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1: Science. 1993 Feb 12;259(5097):965-7.Click here to read Links

Structure of the thiamine- and flavin-dependent enzyme pyruvate oxidase.

Institut für Organische Chemie und Biochemie, Albert-Ludwigs-Universität, Freiburg, Germany.

Pyruvate oxidase from Lactobacillus plantarum is a tetrameric enzyme that decarboxylates pyruvate, producing hydrogen peroxide and the energy-storage metabolite acetylphosphate. Structure determination at 2.1 angstroms showed that the cofactors thiamine pyrophosphate (TPP) and flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD) are bound at the carboxyl termini of six-stranded parallel beta sheets. The pyrophosphate moiety of TPP is bound to a metal ion and to a beta alpha alpha beta unit corresponding to an established sequence fingerprint. The spatial arrangement of TPP and FAD suggests that the oxidation of the oxyethyl intermediate does not occur by hydride displacement but rather by a two-step transfer of two electrons.

PMID: 8438155 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Structures reported by this article

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    Thiamine is a vitamin used by the body to break down sugars in the diet. The medication helps correct nerve and heart problems that occur when a person's diet does not contain enough thiamine.