Chitin synthase is responsible for the biosynthesis of chitin, an essential component of the fungal cell wall. There is a long-standing question as to whether “processive” transferases such as chitin synthase operate in the same manner as non-processive transferases. The question arises from analysis of the polysaccharide structure – in chitin, for instance, each sugar residue is rotated ≈180° relative to the preceding sugar in the chain. This requires that the enzyme account for the alternating “up/down” configuration during biosynthesis. An enzyme with a single active site, analogous to the non-processive transferases – would have to accommodate a distorted glycosidic linkage at every other synthetic step. An alternative proposal is that the enzyme might assemble the disaccharide donor, addressing the “up/down” conformational problem prior to polymer synthesis. We present compelling evidence that this latter hypothesis is incorrect.
几丁质合酶负责几丁质的
生物合成,几丁质是真菌细胞壁的基本成分。长期以来有一个问题是:“机动性”转移酶(如几丁质合酶)是否以与非机动性转移酶相同的方式工作。这一问题源于
多糖结构的分析——例如在几丁质中,每一糖残基相对于链中前面的糖残基旋转约180度。这就要求该酶在
生物合成过程中考虑“上/下”交替的构型。与非机动性转移酶类似,具有单个活性部位的酶必须在每第二次合成步骤中适应扭曲的糖苷键。另一个提案是酶可能在
聚合物合成之前组装二糖供体,解决“上/下”构象问题。我们提供了令人信服的证据,表明这后一种假设是不正确的。