Three-Dimensional Structure of Thermostable D-Amino Acid Transaminase from the Archaeon Methanocaldococcus jannaschii DSM 2661

Pyridoxal 5′-phosphate (PLP)-dependent transaminases catalyze the stereospecific amino-group transfer from an amino acid or amine to ketone or keto acid. Transaminases are involved in amino acid metabolism in all organisms. Enzymes of this superfamily are widely used to develop biocatalysts for the stereoselective amination of organic compounds for fine organic synthesis. The brief biochemical characterization of thermostable fold type I PLP-dependent transaminase from the thermophilic archaeon Methanocaldococcus jannaschii DSM 2661 is reported. The crystal structure of this enzyme was determined at 1.8 A resolution. The structure of the functional dimer of the enzyme and the organization of its active site are compared with those of the close homologs.