Structural and biochemical characterization of a bifunctional ketoisomerase/N-acetyltransferase from Shewanella denitrificans

Biochemistry. 2013 Nov 19;52(46):8374-85. doi: 10.1021/bi401170t. Epub 2013 Nov 4.

Abstract

Unusual N-acetylated sugars have been observed on the O-antigens of some Gram-negative bacteria and on the S-layers of both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. One such sugar is 3-acetamido-3,6-dideoxy-α-d-galactose or Fuc3NAc. The pathway for its production requires five enzymes with the first step involving the attachment of dTMP to glucose-1-phosphate. Here, we report a structural and biochemical characterization of a bifunctional enzyme from Shewanella denitificans thought to be involved in the biosynthesis of dTDP-Fuc3NAc. On the basis of a bioinformatics analysis, the enzyme, hereafter referred to as FdtD, has been postulated to catalyze the third and fifth steps in the pathway, namely, a 3,4-keto isomerization and an N-acetyltransferase reaction. For the X-ray analysis reported here, the enzyme was crystallized in the presence of dTDP and CoA. The crystal structure shows that FdtD adopts a hexameric quaternary structure with 322 symmetry. Each subunit of the hexamer folds into two distinct domains connected by a flexible loop. The N-terminal domain adopts a left-handed β-helix motif and is responsible for the N-acetylation reaction. The C-terminal domain folds into an antiparallel flattened β-barrel that harbors the active site responsible for the isomerization reaction. Biochemical assays verify the two proposed catalytic activities of the enzyme and reveal that the 3,4-keto isomerization event leads to the inversion of configuration about the hexose C-4' carbon.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

  • Acetylgalactosamine / analogs & derivatives*
  • Acetylgalactosamine / biosynthesis
  • Acetyltransferases / chemistry*
  • Acetyltransferases / metabolism
  • Bacterial Proteins / chemistry*
  • Bacterial Proteins / metabolism
  • Carbohydrate Epimerases / chemistry*
  • Carbohydrate Epimerases / metabolism
  • Catalytic Domain
  • Crystallography, X-Ray
  • Deoxy Sugars / biosynthesis*
  • Fucose / analogs & derivatives*
  • Fucose / biosynthesis
  • Intramolecular Oxidoreductases / chemistry*
  • Intramolecular Oxidoreductases / metabolism
  • Models, Molecular
  • Multifunctional Enzymes / chemistry*
  • Multifunctional Enzymes / metabolism
  • Protein Structure, Quaternary
  • Shewanella / enzymology*
  • Thymine Nucleotides / metabolism

Substances

  • 3-acetamido-3,6-dideoxy-D-galactose
  • Bacterial Proteins
  • Deoxy Sugars
  • Multifunctional Enzymes
  • Thymine Nucleotides
  • Fucose
  • Acetyltransferases
  • Carbohydrate Epimerases
  • Intramolecular Oxidoreductases
  • Acetylgalactosamine