The crystal structure of E. coli pantothenate synthetase confirms it as a member of the cytidylyltransferase superfamily.
BACKGROUND
Pantothenate synthetase (EC 6.3.2.1) is the last enzyme of the pathway of pantothenate (vitamin B(5)) synthesis. It catalyzes the condensation of pantoate with beta-alanine in an ATP-dependent reaction.


RESULTS
We describe the overexpression, purification, and crystal structure of recombinant pantothenate synthetase from E. coli. The structure was solved by a selenomethionine multiwavelength anomalous dispersion experiment and refined against native data to a final R(cryst) of 22.6% (R(free) = 24.9%) at 1.7 A resolution. The enzyme is dimeric, with two well-defined domains per protomer: the N-terminal domain, a Rossmann fold, contains the active site cavity, with the C-terminal domain forming a hinged lid.


CONCLUSIONS
The N-terminal domain is structurally very similar to class I aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases and is thus a member of the cytidylyltransferase superfamily. This relationship has been used to suggest the location of the ATP and pantoate binding sites and the nature of hinge bending that leads to the ternary enzyme-pantoate-ATP complex.
von Delft
F
F
Department of Biochemistry, 80 Tennis Court Road, CB2 1GA, Cambridge, United Kingdom.
Lewendon
A
A
Dhanaraj
V
V
Blundell
T L
TL
Abell
C
C
Smith
A G
AG
D000255:Adenosine Triphosphate / Q000378:metabolism; D018360:Crystallography, X-Ray; D019281:Dimerization; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000201:enzymology*; D015870:Gene Expression; D010453:Peptide Synthases / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D017433:Protein Structure, Secondary; D012996:Solutions; D013379:Substrate Specificity
D012996:Solutions; D000255:Adenosine Triphosphate; D010453:Peptide Synthases; C022318:pantothenate synthetase