Biomaterial Database

Crystal structure of a dodecameric tetrahedral-shaped aminopeptidase. 2004

Santina Russo, and Ulrich Baumann

Departement für Chemie und Biochemie, University of Berne, Freiestrasse 3, CH-3012 Bern, Switzerland.

Protein turnover is an essential process in living cells. The degradation of cytosolic polypeptides is mainly carried out by the proteasome, resulting in 7-9-amino acid long peptides. Further degradation is usually carried out by energy-independent proteases like the tricorn protease from Thermoplasma acidophilum. Recently, a novel tetrahedral-shaped dodecameric 480-kDa aminopeptidase complex (TET) has been described in Haloarcula marismortui that differs from the known ring- or barrel-shaped self-compartmentalizing proteases. This complex is capable of degrading most peptides down to amino acids. We present here the crystal structure of the tetrahedral aminopeptidase homolog FrvX from Pyrococcus horikoshii. The monomer has a typical clan MH fold, as found for example in Aeromonas proteolytica aminopeptidase, containing a dinuclear zinc active center. The quaternary structure is built by dimers with a length of 100 A that form the edges of the tetrahedron. All 12 active sites are located on the inside of the tetrahedron. Substrate access is granted by pores with a maximal diameter of 10 A, allowing only small peptides and unfolded proteins access to the active site.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D008958	Models, Molecular	Models used experimentally or theoretically to study molecular shape, electronic properties, or interactions; includes analogous molecules, computer-generated graphics, and mechanical structures.	Molecular Models,Model, Molecular,Molecular Model
D008969	Molecular Sequence Data	Descriptions of specific amino acid, carbohydrate, or nucleotide sequences which have appeared in the published literature and/or are deposited in and maintained by databanks such as GENBANK, European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), National Biomedical Research Foundation (NBRF), or other sequence repositories.	Sequence Data, Molecular,Molecular Sequencing Data,Data, Molecular Sequence,Data, Molecular Sequencing,Sequencing Data, Molecular
D011487	Protein Conformation	The characteristic 3-dimensional shape of a protein, including the secondary, supersecondary (motifs), tertiary (domains) and quaternary structure of the peptide chain. PROTEIN STRUCTURE, QUATERNARY describes the conformation assumed by multimeric proteins (aggregates of more than one polypeptide chain).	Conformation, Protein,Conformations, Protein,Protein Conformations
D003600	Cytosol	Intracellular fluid from the cytoplasm after removal of ORGANELLES and other insoluble cytoplasmic components.	Cytosols
D000595	Amino Acid Sequence	The order of amino acids as they occur in a polypeptide chain. This is referred to as the primary structure of proteins. It is of fundamental importance in determining PROTEIN CONFORMATION.	Protein Structure, Primary,Amino Acid Sequences,Sequence, Amino Acid,Sequences, Amino Acid,Primary Protein Structure,Primary Protein Structures,Protein Structures, Primary,Structure, Primary Protein,Structures, Primary Protein
D000596	Amino Acids	Organic compounds that generally contain an amino (-NH2) and a carboxyl (-COOH) group. Twenty alpha-amino acids are the subunits which are polymerized to form proteins.	Amino Acid,Acid, Amino,Acids, Amino
D000626	Aminopeptidases	A subclass of EXOPEPTIDASES that act on the free N terminus end of a polypeptide liberating a single amino acid residue. EC 3.4.11.	Aminopeptidase
D001665	Binding Sites	The parts of a macromolecule that directly participate in its specific combination with another molecule.	Combining Site,Binding Site,Combining Sites,Site, Binding,Site, Combining,Sites, Binding,Sites, Combining
D013379	Substrate Specificity	A characteristic feature of enzyme activity in relation to the kind of substrate on which the enzyme or catalytic molecule reacts.	Specificities, Substrate,Specificity, Substrate,Substrate Specificities
D015032	Zinc	A metallic element of atomic number 30 and atomic weight 65.38. It is a necessary trace element in the diet, forming an essential part of many enzymes, and playing an important role in protein synthesis and in cell division. Zinc deficiency is associated with ANEMIA, short stature, HYPOGONADISM, impaired WOUND HEALING, and geophagia. It is known by the symbol Zn.