Characterization of the catalytic calcium binding-site in DFPase and comparison with other beta-propeller enzymes

The catalytic calcium binding-site of the enzymes DFPase displays remarkable similarities to metal binding sites in structurally related proteins like Paraoxonase (PON1), Drug Resistance Protein 35 (Drp35) from S. aureus or the Gluconolactonase XC5397 from Xanthomonas campestris. DFPase mutants targeting calcium binding residues and their structural characterization allow new insights with respect to metal binding and catalytic activity. The results are described in a new publication in Chemico-Biological Interactions (CBI). The article is part of a Special Issue of CBI on the occasion of the 10th International Meeting on Cholinesterases, which took place in Croatia in September 2009.