The structure of enzymes determines how they control vital processes such as digestion or the immune response.
This is because the protein compounds are not rigid, but can change their shape through movable “hinges”.
The shape of enzymes can depend on whether their structure is measured in a test tube or in the living cell.
Physicochemists from the University of Bonn found this out through YopO, an enzyme in the pest pathogen.
This fundamental finding, which has now been published in the journal Angewandte Chemie, may also be of interest to drug research, as all living cells contain proteins that are essential for maintaining body functions.
Proteins consist mainly of amino acids and, as catalysts (enzymes), enable biochemical reactions that would otherwise not take place.
For example, enzymes control digestion and the immune system ”.
The type of biochemical reactions and how they work depends on the structure of the proteins, ”says Prof.
Dr.
Olav Schiemann from the Institute for Physical and Theoretical Chemistry at the University of Bonn.
Proteins are not rigid, but can change their shape through movable “hinges”.
This interplay between structure and dynamics determines what happens.
The enzyme and the substance to be converted have to fit together like a key and lock to catalyze a specific process. YopO is anchored in the membrane and therefore particularly stable. The scientists used a protein from pest pathogens (Yersinia) for their research.
These trick the immune system by injecting proteins such as YopO (Yersinia outer protein O) into the attacking macrophages.
YopO binds to the actin of the defensive cells, which means that the immune cells are no longer able to envelop and digest the pathogens.
We used YopO because this enzyme is medically interesting and can be anchored or immobilized in a membrane, ”explains Schiemann.
The latter is an important prerequisite for our measurements in space….
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