Aminoglycosides are potent antibiotics which bind to the prokaryotic 16S ribosomal subunit, inhibiting protein synthesis. Resistance to these antibiotics however has developed in many bacterial species due to the enzyme aminoglycoside kinase which is able to catalyse the phosphorylation of the aminoglycoside resulting in its inactivation. Kinetic and structural studies of this enzyme therefore are vital in prevention and understanding of antibiotic resistance. The enzyme shows structural alignment, despite very low sequence conservation, to eukaryotic protein kinases indicating a possible evolutionary relationship.
Defined by 4 residues: LYS:A-43 [auth A-44]ASP:A-189 [auth A-190]ASN:A-194 [auth A-195]ASP:A-207 [auth A-208]