Abstact

The structure of Chlorobium vibrioforme 5-aminolaevulinic acid dehydratase (ALAD) complexed with the irreversible inhibitor 4,7-dioxosebacic acid has been solved. The inhibitor binds by forming Schiff-base linkages with lysines 200 and 253 at the active site. The structure reported here provides a definition of the interactions made by both of the substrate molecules (A-side and P-side substrates) with the C. vibrioforme ALAD and is compared and contrasted with structures of the same inhibitor bound to Escherichia coli and yeast ALAD. The structure suggests why 4,7-dioxosebacic acid is a better inhibitor of the zinc-dependent ALADs than of the zinc-independent ALADs.