title: (1)H, (13)C, and (15)N chemical shift assignments for PfPMT, a phosphoethanolamine methyltransferase from Plasmodium falciparum.
abstract: Phosphoethanolamine methyltransferases (PMTs also known as PEAMTs) catalyze the three-step s-adenosyl-methionione-dependent methylation of phosphoethanolamine to form phosphocholine. These enzymes play an important function in the synthesis of phosphatidylcholine, the major phospholipid in the membranes of lower and higher eukaryotes, as well as in the production of the compatible solute and osmoprotectant glycine betaine in plants. Genetic studies in plants, Caenhorhabditis elegans and Plasmodium falciparum have demonstrated that disruption of PMT activity results in severe defects in important cellular processes such as development, replication, survival and sexual maturation and differentiation. Here we report chemical shift assignments for PfPMT, the PMT from Plasmodium falciparum. X-ray crystal structures have been recently reported for complexes of PfPMT, but the structure of the apoenzyme remains unknown. The solution structure of the apoenzyme will help to elucidate important details of the mechanism of substrate binding by PfPMT, as residues comprising the substrate binding site are inaccessible to solvent in the conformation evident in the available crystal structures. In addition to enabling determination of the solution structure of the apoenzyme, the assignments will facilitate additional investigations into the interaction of PfPMT with its substrates and inhibitors.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular, Microbial and Structural Biology, University of Connecticut Health Center, 263 Farmington Ave., Farmington, CT 6030-3305, USA.
authors.forename: Irina
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Bezsonova
authors.forename: Iulian
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Rujan
authors.forename: April M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Bobenchik
authors.forename: Vitaliy
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Gorbatyuk
authors.forename: Mark W
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Maciejewski
authors.forename: Oksana
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Gorbatyuk
authors.forename: Bing
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Hao
authors.forename: Haribabu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Arthanari
authors.forename: Choukri Ben
authors.initials: CB
authors.lastname: Mamoun
authors.forename: Jeffrey C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Hoch
mesh_terms: D008780:Methyltransferases / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D019906:Nuclear Magnetic Resonance, Biomolecular; D010963:Plasmodium falciparum / Q000201:enzymology*; D013379:Substrate Specificity
chemical_list: D008780:Methyltransferases; C102844:phosphoethanolamine methyltransferase