CRYSTAL STRUCTURE ANALYSIS OF STEROL METHYL TRANSFERASE

该子项目是利用 由NIH/NCRR资助的中心赠款提供的资源。子项目和 研究者（PI）可能从另一个NIH来源获得主要资金， 因此可以在其他CRISP条目中表示。列出的机构是 中心，不一定是研究者的机构。 甾醇甲基转移酶（SMT）是真菌甾醇途径中调节碳流的重要酶。硬脂醇甲基化是一种广泛存在于生物化学中的反应，近年来的研究发现，硬脂醇甲基化的立体化学模型描述了底物在SMT结合口袋中的拓扑结构约束。在这方面，晶体结构可以代表这种菌丝生长模型的实验基础，并可以代表设计新的酶抑制剂的起点。得到了单胞参数和分辨率为5.0A的数据集。最近我们得到了不同条件下的晶体。我们需要在CHESS上进行X射线实验以提高衍射数据的分辨率，并随后进行MAD实验以解决相位问题。

This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator. Sterol methyl transferase (SMT) is an important enzyme that regulates carbon flow in the sterol pathway of fungi. The enzyme catalizes the reaction that transfer a methyl group from (S)-adenosyl-L-methionine to different steriols and other natural products are widespread in biochemstry.New extensive investigations have led to consider a stereochemical model of stearol methylation that describes the topological constraints imposed by sterol substrate in the binding pocket of the SMT. With this regard the crystal structure could represent the experimental fundation of this hyphotetical model and could represent the starting point for the design of new inhibitors of the enzyme. We got the unit cell parameters and a data set with resolution of 5.0 A. Recently we got crystals in different conditions. We need to do X-ray experiments at CHESS to improve the resolution of diffraction data, and to follow with a MAD experiment to solve the phase problem.