enzymology Enzymes () are proteins that act as biological catalysts by accelerating chemical reactions. The molecules upon which enzymes may act are called substrates, and the enzyme converts the substrates into different molecules known as products. A ...

, a cyl-carrier-proteinS-malonyltransferase () is an

enzyme Enzymes () are proteins that act as biological catalysts by accelerating chemical reactions. The molecules upon which enzymes may act are called substrates, and the enzyme converts the substrates into different molecules known as products. A ...

that catalyzes the

chemical reaction A chemical reaction is a process that leads to the IUPAC nomenclature for organic transformations, chemical transformation of one set of chemical substances to another. Classically, chemical reactions encompass changes that only involve the pos ...

malonyl-CoA Malonyl-CoA is a coenzyme A derivative of malonic acid. Functions It plays a key role in chain elongation in fatty acid biosynthesis and polyketide biosynthesis. Fatty acid biosynthesis Malonyl-CoA provides 2-carbon units to fatty acids and commi ...

acyl carrier protein The acyl carrier protein (ACP) is a cofactor of both fatty acid and polyketide Polyketides are a class of natural products derived from a precursor molecule consisting of a chain of alternating ketone (or reduced forms of a ketone) and methylene ...

CoA + malonyl- cyl-carrier-protein Thus, the two substrates of this enzyme are

and

, whereas its two

products Product may refer to: Business * Product (business), an item that serves as a solution to a specific consumer problem. * Product (project management), a deliverable or set of deliverables that contribute to a business solution Mathematics * Produ ...

are CoA and malonyl-acyl-carrier-protein. This enzyme belongs to the family of

transferase A transferase is any one of a class of enzymes that catalyse the transfer of specific functional groups (e.g. a methyl or glycosyl group) from one molecule (called the donor) to another (called the acceptor). They are involved in hundreds of di ...

s, specifically those

acyltransferase Acyltransferase is a type of transferase enzyme that acts upon acyl groups. Examples include: * Glyceronephosphate O-acyltransferase * Lecithin-cholesterol acyltransferase *Long-chain-alcohol O-fatty-acyltransferase In enzymology, a long-chain- ...

s transferring groups other than aminoacyl groups. This enzyme participates in

fatty acid biosynthesis Fatty is a derogatory term for someone who is obese. It may refer also to: People * Mai Fatty, Gambian politician * Roscoe Arbuckle (1887–1933), American actor and comedian * Fatty Briody (1858–1903), American Major League Baseball player ...

Nomenclature

The

systematic name A systematic name is a name given in a systematic way to one unique group, organism, object or chemical substance, out of a specific population or collection. Systematic names are usually part of a nomenclature. A semisystematic name or semitrivial ...

of this enzyme class is malonyl-CoA: cyl-carrier-proteinS-malonyltransferase. Other names in common use include malonyl coenzyme A-acyl carrier protein transacylase, * cyl carrier proteinalonyltransferase, * FabD, * malonyl transacylase, * malonyl transferase, * malonyl-CoA-acyl carrier protein transacylase, * malonyl-CoA:ACP transacylase, * malonyl-CoA:AcpM transacylase, * malonyl-CoA:acyl carrier protein transacylase, * MAT, and * MCAT.

Structure

Crystal Structures of FabD from ''E.coli'' and ''Streptomyces coelicolor'' are known and provide great insight into the catalytic mechanism of FabD. In ''E.Coli'', FabD primarily involved in FAS pathway. However, in ''Streptomyces coelicolor'', FabD is involved in FAS and polyketide synthase pathways. In both cases, the structures and active sites are very similar. The protein has an α/β type architecture, but the fold is unique. the active site inferred from the location of the catalytic Ser92 contains a typical nucleophilic elbow as observed in α/ β hydrolases. Serine 92 is hydrogen bonded to His 201 in a fashion similar to various serine hydrolases. however, instead of the carboxylic acid typically found in catalytic triads, the main chain carbonyl of Gln 250 serves as a hydrogen bond acceptor in an interaction with His 201. Two other residues, Arg-117 and Glu-11 are also located in the active site, but their function is not clear.

Function

The

fatty acid In chemistry, particularly in biochemistry, a fatty acid is a carboxylic acid with an aliphatic chain, which is either saturated or unsaturated. Most naturally occurring fatty acids have an unbranched chain of an even number of carbon atoms, fr ...

synthetic pathway is the principal route for the production of membrane

phospholipid Phospholipids, are a class of lipids whose molecule has a hydrophilic "head" containing a phosphate group and two hydrophobic "tails" derived from fatty acids, joined by an alcohol residue (usually a glycerol molecule). Marine phospholipids typ ...

acyl chains in bacterial and plants. The reaction sequence is carried out by a series of individual soluble proteins that are each encoded by a discrete gene, and the pathway intermediates are shuttled between the enzymes. Malony-CoA:ACP Transacylase (FabD) is one such individual soluble protein and catalyzes the following reaction: :malonyl-CoA +

CoA + malonyl- cyl-carrier-protein The transfer of

malonate The conjugate acids are in :Carboxylic acids. {{Commons category, Carboxylate ions, Carboxylate anions Carbon compounds Oxyanions ...

to acyl-carrier-protein (ACP) converts the acyl groups into thioester forms which are characteristic of acyl intermediates in fatty acid synthesis and which are strictly required for the condensation reactions catalyzed by β-ketoacyl-ACP synthetase.

Mechanism

Malonyl-CoA:ACP Transacylase uses a ping-pong kinetic mechanism with a bound malonyl ester as the acyl intermediate attached to a serine residue residing within a GHSLG pentapeptide. FabD first binds malonyl-CoA, the malonyl moiety is then transferred to the active siteSer 92, and CoA is released from the enzyme. ACP then binds and the malonyl moiety is transferred to the terminal sulfhydryl of the ACP prosthetic group. This reaction is readily reversible.

Industrial relevance

Among all known metabolic pathways in living systems, fatty acid biosynthesis yields the most energy dense products. As a result, microbial fatty acid derivatives are emerging as a promising renewable energy alternative to fossil fuel derived transportation fuels. Recently, Khosla et al. have devised a procedure to reconstitute E.Coli Fatty Acid Synthase using purified protein components (including FabD) and reported a detailed kinetic analysis of this in-vitro reconstituted system. Their finding provide a new basis for assessing the scope and limitations of using E.Coli as a biocatalyst for the production of diesel fuels.

Clinical relevance

FabD as a target for Antibacterial Drug Discovery: An upcoming field

Fatty acid biosynthesis is carried out by the ubiquitous

Fatty Acid Synthase Fatty acid synthase (FAS) is an enzyme that in humans is encoded by the ''FASN'' gene. Fatty acid synthase is a multi-enzyme protein that catalyzes fatty acid synthesis. It is not a single enzyme but a whole enzymatic system composed of two iden ...

Fatty acid synthase Fatty acid synthase (FAS) is an enzyme that in humans is encoded by the ''FASN'' gene. Fatty acid synthase is a multi-enzyme protein that catalyzes fatty acid synthesis. It is not a single enzyme but a whole enzymatic system composed of two iden ...

pathways are divided into two distinct molecular forms: Type I and Type II. In Type I,

(found in humans and other mammals) is a single large polypeptide composed of several distinct domains. On the other hand, each enzymatic activity (

Condensation reaction In organic chemistry, a condensation reaction is a type of chemical reaction in which two molecules are combined to form a single molecule, usually with the loss of a small molecule such as water. If water is lost, the reaction is also known as a ...

Reduction Reaction Redox (reduction–oxidation, , ) is a type of chemical reaction in which the oxidation states of substrate change. Oxidation is the loss of electrons or an increase in the oxidation state, while reduction is the gain of electrons or a d ...

Dehydration reaction In chemistry, a dehydration reaction is a chemical reaction that involves the loss of water from the reacting molecule or ion. Dehydration reactions are common processes, the reverse of a hydration reaction. Dehydration reactions in organic che ...

) is found as a discrete protein in type II systems. The difference in active site organization and predominance of type II FAS systems in bacteria make the enzymes of this pathway attractive targets for antibacterials. FabD (Acyl-Carrier-Protein S-Malonyltransferase) is a reasonable target given that a high resolution crystal structure is available. However, no FabD inhibitors have been reported in the literature and review articles on this topic. The simple structure and acidity of malonate seem to permit few approaches to synthesizing derivatives (acting as potential inhibitors) that retain the character of the molecule. A second approach for using FabD as a drug target is frequently identified in the literature: FabD can provide a useful tag for locating fab genes because FabD gene is usually adjacent to at least one other fab gene. However (as of 2015), no potential drugs have attempted to exploit this feature.