Structural Characterisation of the Beta-Ketoacyl-Acyl Carrier Protein Synthases, FabF and FabH, of Yersinia pestis.

ABSTRACT: Yersinia pestis, the causative agent of bubonic, pneumonic, and septicaemic plague, remains a major public health threat, with outbreaks of disease occurring in China, Madagascar, and Peru in the last five years. The existence of multidrug resistant Y. pestis and the potential of this bacterium as a bioterrorism agent illustrates the need for new antimicrobials. The β-ketoacyl-acyl carrier protein synthases, FabB, FabF, and FabH, catalyse the elongation of fatty acids as part of the type II fatty acid biosynthesis (FASII) system, to synthesise components of lipoproteins, phospholipids, and lipopolysaccharides essential for bacterial growth and survival. As such, these enzymes are promising targets for the development of novel therapeutic agents. We have determined the crystal structures of

SUBMITTER: Nanson JD 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4606726 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature