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- ***************************************
- * Dihydropteroate synthase signatures *
- ***************************************
-
- All organisms require reduced folate cofactors for the synthesis of a variety
- of metabolites. Most microorganisms must synthesize folate de novo because
- they lack the active transport system of higher vertebrate cells which allows
- these organisms to use dietary folates. Enzymes that are involved in the
- biosynthesis of folates are therefore the target of a variety of antimicrobial
- agents such as trimethoprim or sulfonamides.
-
- Dihydropteroate synthase (EC 2.5.1.15) (DHPS) catalyzes the condensation of
- 6-hydroxymethyl-7,8-dihydropteridine pyrophosphate to para-aminobenzoic acid
- to form 7,8-dihydropteroate. This is the second step in the three steps
- pathway leading from 6-hydroxymethyl-7,8-dihydropterin to 7,8-dihydrofolate.
- DHPS is the target of sulfonamides which are substrates analog that compete
- with para-aminobenzoic acid.
-
- Bacterial DHPS (gene sul or folP) [1] is a protein of about 275 to 315 amino
- acid residues which is either chromosomally encoded or found on various
- antibiotic resistance plasmids. In the lower eukaryote Pneumocystis carinii,
- DHPS is the C-terminal domain of a multifunctional folate synthesis enzyme
- (gene fas) [2].
-
- We developed two signature patterns for DHPS, the first signature is located
- in the N-terminal section of these enzymes, while the second signature is
- located in the central section.
-
- -Consensus pattern: [AG]-[LIVM](2)-N-[LIVM]-T-x-D-S-F-x-D
- -Sequences known to belong to this class detected by the pattern: ALL.
- -Other sequence(s) detected in SWISS-PROT: NONE.
-
- -Consensus pattern: G-[LIVM]-x(4)-[LIVM](3)-D-P-G-[LIVMF]-G-F
- -Sequences known to belong to this class detected by the pattern: ALL.
- -Other sequence(s) detected in SWISS-PROT: NONE.
-
- -Last update: December 1992 / First entry.
-
- [ 1] Slock J., Stahly D.P., Han C.-Y., Six E.W., Crawford I.P.
- J. Bacteriol. 172:7211-7226(1990).
- [ 2] Volpes F., Dyer M., Scaife J.G., Darby G., Stammers D.K., Delves C.J.
- Gene 112:213-218(1992).
-