Structural Basis for the Antibiotic Resistance of Eukaryotic Isoleucyl-tRNA Synthetase.
Chung, S., Kim, S., Ryu, S.H., Hwang, K.Y., Cho, Y.(2020) Mol Cells 43: 350-359
- PubMed: 32088946 
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.14348/molcells.2020.2287
- Primary Citation of Related Structures:  
6LDK - PubMed Abstract: 
Pathogenic aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases (ARSs) are attractive targets for anti-infective agents because their catalytic active sites are different from those of human ARSs. Mupirocin is a topical antibiotic that specifically inhibits bacterial isoleucy-ltRNA synthetase (IleRS), resulting in a block to protein synthesis. Previous studies on Thermus thermophilus IleRS indicated that mupirocin-resistance of eukaryotic IleRS is primarily due to differences in two amino acids, His581 and Leu583, in the active site. However, without a eukaryotic IleRS structure, the structural basis for mupirocin-resistance of eukaryotic IleRS remains elusive. Herein, we determined the crystal structure of Candida albicans IleRS complexed with Ile-AMP at 2.9 Å resolution. The largest difference between eukaryotic and prokaryotic IleRS enzymes is closure of the active site pocket by Phe55 in the HIGH loop; Arg410 in the CP core loop; and the second Lys in the KMSKR loop. The Ile-AMP product is lodged in a closed active site, which may restrict its release and thereby enhance catalytic efficiency. The compact active site also prevents the optimal positioning of the 9-hydroxynonanoic acid of mupirocin and plays a critical role in resistance of eukaryotic IleRS to anti-infective agents.
Organizational Affiliation: 
Department of Life Sciences, Pohang University of Science and Technology, Pohang 37673, Korea.