“…For phosphotransfer to be allowed, upon the binding of both substrates, an extensive hinge bending motion occurs that leads to a "closed" conformation, resulting in amalgamation of the sites. 16,17 While extensive structural studies have been carried out on the open form of PGKs from a number of sources (Kovári and Vas 18 and references cited therein), the first structure of a closed form was, until recently (see the text below), obtained only for the enzymes from Trypanosoma brucei (the causative agent of sleeping sickness) 19 and Thermotoga maritima. 20 In these works, it was shown that, in the ternary PGK·PG·ADP complex, there was a dramatic closing of the large cleft that separates the two substrate sites, thereby bringing bound PG and ADP in close proximity.…”