title: Comparative analysis of glutaredoxin domains from bacterial opportunistic pathogens.
abstract: Glutaredoxin proteins (GLXRs) are essential components of the glutathione system that reductively detoxify substances such as arsenic and peroxides and are important in the synthesis of DNA via ribonucleotide reductases. NMR solution structures of glutaredoxin domains from two Gram-negative opportunistic pathogens, Brucella melitensis and Bartonella henselae, are presented. These domains lack the N-terminal helix that is frequently present in eukaryotic GLXRs. The conserved active-site cysteines adopt canonical proline/tyrosine-stabilized geometries. A difference in the angle of α-helix 2 relative to the β-sheet surface and the presence of an extended loop in the human sequence suggests potential regulatory regions and/or protein-protein interaction motifs. This observation is consistent with mutations in this region that suppress defects in GLXR-ribonucleotide reductase interactions. These differences between the human and bacterial forms are adjacent to the dithiol active site and may permit species-selective drug design.
authors: School of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA. tleeper@uakron.edu
authors: Thomas
authors: T
authors: Leeper
authors: Suxin
authors: S
authors: Zhang
authors: Wesley C
authors: WC
authors: Van Voorhis
authors: Peter J
authors: PJ
authors: Myler
authors: Gabriele
authors: G
authors: Varani
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000737:chemistry*; D018416:Bartonella henselae / Q000737:chemistry*; D017347:Brucella melitensis / Q000737:chemistry*; D054477:Glutaredoxins / Q000737:chemistry*; D006801:Humans; D008958:Models, Molecular; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D040681:Structural Homology, Protein
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D054477:Glutaredoxins