title: Crystal structure of Escherichia coli UDPMurNAc-tripeptide d-alanyl-d-alanine-adding enzyme (MurF) at 2.3 A resolution.
abstract: MurF is required to catalyze the final step in the synthesis of the cytoplasmic precursor of the bacterial cell wall peptidoglycan, rendering it an attractive target for antibacterial drug development. The crystal structure of the MurF apo-enzyme has been determined using the multiwavelength anomalous dispersion method and refined to 2.3 A resolution. It contains three consecutive open alpha/beta-sheet domains. In comparison with the complex crystal structures of MurD and its substrates, The topology of the N-terminal domain of MurF is unique, while its central and C-terminal domains exhibit similar mononucleotide and dinucleotide-binding folds, respectively. The apo-enzyme of MurF crystal structure reveals an open conformation with the three domains juxtaposed in a crescent-like arrangement creating a wide-open space where substrates are expected to bind. As such, catalysis is not feasible and significant domain closure is expected upon substrate binding.
authors.affiliation: Department of Structural Biology, West Point, PA, 19486, USA. youwei_yan@merck.com
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yan
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Munshi
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Leiting
authors.forename: M S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Anderson
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Chrzas
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D000255:Adenosine Triphosphate / Q000378:metabolism; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001051:Apoenzymes / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D001665:Binding Sites; D018360:Crystallography, X-Ray; D004058:Diffusion; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000201:enzymology*; D008024:Ligands; D008958:Models, Molecular; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010453:Peptide Synthases / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D017433:Protein Structure, Secondary; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary; D016415:Sequence Alignment
chemical_list: D001051:Apoenzymes; D008024:Ligands; D000255:Adenosine Triphosphate; D010453:Peptide Synthases; C060628:UDP-N-acetylmuramoylalanyl-D-glutamyllysine-D-alanyl-D-alanine ligase; C053379:UDP-N-acetylmuramoylalanine-D-glutamate ligase