Structural highlights
Function[DUT_MYCTA] This enzyme is involved in nucleotide metabolism: it produces dUMP, the immediate precursor of thymidine nucleotides and it decreases the intracellular concentration of dUTP so that uracil cannot be incorporated into DNA. Publication Abstract from PubMedArginine finger is a highly conserved and essential residue in many GTPase and AAA+ ATPase enzymes that completes the active site from a distinct protomer, forming contacts with the gamma-phosphate of the nucleotide. To date, no pyrophosphatase has been identified that employs an arginine finger fulfilling all the above properties, all essential arginine fingers are used to catalyze the cleavage of the gamma-phosphate. Here, we identify and unveil the role of a conserved arginine residue in trimeric dUTPases that meets all the criteria established for arginine fingers. We found that the conserved arginine adjacent to the P-loop-like motif enables structural organization of the active site for efficient catalysis via its direct nucleotide coordination, while its direct electrostatic role in transition state stabilization is secondary. An exhaustive structure-based comparison of analogous, conserved arginines from nucleotide hydrolases and transferases revealed a consensus amino acid location and orientation for contacting the gamma-phosphate of the substrate nucleotide. Despite the structurally equivalent position, functional differences between arginine fingers of dUTPases and NTPases are explained based on the unique chemistry performed by the pyrophosphatase dUTPases. Structural Characterization of Arginine Fingers: Identification of an Arginine Finger for the Pyrophosphatase dUTPases.,Nagy GN, Suardiaz R, Lopata A, Ozohanics O, Vekey K, Brooks BR, Leveles I, Toth J, Vertessy BG, Rosta E J Am Chem Soc. 2016 Oct 14. PMID:27740761[1] From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine. See AlsoReferences
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