids in length and exhibit sequences composed of tandem pentapeptide repeats. The structures of Np275 and a fusion of Np275 and Np276 were determined to 2.1 and 1.5 Å, respectively. The two Nostoc proteins fold as highly symmetric right-handed quadrilateral β-helices similar to the mycobacterial protein MfpA implicated in fluoroquinolone resistance and DNA gyrase inhibition. The sequence composition of the intervening coding region and the ability to express a fused protein by removing the stop codon for Np275 suggests Np275 and Np276 were recently part of a larger ancestral pentapeptide repeat protein. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The biosynthesis of cysteine in bacteria and plants is carried out by a two-step pathway, catalyzed by serine acetyltransferase (SAT) and O-acetylserine sulfhydrylase (OASS; O-acetylserine [thiol] lyase). The aerobic form of OASS forms a tight bienzyme complex with SAT in vivo, termed cysteine synthase. We have determined the crystal structure of OASS in complex with a C-terminal peptide of SAT required for bienzyme complex formation. The binding site of the peptide is at the active site of OASS, and its C-terminal carboxyl group occupies the same anion binding pocket as the α-carboxylate of the O-acetylserine substrate of OASS. These results explain the partial inhibition of OASS by SAT on complex formation as well as the competitive dissociation of the complex by O-acetylserine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Determines the crystal structures of protocatechelate 3,4-dioxygenase from the soil bacteria Acinetobacter strain ADP1 (Ac 3,4-PCD) in the space group I23 at pH 8.5 and 5.75. Structures of 3,4-PCD complexed with its substrate 3,4-dihydroxybenzoic acid; Similarity of the structures of Ac 3,4-PCD with those of the same enzyme from Pseudomonas putida.

The chromosomally encoded Qnr homolog protein from Enterococcus faecalis (EfsQnr), when expressed, confers to its host a decreased susceptibility to quinolones and consists mainly of tandem repeats, which is consistent with belonging to the pentapeptide repeat family of proteins (PRPs). EfsQnr was cloned with an N-terminal 6× His tag and purified to homogeneity. EfsQnr partially protected DNA gyrase from fluoroquinolone inhibition at concentrations as low as 20 nM. EfsQnr inhibited the ATP-dependent supercoiling activity of DNA gyrase with a 50% inhibitory concentration (IC(50)) of 1.2 μM, while no significant inhibition of ATP-independent relaxation activity was observed. EfsQnr was cytotoxic when overexpressed in Escherichia coli, resulting in the clumping of cells and a loss of viability. The X-ray crystal structure of EfsQnr was determined to 1.6-Å resolution. EfsQnr exhibits the right-handed quadrilateral beta-helical fold typical of PRPs, with features more analogous to MfpA (mycobacterium fluoroquinolone resistance pentapeptide) than to the PRPs commonly found in cyanobacteria.

The biosynthesis of UDP-GlcNAc in bacteria is carried out by GlmU, an essential bifunctional uridyltransferase that catalyzes the CoA-dependent acetylation of GlcN-1-PO(4) to form GlcNAc-1-PO(4) and its subsequent condensation with UTP to form pyrophosphate and UDP-GlcNAc. As a metabolite, UDP-GlcNAc is situated at a branch point leading to the biosynthesis of lipopolysaccharide and peptidoglycan. Consequently, GlmU is regarded as an important target for potential antibacterial agents. The crystal structure of the Escherichia coli GlmU acetyltransferase active site has been determined in complexes with acetyl-CoA, CoA/GlcN-1-PO(4), and desulpho-CoA/GlcNAc-1-PO(4). These structures reveal the enzyme groups responsible for binding the substrates. A superposition of these complex structures suggests that the 2-amino group of GlcN-1-PO(4) is positioned in proximity to the acetyl-CoA to facilitate direct attack on its thioester by a ternary complex mechanism.

Streptococcus pneumoniae, a ubiquitous gram-positive pathogen with an alarming, steadily evolving resistance to frontline antimicrobials, poses a severe global health threat both in the community and in the clinic. The recent discovery that diphosphomevalonate (DPM), an essential intermediate in the isoprenoid biosynthetic pathway, potently and allosterically inhibits S. pneumoniae mevalonate kinase (SpMK) without affecting the human isozyme established a new target and lead compound for antimicrobial design. Here we present the crystal structure of the first S. pneumoniae mevalonate kinase, at a resolution of 2.5 A and in complex with DPM.Mg(2+) in the active-site cleft. Structural comparison of SpMK with other members of the GHMP kinase family reveals that DPM functions as a partial bisubstrate analog (mevalonate linked to the pyrophosphoryl moiety of ATP) in that it elicits a ternary-complexlike form of the enzyme, except for localized disordering in a region that would otherwise interact with the missing portion of the nucleotide. Features of the SpMK-binding pockets are discussed in the context of established mechanistic findings and inherited human diseases linked to MK deficiency.

The Nostoc punctiforme genes Np275 and Np276 are two adjacently encoded proteins of 98 and 75 amino acids in length and exhibit sequences composed of tandem pentapeptide repeats. The structures of Np275 and a fusion of Np275 and Np276 were determined to 2.1 and 1.5 A, respectively. The two Nostoc proteins fold as highly symmetric right-handed quadrilateral beta-helices similar to the mycobacterial protein MfpA implicated in fluoroquinolone resistance and DNA gyrase inhibition. The sequence composition of the intervening coding region and the ability to express a fused protein by removing the stop codon for Np275 suggests Np275 and Np276 were recently part of a larger ancestral pentapeptide repeat protein.