PUBLICATION

Crystal structure of cis-aconitate decarboxylase reveals the impact of naturally occurring human mutations on itaconate synthesis

Authors
Chen, F., Lukat, P., Iqbal, A.A., Saile, K., Kaever, V., van den Heuvel, J., Blankenfeldt, W., Büssow, K., Pessler, F.
ID
ZDB-PUB-190925-10
Date
2019
Source
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America   116(41): 20644-20654 (Journal)
Registered Authors
Keywords
cis-aconitate, decarboxylase, enzymology, itaconic acid, macrophage
MeSH Terms
  • A549 Cells
  • Amino Acid Sequence
  • Animals
  • Carboxy-Lyases/chemistry*
  • Carboxy-Lyases/genetics*
  • Carboxy-Lyases/metabolism
  • Catalysis
  • Catalytic Domain
  • Crystallography, X-Ray
  • Evolution, Molecular
  • Humans
  • Mice
  • Models, Molecular
  • Mutagenesis, Site-Directed
  • Mutation*
  • Protein Conformation
  • Sequence Homology
  • Succinates/metabolism*
PubMed
31548418 Full text @ Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA
Abstract
cis-Aconitate decarboxylase (CAD, also known as ACOD1 or Irg1) converts cis-aconitate to itaconate and plays central roles in linking innate immunity with metabolism and in the biotechnological production of itaconic acid by Aspergillus terreus We have elucidated the crystal structures of human and murine CADs and compared their enzymological properties to CAD from A. terreus Recombinant CAD is fully active in vitro without a cofactor. Murine CAD has the highest catalytic activity, whereas Aspergillus CAD is best adapted to a more acidic pH. CAD is not homologous to any known decarboxylase and appears to have evolved from prokaryotic enzymes that bind negatively charged substrates. CADs are homodimers, the active center is located in the interface between 2 distinct subdomains, and structural modeling revealed conservation in zebrafish and Aspergillus We identified 8 active-site residues critical for CAD function and rare naturally occurring human mutations in the active site that abolished CAD activity, as well as a variant (Asn152Ser) that increased CAD activity and is common (allele frequency 20%) in African ethnicity. These results open the way for 1) assessing the potential impact of human CAD variants on disease risk at the population level, 2) developing therapeutic interventions to modify CAD activity, and 3) improving CAD efficiency for biotechnological production of itaconic acid.
Genes / Markers
Figures
Expression
Phenotype
Mutations / Transgenics
Human Disease / Model
Sequence Targeting Reagents
Fish
Antibodies
Orthology
Engineered Foreign Genes
Mapping