Thiolase is the first enzyme catalysing the condensation of two acetyl-coenzyme A (CoA) molecules to form acetoacetyl-CoA in a dedicated pathway towards the biosynthesis of n-butanol, an important solvent and biofuel. Here we elucidate the crystal structure of Clostridium acetobutylicum thiolase (CaTHL) in its reduced/oxidized states. CaTHL, unlike those from other aerobic bacteria such as Escherichia coli and Zoogloea ramegera, is regulated by the redox-switch modulation through reversible disulfide bond formation between two catalytic cysteine residues, Cys88 and Cys378. When CaTHL is overexpressed in wild-type C. acetobutylicum, butanol production is reduced due to the disturbance of acidogenic to solventogenic shift. The CaTHLV77Q/N153Y/A286K mutant, which is not able to form disulfide bonds, exhibits higher activity than wild-type CaTHL, and enhances butanol production upon overexpression. On the basis of these results, we suggest that CaTHL functions as a key enzyme in the regulation of the main metabolism of C. acetobutylicum through a redox-switch regulatory mechanism.

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b Penicillin-binding proteins (PBPs), which catalyze the biosynthesis of the peptidoglycan chain of the bacterial cell wall, are the major molecular target of bacterial antibiotics. Here, we present the crystal structures of the bifunctional peptidoglycan glycosyltransferase (GT)/transpeptidase (TP) PBP4 from Listeria monocytogenes in the apo-form and covalently linked to two ␤-lactam antibiotics, ampicillin and carbenicillin. The orientation of the TP domain with respect to the GT domain is distinct from that observed in the previously reported structures of bifunctional PBPs, suggesting interdomain flexibility. In this structure, the active site of the GT domain is occluded by the close apposition of the linker domain, which supports the hypothesis that interdomain flexibility is related to the regulation of GT activity. The acylated structures reveal the mode of action of ␤-lactam antibiotics toward the class A PBP4 from the human pathogen L. monocytogenes. Ampicillin and carbenicillin can access the active site and be acylated without requiring a structural rearrangement. In addition, the active site of the TP domain in the apoform is occupied by the tartrate molecule via extensive hydrogen bond interactions with the catalytically important residues; thus, derivatives of the tartrate molecule may be useful in the search for new antibiotics to inhibit PBPs.

Carbohydrate-active enzymes (CAZymes) regulate the synthesis, degradation, and modification of the poly-and oligosaccharides in all three kingdoms of life. A novel carbohydrate acetylesterase from Sinorhizobium meliloti, designated SmAcE1, was identified, characterized, and crystallized. This SmAcE1 is classified into the carbohydrate esterase family 3 (CE3) based on the sequence alignments with other currently known carbohydrate esterase (CE) family enzymes. The SmAcE1 was crystallized as a hexamer in a space group P2 1 2 1 2 1 with the unit cell parameters: a = 99.12 Å, b = 148.88 Å, c = 149.84 Å, and α = β = γ = 90.00 • . The diffraction data set was collected up to a 2.05 Å resolution. Hydrolysis activity of SmAcE1 towards glucose pentaacetate and cellulose acetate was further confirmed using acetic acid release assay. Further crystallographic and functional analyses studies on SmAcE1 would be followed to fully understand the reaction mechanisms of CEs.

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