This family includes a variety of pterin binding enzymes that all adopt a TIM barrel fold. The family includes dihydropteroate synthase EC:2.5.1.15 as well as a group methyltransferase enzymes including methyltetrahydrofolate, corrinoid iron-sulfur p ...
This family includes a variety of pterin binding enzymes that all adopt a TIM barrel fold. The family includes dihydropteroate synthase EC:2.5.1.15 as well as a group methyltransferase enzymes including methyltetrahydrofolate, corrinoid iron-sulfur protein methyltransferase (MeTr) Swiss:Q46389 that catalyses a key step in the Wood-Ljungdahl pathway of carbon dioxide fixation. It transfers the N5-methyl group from methyltetrahydrofolate (CH3-H4folate) to a cob(I)amide centre in another protein, the corrinoid iron-sulfur protein. MeTr is a member of a family of proteins that includes methionine synthase and methanogenic enzymes that activate the methyl group of methyltetra-hydromethano(or -sarcino)pterin [2].
Dihydropteroate synthase (DHPS) is essential for the de novo synthesis of folate in prokaryotes, in lower eukaryotes such as protozoa and yeast, and in plants. DHPS is absent in mammals. This makes it an ideal drug target.