Download MendeleyCrystal structures of the key anaerobic enzyme pyruvate:ferredoxin oxidoreductase, free and in complex with pyruvate.
Chabriere, E., Charon, M.H., Volbeda, A., Pieulle, L., Hatchikian, E.C., Fontecilla-Camps, J.C.(1999) Nat Struct Biol 6: 182-190
- PubMed: 10048931
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/5870
- Primary Citation of Related Structures:
1B0P, 2PDA - PubMed Abstract:
Oxidative decarboxylation of pyruvate to form acetyl-coenzyme A, a crucial step in many metabolic pathways, is carried out in most aerobic organisms by the multienzyme complex pyruvate dehydrogenase. In most anaerobes, the same reaction is usually catalyzed by a single enzyme, pyruvate:ferredoxin oxidoreductase (PFOR). Thus, PFOR is a potential target for drug design against certain anaerobic pathogens. Here, we report the crystal structures of the homodimeric Desulfovibrio africanus PFOR (data to 2.3 A resolution), and of its complex with pyruvate (3.0 A resolution). The structures show that each subunit consists of seven domains, one of which affords protection against oxygen. The thiamin pyrophosphate (TPP) cofactor and the three [4Fe-4S] clusters are suitably arranged to provide a plausible electron transfer pathway. In addition, the PFOR-pyruvate complex structure shows the noncovalent fixation of the substrate before the catalytic reaction.
Organizational Affiliation:
Laboratoire de Cristallographie et de Cristallogénèse des Protéines, Institut de Biologie Structurale J.-P. Ebel CEA-CNRS, Grenoble, France.
