PMID: 10048931 , Related PDB ids: 1B0P, 2PDA

Authors:

Chabriere E, Charon MH, Volbeda A, Pieulle L, Hatchikian EC, Fontecilla-Camps JC

Title:

Crystal structures of the key anaerobic enzyme pyruvate:ferredoxin oxidoreductase, free and in complex with pyruvate.

Journal:

Nat Struct Biol. 1999 Feb;6(2):182-90.

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.