4j09

Publication Abstract from PubMed

UDP-N-acetylglucosamine acyltransferase (LpxA) and UDP-3-O-(acyl)-glucosamine acyltransferase (LpxD) constitute the essential, early acyltransferases of lipid A biosynthesis. Recently, an antimicrobial peptide inhibitor, RJPXD33, was identified with dual affinity for LpxA and LpxD. To gain a fundamental understanding of the molecular basis of inhibitor binding, we determined the crystal structure of LpxA from Escherichia coli in complex with RJPXD33 at 1.9 A resolutions. Our results suggest that the peptide binds in a unique modality that mimics (R)-beta-hydroxyacyl pantetheine binding to LpxA and displays how the peptide binds exclusive of the native substrate, acyl-acyl carrier protein. Acyltransferase binding studies with photo-labile RJPXD33 probes and truncations of RJPXD33 validated the structure and provided fundamental insights for future design of small molecule inhibitors. Overlay of the LpxA-RJPXD33 structure with E. coli LpxD identified a complementary peptide binding pocket within LpxD and serves as a model for further biochemical characterization of RJPXD33 binding to LpxD.

Structural Basis for the Recognition of Peptide RJPXD33 by Acyltransferases in Lipid A Biosynthesis.,Jenkins RJ, Heslip KA, Meagher JL, Stuckey JA, Dotson GD J Biol Chem. 2014 May 30;289(22):15527-15535. Epub 2014 Apr 16. PMID:24742680^[1]

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