Anthranilate phosphoribosyltransferase (TrpD; EC 2.4.2.18) from the hyperthermophilic archaeon Sulfolobus solfataricus (ssTrpD) was expressed in Escherichia coli, purified and crystallized. Analytical gel permeation chromatography revealed a homodimeric composition of the enzyme. The steady‐state kinetic characteristics suggest tight binding of the substrate anthranilic acid and efficient catalysis at the physiological growth temperature of S. solfataricus. Crystals of ssTrpD diffract to better than 2.6 Å resolution and preliminary X‐ray characterization was carried out. The crystals are suitable for structure determination.
Tryptophan Biosynthetic Genes in Eukaryotic Microorganisms
作者:R Hutter、P Niederberger、J A DeMoss
DOI:10.1146/annurev.mi.40.100186.000415
日期:1986.10
In recent years more information about tryptophan biosynthesis in eukaryotic microorganisms has become available. The emphasis has been on genetics and biochemistry of the pathway. Eukaryotes manifest a trend toward fewer genes and toward multifunctional proteins, while prokaryotes have a greater tendency toward separate activity domains but the genes tend to be clustered genetically. Cloning of various structural tryptophan biosynthetic genes and studies on their expression in homologous and heterologous hosts have made it possible to analyze promoter structures in detail and to define structural elements involved in regulated gene expression. Comparisons of homologous genes from different organisms have highlighted the conservation of the activity domains or parts therefrom involved in the catalysis of single steps. These studies also point to a stringent maintenance of domains responsible for protein-protein aggregation. Physiological studies will be facilitated by the availability of single cloned genes and especially the artificial gene cluster containing all five TRP genes from yeast. The range of physiological manipulation has thus been enormously broadened. With chromosomal mutations it has been possible to study primarily downward modulation of a pathway. We can now initiate studies on upward modulation, since enzyme levels appear to increase in proportion to gene dose. The new range of downward and upward modulation in the levels of single enzymes and combinations of enzymes may contribute to a better understanding of flux regulation and its influence on the overall physiology of an organism.
Two‐fold repeated (βα)
<sub>4</sub>
half‐barrels may provide a molecular tool for dual substrate specificity
Some bacterial genomes contain an incomplete set of genes encoding phosphoribosyl isomerases, raising the question of whether there exists broadened substrate specificity for the missing gene products. To investigate the underlying molecular principles of this hypothesis, we have determined the crystal structure of the bifunctional enzyme PriA from Streptomyces coelicolor at 1.8 Angstrom resolution. It consists of a (betaalpha)(8)-barrel fold that is assembled by two symmetric (betaalpha)(4) half-barrels. The structure shows how its active site may catalyse the isomerization reactions of two different substrates, and we provide a plausible model of how the smaller of the two substrates could be bound in two different orientations. Our findings expand the half-barrel ancestor concept by demonstrating that symmetry-related half-barrels could provide a smart solution to cope with dual substrate specificity. The data may help to unravel molecular rationales regarding how organisms with miniature genomes can keep central biological pathways functional.