enzymology An enzyme () is a protein that acts as a biological catalyst by accelerating chemical reactions. The molecules upon which enzymes may act are called substrate (chemistry), substrates, and the enzyme converts the substrates into different mol ...

, an undecaprenyl-diphosphatase () is an

enzyme An enzyme () is a protein that acts as a biological catalyst by accelerating chemical reactions. The molecules upon which enzymes may act are called substrate (chemistry), substrates, and the enzyme converts the substrates into different mol ...

that

catalyzes Catalysis () is the increase in rate of a chemical reaction due to an added substance known as a catalyst (). Catalysts are not consumed by the reaction and remain unchanged after it. If the reaction is rapid and the catalyst recycles quick ...

the

chemical reaction A chemical reaction is a process that leads to the chemistry, chemical transformation of one set of chemical substances to another. When chemical reactions occur, the atoms are rearranged and the reaction is accompanied by an Gibbs free energy, ...

:undecaprenyl diphosphate + H₂O

\rightleftharpoons

undecaprenyl phosphate + phosphate Thus, the two substrates of this enzyme are undecaprenyl diphosphate and H₂O, whereas its two

products Product may refer to: Business * Product (business), an item that can be offered to a market to satisfy the desire or need of a customer. * Product (project management), a deliverable or set of deliverables that contribute to a business solution ...

are undecaprenyl phosphate and

phosphate Phosphates are the naturally occurring form of the element phosphorus. In chemistry, a phosphate is an anion, salt, functional group or ester derived from a phosphoric acid. It most commonly means orthophosphate, a derivative of orthop ...

. The enzymatic activity is enhanced by divalent cations, particularly Ca²⁺. In many bacteria, this enzyme is a

membrane protein Membrane proteins are common proteins that are part of, or interact with, biological membranes. Membrane proteins fall into several broad categories depending on their location. Integral membrane proteins are a permanent part of a cell membrane ...

that participates in peptidoglycan biosynthesis. The enzyme has been implicated in conferring resistance to the antibiotic

bacitracin Bacitracin is a polypeptide antibiotic. It is a mixture of related cyclic peptides produced by '' Bacillus licheniformis'' bacteria, that was first isolated from the variety "Tracy I" ( ATCC 10716) in 1945. These peptides disrupt Gram-positiv ...

Nomenclature

This enzyme belongs to the family of

hydrolase In biochemistry, hydrolases constitute a class of enzymes that commonly function as biochemical catalysts that use water to break a chemical bond: :\ce \quad \xrightarrowtext\quad \ce This typically results in dividing a larger molecule into s ...

s, specifically those acting on acid anhydrides in phosphorus-containing anhydrides. The

systematic name A systematic name is a name given in a systematic way to one unique group, organism, object or chemical substance, out of a specific population or collection. Systematic names are usually part of a nomenclature. A semisystematic name or semitrivi ...

of this enzyme class is undecaprenyl-diphosphate phosphohydrolase. Other names in common use include Undecaprenyl-pyrophosphate phosphatase (Uppp), UPP phosphatase, BacA, C55-isoprenyl diphosphatase, C55-isoprenyl pyrophosphatase, and isoprenyl pyrophosphatase. Note: The enzyme Uppp/BacA (EC 3.6.1.27) has occasionally been incorrectly termed an " undecaprenol kinase". However, that name should be reserved for a distinct enzyme (EC 2.7.1.66), which catalyses the addition of a phosphate group from ATP to undecaprenol (C55-isoprenyl alcohol).

Structure

X-ray crystal structures of the membrane-form of the enzyme from ''

E. coli ''Escherichia coli'' ( )Wells, J. C. (2000) Longman Pronunciation Dictionary. Harlow ngland Pearson Education Ltd. is a gram-negative, facultative anaerobic, rod-shaped, coliform bacterium of the genus ''Escherichia'' that is commonly foun ...

'' are available (PDB IDs: 5OON, 6CB2).

Nomenclature

Structure

References

Further reading