Crystal Structure of Hypothetical Fructose-Specific EIIB from Escherichia coli

We have solved the crystal structure of a predicted fructose-specific enzyme $IIB^{fruc}$ from Escherichia coli ($EcEIIB^{fruc}$) involved in the phosphoenolpyruvate-carbohydrate phosphotransferase system transferring carbohydrates across the cytoplasmic membrane. $EcEIIB^{fruc}$ belongs to a sequence family with more than 5,000 sequence homologues with 25-99% amino-acid sequence identity. It reveals a conventional Rossmann-like ${\alpha}-{\beta}-{\alpha}$ sandwich fold with a unique ${\beta}$-sheet topology. Its C-terminus is longer than its closest relatives and forms an additional ${\beta}$-strand whereas the shorter C-terminus is random coil in the relatives. Interestingly, its core structure is similar to that of enzyme $IIB^{cellobiose}$ from E. coli ($EcIIB^{cel}$) transferring a phosphate moiety. In the active site of the closest $EcEIIB^{fruc}$ homologues, a unique motif CXXGXAHT comprising a P-loop like architecture including a histidine residue is found. The conserved cysteine on this loop may be deprotonated to act as a nucleophile similar to that of $EcIIB^{cel}$. The conserved histidine residue is presumed to bind the negatively charged phosphate. Therefore, we propose that the catalytic mechanism of $EcEIIB^{fruc}$ is similar to that of $EcIIB^{cel}$ transferring phosphoryl moiety to a specific carbohydrate.