High resolution crystal structure of the catalytic domain of MCR-1
Ma, G., Zhu, Y., Yu, Z., Ahmad, A., Zhang, H.(2016) Sci Rep 6: 39540-39540
- PubMed: 28000749 
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/srep39540
- Primary Citation of Related Structures:  
5GRR - PubMed Abstract: 
The newly identified mobile colistin resistant gene (mcr-1) rapidly spread among different bacterial strains and confers colistin resistance to its host, which has become a global concern. Based on sequence alignment, MCR-1 should be a phosphoethanolamine transferase, members of the YhjW/YjdB/YijP superfamily and catalyze the addition of phosphoethanolamine to lipid A, which needs to be validated experimentally. Here we report the first high-resolution crystal structure of the C-terminal catalytic domain of MCR-1 (MCR-1C) in its native state. The active pocket of native MCR-1C depicts unphosphorylated nucleophilic residue Thr285 in coordination with two Zinc ions and water molecules. A flexible adjacent active site loop (aa: Lys348-365) pose an open conformation compared to its structural homologues, suggesting of an open substrate entry channel. Taken together, this structure sets ground for further study of substrate binding and MCR-1 catalytic mechanism in development of potential therapeutic agents.
Organizational Affiliation: 
Department of Biology and Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Cell Microenvironment, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China.