Glutamate formimidoyltransferase is a

methyltransferase Methyltransferases are a large group of enzymes that all methylate their substrates but can be split into several subclasses based on their structural features. The most common class of methyltransferases is class I, all of which contain a Rossm ...

enzyme which uses

tetrahydrofolate Tetrahydrofolic acid (THFA), or tetrahydrofolate, is a folic acid derivative. Metabolism Human synthesis Tetrahydrofolic acid is produced from dihydrofolic acid by dihydrofolate reductase. This reaction is inhibited by methotrexate. It is co ...

as part of

histidine Histidine (symbol His or H) is an essential amino acid that is used in the biosynthesis of proteins. It contains an α-amino group (which is in the protonated –NH3+ form under biological conditions), a carboxylic acid group (which is in the de ...

catabolism Catabolism () is the set of metabolic pathways that breaks down molecules into smaller units that are either oxidized to release energy or used in other anabolic reactions. Catabolism breaks down large molecules (such as polysaccharides, lipids, ...

. It catalyses two reactions: * 5-formimidoyltetrahydrofolate + L-

glutamate Glutamic acid (symbol Glu or E; the ionic form is known as glutamate) is an α-amino acid that is used by almost all living beings in the biosynthesis of proteins. It is a non-essential nutrient for humans, meaning that the human body can syn ...

<=>

+ N-formimidoyl-L-glutamate * 5-formyltetrahydrofolate + L-glutamate <=> tetrahydrofolate + N-formyl-L-glutamate It is classified under and in mammals is found as part of a bifunctional enzyme that also has formimidoyltetrahydrofolate cyclodeaminase activity.

Structure

The formiminotransferase (FT)

domain Domain may refer to: Mathematics *Domain of a function, the set of input values for which the (total) function is defined **Domain of definition of a partial function **Natural domain of a partial function **Domain of holomorphy of a function * Do ...

of formiminotransferase-cyclodeaminase (FTCD) forms a

homodimer In biochemistry, a protein dimer is a macromolecular complex formed by two protein monomers, or single proteins, which are usually non-covalently bound. Many macromolecules, such as proteins or nucleic acids, form dimers. The word ''dimer'' ha ...

, with each protomer comprising two subdomains. The formiminotransferase domain has an

N-terminal The N-terminus (also known as the amino-terminus, NH2-terminus, N-terminal end or amine-terminus) is the start of a protein or polypeptide, referring to the free amine group (-NH2) located at the end of a polypeptide. Within a peptide, the ami ...

subdomain that is made up of a six-stranded mixed beta-pleated sheet and five

alpha helices The alpha helix (α-helix) is a common motif in the secondary structure of proteins and is a right hand-helix conformation in which every backbone N−H group hydrogen bonds to the backbone C=O group of the amino acid located four residues ear ...

, which are arranged on the external surface of the

beta sheet The beta sheet, (β-sheet) (also β-pleated sheet) is a common motif of the regular protein secondary structure. Beta sheets consist of beta strands (β-strands) connected laterally by at least two or three backbone hydrogen bonds, forming a g ...

. This, in turn, faces the

beta-sheet The beta sheet, (β-sheet) (also β-pleated sheet) is a common motif of the regular protein secondary structure. Beta sheets consist of beta strands (β-strands) connected laterally by at least two or three backbone hydrogen bonds, forming a g ...

of the C-terminal subdomain to form a double beta-sheet layer. The two subdomains are separated by a short linker sequence, which is not thought to be any more flexible than the remainder of the

molecule A molecule is a group of two or more atoms held together by attractive forces known as chemical bonds; depending on context, the term may or may not include ions which satisfy this criterion. In quantum physics, organic chemistry, and bioch ...

. The substrate is predicted to form a number of contacts with

residue Residue may refer to: Chemistry and biology * An amino acid, within a peptide chain * Crop residue, materials left after agricultural processes * Pesticide residue, refers to the pesticides that may remain on or in food after they are applied ...

s found in both the N-terminal and C-terminal subdomains. In humans,

deficiency A deficiency is generally a lack of something. It may also refer to: *A deficient number, in mathematics, a number ''n'' for which ''σ''(''n'') < 2''n'' * 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 ...

results in a

disease A disease is a particular abnormal condition that negatively affects the structure or function of all or part of an organism, and that is not immediately due to any external injury. Diseases are often known to be medical conditions that a ...

phenotype In genetics, the phenotype () is the set of observable characteristics or traits of an organism. The term covers the organism's morphology or physical form and structure, its developmental processes, its biochemical and physiological proper ...

References

External links

* {{InterPro content, IPR012886 Protein domains EC 2.1.2