title: Crystal structure of the surfactin synthetase-activating enzyme sfp: a prototype of the 4'-phosphopantetheinyl transferase superfamily.
abstract: The Bacillus subtilis Sfp protein activates the peptidyl carrier protein (PCP) domains of surfactin synthetase by transferring the 4'-phosphopantetheinyl moiety of coenzyme A (CoA) to a serine residue conserved in all PCPs. Its wide PCP substrate spectrum renders Sfp a biotechnologically valuable enzyme for use in combinatorial non-ribosomal peptide synthesis. The structure of the Sfp-CoA complex determined at 1.8 A resolution reveals a novel alpha/beta-fold exhibiting an unexpected intramolecular 2-fold pseudosymmetry. This suggests a similar fold and dimerization mode for the homodimeric phosphopantetheinyl transferases such as acyl carrier protein synthase. The active site of Sfp accommodates a magnesium ion, which is complexed by the CoA pyrophosphate, the side chains of three acidic amino acids and one water molecule. CoA is bound in a fashion that differs in many aspects from all known CoA-protein complex structures. The structure reveals regions likely to be involved in the interaction with the PCP substrate.
authors.affiliation: Institut für Molekularbiologie und Tumorforschung, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Emil-Mannkopff-Strasse 2, D-35037 Marburg.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Reuter
authors.forename: M R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Mofid
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Marahiel
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ficner
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001412:Bacillus subtilis / Q000201:enzymology; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000737:chemistry; D002384:Catalysis; D003065:Coenzyme A / Q000737:chemistry; D018360:Crystallography, X-Ray; D008956:Models, Chemical; D008958:Models, Molecular; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D011487:Protein Conformation; D017510:Protein Folding; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000737:chemistry; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D017855:Transferases (Other Substituted Phosphate Groups) / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; C082662:phosphopantetheinyl transferase; D017855:Transferases (Other Substituted Phosphate Groups); D003065:Coenzyme A