Structural data are available in the PDB under the accession number 5YIO.

Hydroperoxides are reactive oxygen species (ROS) that are toxic to all cells and must be converted into the corresponding alcohols to alleviate oxidative stress. In Escherichia coli, the enzyme primarily responsible for this reaction is alkylhydroperoxide reductase (AhpR). Here, the crystal structures of both of the subunits of EcAhpR, EcAhpF (57 kDa) and EcAhpC (21 kDa), have been solved. The EcAhpF structures (2.0 and 2.65 Å resolution) reveal an open and elongated conformation, while that of EcAhpC (3.3 Å resolution) forms a decameric ring. Solution X-ray scattering analysis of EcAhpF unravels the flexibility of its N-terminal domain, and its binding to EcAhpC was demonstrated by isothermal titration calorimetry. These studies suggest a novel overall mechanistic model of AhpR as a hydroperoxide scavenger, in which the dimeric, extended AhpF prefers complex formation with the AhpC ring to accelerate the catalytic activity and thus to increase the chance of rescuing the cell from ROS.

Previously, we showed that a major in vitro and in vivo mechanism of resistance to pyrazinoic acid (POA), the bioactive component of the critical tuberculosis (TB) prodrug pyrazinamide (PZA), involves missense mutations in the aspartate decarboxylase PanD, an enzyme required for coenzyme A biosynthesis. What is the mechanism of action of POA? Upon demonstrating that treatment of M. bovis BCG with POA resulted in a depletion of intracellular coenzyme A and confirming that this POA-mediated depletion is prevented by either missense mutations in PanD or exogenous supplementation of pantothenate, we hypothesized that POA binds to PanD and that this binding blocks the biosynthetic pathway. Here, we confirm both hypotheses. First, metabolomic analyses showed that POA treatment resulted in a reduction of the concentrations of all coenzyme A precursors downstream of the PanD-mediated catalytic step. Second, using isothermal titration calorimetry, we established that POA, but not its prodrug PZA, binds to PanD. Binding was abolished for mutant PanD proteins. Taken together, these findings support a mechanism of action of POA in which the bioactive component of PZA inhibits coenzyme A biosynthesis via binding to aspartate decarboxylase PanD. Together with previous works, these results establish PanD as a genetically, metabolically, and biophysically validated target of PZA.

Modulation of intracellular guanosine 3′,5′‐bispyrophosphate ((p)ppGpp) level, the effector of the stringent response, is crucial for survival as well as optimal growth of prokaryotes and, thus, for bacterial pathogenesis and dormancy. In Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), (p)ppGpp synthesis and degradation are carried out by the bifunctional enzyme MtRel, which consists of 738 residues, including an N‐terminal hydrolase‐ and synthetase‐domain (N‐terminal domain or NTD) and a C‐terminus with a ribosome‐binding site. Here, we present the first crystallographic structure of the enzymatically active MtRel NTD determined at 3.7 Å resolution. The structure provides insights into the residues of MtRel NTD responsible for nucleotide binding. Small‐angle X‐ray scattering experiments were performed to investigate the dimeric state of the MtRel NTD and possible substrate‐dependent structural alterations.

2-Cys peroxiredoxins (Prxs) are a large family of peroxidases, responsible for antioxidant function and regulation in cell signaling, apoptosis and differentiation. The Escherichia coli alkylhydroperoxide reductase (AhpR) is a prototype of the Prxs-family, and is composed of an NADH-dependent AhpF reductase (57 kDa) and AhpC (21 kDa), catalyzing the reduction of H2O2. We show that the E. coli AhpC (EcAhpC, 187 residues) forms a decameric ring structure under reduced and close to physiological conditions, composed of five catalytic dimers. Single particle analysis of cryo-electron micrographs of C-terminal truncated (EcAhpC1 -172 and EcAhpC1 -182) and mutated forms of EcAhpC reveals the loss of decamer formation, indicating the importance of the very C-terminus of AhpC in dimer to decamer transition. The crystallographic structures of the truncated EcAhpC1 -172 and EcAhpC1 -182 demonstrate for the first time that, in contrast to the reduced form, the very C-terminus of the oxidized EcAhpC is oriented away from the AhpC dimer interface and away from the catalytic redox-center, reflecting structural rearrangements during redox-modulation and -oligomerization. Furthermore, using an ensemble of different truncated and mutated EcAhpC protein constructs the importance of the very C-terminus in AhpC activity and in AhpC-AhpF assembly has been demonstrated.