Download MendeleyX-ray Structures of Threonine Aldolase Complexes: Structural Basis of Substrate Recognition
Kielkopf, C.L., Burley, S.K.(2002) Biochemistry 41: 11711-11720
- PubMed: 12269813
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.1021/bi020393+
- Primary Citation of Related Structures:
1LW4, 1LW5, 1M6S - PubMed Abstract:
L-Threonine acetaldehyde-lyase (threonine aldolase, TA) is a pyridoxal-5'-phosphate-dependent (PLP) enzyme that catalyzes conversion of L-threonine or L-allo-threonine to glycine and acetaldehyde in a secondary glycine biosynthetic pathway. X-ray structures of Thermatoga maritima TA have been determined as the apo-enzyme at 1.8 A resolution and bound to substrate L-allo-threonine and product glycine at 1.9 and 2.0 A resolution, respectively. Despite low pairwise sequence identities, TA is a member of aspartate aminotransferase (AATase) fold family of PLP enzymes. The enzyme forms a 222 homotetramer with the PLP cofactor bound via a Schiff-base linkage to Lys199 within a domain interface. The structure reveals bound calcium and chloride ions that appear to contribute to catalysis and oligomerization, respectively. Although L-threonine and L-allo-threonine are substrates for T. maritima TA, enzymatic assays revealed a strong preference for L-allo-threonine. Structures of the external aldimines with substrate/product reveal a pair of histidines that may provide flexibility in substrate recognition. Variation in the threonine binding pocket may explain preferences for L-allo-threonine versus L-threonine among TA family members.
Organizational Affiliation:
Laboratories of Molecular Biophysics and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, The Rockefeller University, 1230 York Avenue, New York, NY 10021, USA.
