Structure ofN-myristoyltransferase fromAspergillus fumigatus

Abstract

N-Myristoyltransferase (NMT) is an enzyme which translocates the 14-carbon saturated fatty acid myristate from myristoyl-CoA to the N-terminal glycine of substrate peptides. This myristoylation process is involved in protein modification in various eukaryotes, including animals and fungi. Furthermore, this enzyme has been shown to be essential to the growth of various species, such asSaccharomyces cerevisiae, which indicates that NMT is an attractive target for the development of a novel antifungal drug. In this study, the crystal structure of a ternary complex of NMT fromAspergillus fumigatuswithS-(2-oxo)pentadecyl-CoA, a myristoyl-CoA analogue cofactor, and a synthetic inhibitor is reported at a resolution of 2.1 Å. The results advance the understanding of the specificity of NMT inhibitors and provide valuable information for structure-based drug design.