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Title: Functional Profiling and Crystal Structures of Isothiocyanate Hydrolases Found in Gut-Associated and Plant-Pathogenic Bacteria

Journal Article · · Applied and Environmental Microbiology
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1128/AEM.00478-18· OSTI ID:1467602
 [1];  [2];  [2]; ORCiD logo [3];  [4]
  1. Radboud Univ., Nijmegen (The Netherlands)
  2. Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Lemont, IL (United States); Univ. of Chicago, Chicago, IL (United States)
  3. Radboud Univ., Nijmegen (The Netherlands); Soehngen Institute for Anaerobic Microbiology, Nijmegen (The Netherlands)
  4. Univ. of Tartu, Tartu (Estonia)

Isothiocyanates (ITCs) are produced by cruciferous plants to protect them against herbivores and infection by microbes. These compounds are of particular interest due to their antimicrobial and anticarcinogenic properties. The breakdown of ITCs in nature is catalyzed by isothiocyanate hydrolases (ITCases), a novel family within the metallo-β-lactamase (MBL)-fold superfamily of proteins. saxA genes that code for ITCases are particularly widespread in insect- and plant-associated bacteria. Enzymatic characterization of seven phylogenetically related but distinct ITCases revealed similar activities on six selected ITCs, suggesting that phylogenetic diversity does not determine the substrate specificity of ITCases. X-ray crystallography studies of two ITCases sharing 42% amino acid sequence identity revealed a highly conserved tertiary structure. Notable features of ITCases include a hydrophobic active site with two Zn2+ ions coordinating water/hydroxide and a flexible cap that is implicated in substrate recognition and covers the active site. Furthermore, this report reveals the function and structure of the previously uncharacterized family of isothiocyanate hydrolases within the otherwise relatively well-studied superfamily of metallo-β-lactamases.

Research Organization:
Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
National Institutes of Health (NIH); USDOE Office of Science (SC), Biological and Environmental Research (BER); Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO)
Grant/Contract Number:
AC02-06CH11357
OSTI ID:
1467602
Journal Information:
Applied and Environmental Microbiology, Vol. 84, Issue 14; ISSN 0099-2240
Publisher:
American Society for MicrobiologyCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 12 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science

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Cited By (1)

Single gene enables plant pathogenic Pectobacterium to overcome host‐specific chemical defence journal December 2019