Useful Information
S-adenosyl homocysteine hydrolase (SAHH) from Trypanosoma brucei (Pathogen)
PDB Code 3H9U Target Class AA metabolic enzymes Target TBSAH Alias n/a Disease Area/Function parasitic disease Date Deposited Apr 30 2009 Authors
About this structure
S-adenosyl-L-homocysteine (AdoHcy) is a product but also a potent feedback inhibitor of several methyltransferases that use S-adenosyl-L-methionine (AdoMet) as a methyl donor. The S-adenosyl-L-homocysteine hydrolases (SAHHs) catalyse the reversible reaction of AdoHcy to adenosine and homocysteine (1). Consequently, SAHHs play a critical role in maintaining normal levels of AdoHcy in the cell. Inhibition of SAHH results in cellular accumulation of AdoHcy and inhibition of AdoMet-dependent methyltransferases. Since methylation is important in a wide range of cellular processes, SAHH has been proposed as a drug target for parasitic diseases including malaria, leishmaniasis and trypanosomiasis (2, 3, 4)We have previously reported the crystal structure of Leishmania major SAHH protein (PDB ID = 3GU1). In an effort to gain a better understanding of parasite SAHH proteins, we determined the crystal structure of SAHH from Trypanosoma brucei to a resolution of 1.9 Å. T. brucei SAHH crystallized as a homotetramer in the space group C 1 2 1. Each monomer consists of two α/β domains as observed in previous SAHH structures (5). Two domains are observed, a substrate-binding catalytic domain and a cofactor binding domain, the latter being a modified Rossmann fold. Each subunit is bound to a NAD molecule. As previously observed, the cofactor binding site is covered by a C-terminal extension from the adjacent subunit.
References
- Turner MA, Yang X, Yin D, Kuczera K, Borchardt RT, Howell PL (2000) Structure and function of S-adenosylhomocysteine hydrolase. Cell. Biochem. Biophys. 33:101-125.
- Bujnicki JM, Prigge ST, Caridha D, Chiang PK (2003) Structure, evolution, and inhibitor interaction of S-adenosyl-L-homocysteine hydrolase from Plasmodium falciparum. Proteins 52:624-632.
- Henderson DM, Hanson S, Allen T, Wilson K, Coulter-Karis DE, Greenberg ML, Hershfield MS, Ullman B (1992) Cloning of the gene encoding Leishmania donovani S-adenosylhomocysteine hydrolase, a potential target for antiparasitic chemotherapy. Mol. Biochem. Parasitol. 53:169-183.
- Parker NB, Yang X, Hanke J, Mason KA, Schowen RL, Borchardt RT, Yin DH. (2003) Trypanosoma cruzi: molecular cloning and characterization of the S-adenosylhomocysteine hydrolase. Exp Parasitol. 2:149-58.
- Reddy MC, Kuppan G, Shetty ND, Owen JL, Ioerger TR, Sacchettini JC (2008) Crystal structures of Mycobacterium tuberculosis S-adenosyl-L-homocysteine hydrolase in ternary complex with substrate and inhibitors. Protein Sci. 17:2134- 2144.


