A two-step process controls the formation of the bienzyme cysteine synthase complex.

ABSTRACT: The regulation of enzyme activity through the transient formation of multiprotein assemblies plays an important role in the control of biosynthetic pathways. One of the first regulatory complexes to be discovered was cysteine synthase (CS), formed by the pyridoxal 5'-phosphate-dependent enzyme O-acetylserine sulfhydrylase (OASS) and serine acetyltransferase (SAT). These enzymes are at the branch point of the sulfur, carbon, and nitrogen assimilation pathways. Understanding the mechanism of complex formation helps to clarify the role played by CS in the regulation of sulfur assimilation in bacteria and plants. To this goal, stopped-flow fluorescence spectroscopy was used to characterize the interaction of SAT with OASS, at different temperatures and pH values, and in the presence of the phy

SUBMITTER: Salsi E 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2857139 | biostudies-literature | 2010 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature