InterPro domain: IPR000550

General Information

  • Identifier IPR000550
  • Description 7,8-Dihydro-6-hydroxymethylpterin-pyrophosphokinase, HPPK
  • Number of genes 130
  • Gene duplication stats Loading...
  • Associated GO terms GO:0009396   GO:0003848  

Abstract

All organisms require reduced folate cofactors for the synthesis of a variety of metabolites. Most microorganisms must synthesise folate de novo because they lack the active transport system of higher vertebrate cells which allows these organisms to use dietary folates. Enzymes involved in folate biosynthesis are therefore targets for a variety of antimicrobial agents such as trimethoprim or sulphonamides. 7,8-dihydro-6-hydroxymethylpterin-pyrophosphokinase ( 2.7.6.3 ) (HPPK) catalyses the attachment of pyrophosphate to 6-hydroxymethyl-7,8-dihydropterin to form 6-hydroxymethyl-7,8-dihydropteridine pyrophosphate. This is the first step in a three-step pathway leading to 7,8 dihydrofolate. Bacterial HPPK (gene folK or sulD) [ 1 ] is a protein of 160 to 270 amino acids. In the lower eukaryote Pneumocystis carinii, HPPK is the central domain of a multifunctional folate synthesis enzyme (gene fas) [ 2 ].


1. Cloning, sequence analysis, and overexpression of Escherichia coli folK, the gene coding for 7,8-dihydro-6-hydroxymethylpterin-pyrophosphokinase. J. Bacteriol. 174, 5971-7
2. The multifunctional folic acid synthesis fas gene of Pneumocystis carinii appears to encode dihydropteroate synthase and hydroxymethyldihydropterin pyrophosphokinase. Gene 112, 213-8

Species distribution

Gene table

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