Structural basis for catalysis in a CDP-alcohol phosphotransferase.
Sciara, G., Clarke, O.B., Tomasek, D., Kloss, B., Tabuso, S., Byfield, R., Cohn, R., Banerjee, S., Rajashankar, K.R., Slavkovic, V., Graziano, J.H., Shapiro, L., Mancia, F.(2014) Nat Commun 5: 4068-4068
- PubMed: 24923293 
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms5068
- Primary Citation of Related Structures:  
4O6M, 4O6N, 4Q7C - PubMed Abstract: 
The CDP-alcohol phosphotransferase (CDP-AP) family of integral membrane enzymes catalyses the transfer of a substituted phosphate group from a CDP-linked donor to an alcohol acceptor. This is an essential reaction for phospholipid biosynthesis across all kingdoms of life, and it is catalysed solely by CDP-APs. Here we report the 2.0 Å resolution crystal structure of a representative CDP-AP from Archaeoglobus fulgidus. The enzyme (AF2299) is a homodimer, with each protomer consisting of six transmembrane helices and an N-terminal cytosolic domain. A polar cavity within the membrane accommodates the active site, lined with the residues from an absolutely conserved CDP-AP signature motif (D(1)xxD(2)G(1)xxAR...G(2)xxxD(3)xxxD(4)). Structures in the apo, CMP-bound, CDP-bound and CDP-glycerol-bound states define functional roles for each of these eight conserved residues and allow us to propose a sequential, base-catalysed mechanism universal for CDP-APs, in which the fourth aspartate (D4) acts as the catalytic base.
Organizational Affiliation: 
1] Department of Physiology and Cellular Biophysics, Columbia University, New York, New York 10032, USA [2].