Structures of pyruvate kinases display evolutionarily divergent allosteric strategies

DOI: 10.1098/rsos.140120
PMID: 26064527

Authors: Hugh P. Morgan (University of Edinburgh) , Wenhe Zhong (University of Edinburgh) , Iain W. Mcnae (University of Edinburgh) , Paul A. M. Michels (University of Edinburgh) , Linda A. Fothergill-Gilmore (University of Edinburgh) , Malcolm D. Walkinshaw (University of Edinburgh)
Co-authored by industrial partner: No

Type: Journal Paper
Journal: Royal Society Open Science , VOL 1 , PAGES 140120 - 140120

State: Published (Approved)
Published: September 2014
Diamond Proposal Number(s): 7613

Abstract: The transition between the inactive T-state (apoenzyme) and active R-state (effector bound enzyme) of Trypanosoma cruzi pyruvate kinase (PYK) is accompanied by a symmetrical 8° rigid body rocking motion of the A- and C-domain cores in each of the four subunits, coupled with the formation of additional salt bridges across two of the four subunit interfaces. These salt bridges provide increased tetramer stability correlated with an enhanced specificity constant (kcat/S0.5). A detailed kinetic and structural comparison between the potential drug target PYKs from the pathogenic protists T. cruzi, T. brucei and Leishmania mexicana shows that their allosteric mechanism is conserved. By contrast, a structural comparison of trypanosomatid PYKs with the evolutionarily divergent PYKs of humans and of bacteria shows that they have adopted different allosteric strategies. The underlying principle in each case is to maximize (kcat/S0.5) by stabilizing and rigidifying the tetramer in an active R-state conformation. However, bacterial and mammalian PYKs have evolved alternative ways of locking the tetramers together. In contrast to the divergent allosteric mechanisms, the PYK active sites are highly conserved across species. Selective disruption of the varied allosteric mechanisms may therefore provide a useful approach for the design of species-specific inhibitors.

Journal Keywords: Apoenzyme; Effector Bound Enzyme; Leishmania; Specificity Constant; Tetramer Stability; Trypanosoma

Diamond Keywords: Enzymes; Sleeping Sickness; Leishmaniasis; Chagas Disease

Subject Areas: Biology and Bio-materials, Medicine


Instruments: I03-Macromolecular Crystallography , I04-Macromolecular Crystallography

Added On: 14/09/2015 11:46

Documents:
rsos.140120.pdf

Discipline Tags:

Infectious Diseases Disease in the Developing World Health & Wellbeing Structural biology Drug Discovery Life Sciences & Biotech Parasitology

Technical Tags:

Diffraction Macromolecular Crystallography (MX)