STRUCTURE FUNCTION RELATIONSHIPS OF HPPK

叶酸辅助因子对所有生物体的生长都是必不可少的。 虽然人类和动物能够从食物中摄取叶酸，但大多数 微生物必须从头合成叶酸。因此，酶 参与叶酸生物合成的是抗菌药物的靶标。 6-羟甲基-7，8-二氢蝶呤焦磷酸酶(HPPK)催化 叶酸生物合成途径中的第一个反应。长期的 该项目的目标是阐明其结构和机制 HPPK和设计该酶的抑制剂。HPPK在 大肠埃希菌高水平表达。用MALDI-MS分析确定 重组HPPK的相对分子质量。结果表明， N-末端蛋氨酸在体内被去除。

Folate cofactors are essential for the growth of all organisms. While man and animals are able to take folates from foods, most microorganisms have to synthesize folates de novo. Thus, enzymes involved in folate biosynthesis are targets of antimicrobial agents. 6-hydroxymethyl-7,8-dihydropterin pyrophosphokinase (HPPK) catalyzes the first reaction in the folate biosynthesis pathway. The long-term goals of the project is to elucidate the structure and mechanism of HPPK and to design inhibitors for the enzyme. HPPK was expressed in E. coli at high level. MALDI-MS analysis was used to determine the molecular weight of the recombinant HPPK. The result showed that the N-terminal methionine was removed in vivo.