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Publication Abstract from PubMed

Nudix proteins, formerly called MutT homolog proteins, are a large family of proteins that play an important role in reducing the accumulation of potentially toxic compounds inside the cell. They hydrolyze a wide variety of substrates that are mainly composed of a nucleoside diphosphate linked to some other moiety X and thus are called Nudix hydrolases. Here, the crystal structure of a Nudix hydrolase from the hyperthermophilic archaeon Pyrobaculum aerophilum is reported. The structure was determined by the single-wavelength anomalous scattering method with data collected at the peak anomalous wavelength of an iridium-derivatized crystal. It reveals an extensive dimer interface, with each subunit contributing two strands to the beta-sheet of the other subunit. Individual subunits consist of a mixed highly twisted and curved beta-sheet of 11 beta-strands and two alpha-helices, forming an alpha-beta-alpha sandwich. The conserved Nudix box signature motif, which contains the essential catalytic residues, is located at the first alpha-helix and the beta-strand and loop preceding it. The unusually short connections between secondary-structural elements, together with the dimer form of the structure, are likely to contribute to the thermostability of the P. aerophilum Nudix protein.

Structure of a Nudix protein from Pyrobaculum aerophilum reveals a dimer with two intersubunit beta-sheets.,Wang S, Mura C, Sawaya MR, Cascio D, Eisenberg D Acta Crystallogr D Biol Crystallogr. 2002 Apr;58(Pt 4):571-8. Epub 2002, Mar 22. PMID:11914479^[1]

From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.