Structural highlights
Function
[LUXS_BACSU] Involved in the synthesis of autoinducer 2 (AI-2) which is secreted by bacteria and is used to communicate both the cell density and the metabolic potential of the environment. The regulation of gene expression in response to changes in cell density is called quorum sensing. Catalyzes the transformation of S-ribosylhomocysteine (RHC) to homocysteine (HC) and 4,5-dihydroxy-2,3-pentadione (DPD).[HAMAP-Rule:MF_00091]
Evolutionary Conservation
Check, as determined by ConSurfDB. You may read the explanation of the method and the full data available from ConSurf.
Publication Abstract from PubMed
The ability of bacteria to regulate gene expression in response to changes in cell density is termed quorum sensing. This behavior involves the synthesis and recognition of extracellular, hormone-like compounds known as autoinducers. Here we report the structure of an autoinducer synthase, LuxS from Bacillus subtilis, at 1.6-A resolution (R(free) = 0.204; R(work) = 0.174). LuxS is a homodimeric enzyme with a novel fold that incorporates two identical tetrahedral metal-binding sites. This metal center is composed of a Zn(2+) atom coordinated by two histidines, a cysteine, and a solvent molecule, and is reminiscent of active sites found in several peptidases and amidases. Although the nature of the autoinducer synthesized by LuxS cannot be deduced from the crystal structure, features of the putative active site suggest that LuxS might catalyze hydrolytic, but not proteolytic, cleavage of a small substrate. Our analysis represents a test of structure-based functional assignment.
Crystal structure of the quorum-sensing protein LuxS reveals a catalytic metal site.,Hilgers MT, Ludwig ML Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2001 Sep 25;98(20):11169-74. Epub 2001 Sep 11. PMID:11553770[1]
From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.
References
- ↑ Hilgers MT, Ludwig ML. Crystal structure of the quorum-sensing protein LuxS reveals a catalytic metal site. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2001 Sep 25;98(20):11169-74. Epub 2001 Sep 11. PMID:11553770 doi:10.1073/pnas.191223098
