title: The solution structure of acyl carrier protein from Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
abstract: Acyl carrier protein (ACP) performs the essential function of shuttling the intermediates between the enzymes that constitute the type II fatty acid synthase system. Mycobacterium tuberculosis is unique in producing extremely long mycolic acids, and tubercular ACP, AcpM, is also unique in possessing a longer carboxyl terminus than other ACPs. We determined the solution structure of AcpM using protein NMR spectroscopy to define the similarities and differences between AcpM and the typical structures. The amino-terminal region of the structure is well defined and consists of four helices arranged in a right-handed bundle held together by interhelical hydrophobic interactions similar to the structures of other bacterial ACPs. The unique carboxyl-terminal extension from helix IV has a "melted down" feature, and the end of the molecule is a random coil. A comparison of the apo- and holo-forms of AcpM revealed that the 4'-phosphopantetheine group oscillates between two states; in one it is bound to a hydrophobic groove on the surface of AcpM, and in another it is solvent-exposed. The similarity between AcpM and other ACPs reveals the conserved structural motif that is recognized by all type II enzymes. However, the function of the coil domain extending from helix IV to the carboxyl terminus remains enigmatic, but its structural characteristics suggest that it may interact with the very long chain intermediates in mycolic acid biosynthesis or control specific protein-protein interactions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Structural Biology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee 38105, USA.
authors.forename: Hing C
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Wong
authors.forename: Gaohua
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Yong-Mei
authors.initials: YM
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Charles O
authors.initials: CO
authors.lastname: Rock
authors.forename: Jie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zheng
mesh_terms: D000213:Acyl Carrier Protein / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics; D000215:Acylation; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D015698:Genomic Library; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; D013058:Mass Spectrometry; D008958:Models, Molecular; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009169:Mycobacterium tuberculosis / Q000378:metabolism*; D011487:Protein Conformation; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000737:chemistry; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid
chemical_list: D000213:Acyl Carrier Protein; D011994:Recombinant Proteins