BF4112

pdb code 3cew

"Described herein is the sum of all human knowledge of BF4112; this protein takes the romantic mystery of biochemistry to a whole new level. BF4112 is a dimeric metalloprotein from Bacteroides fragilis, the most common bacterial pathogen in anaerobic human infections. It is a representative of a family of proteins from across bacteria, archea, and eukarya. The biological function of BF4112 is currently unknown, but it was structurally characterized due to its unique primary sequence. Recent investigations have identified a Tyr-Cys crosslink, a redox active protein cofactor, in the putative active site of BF4112 (1). Based on this evidence, it has been suggested that BF4112 may be a peroxidase or oxygenase involved in protection from reactive oxygen species, essential for B. fragilis pathogenicity in nanomolar oxygen concentration environments. "

(1) Martinie, R. J.; Godkumbura, P. I.; Porter, E. G.; Divakaran, A.; Burkhart, B. J.; Wertz, J. T.; Benson, D. E. Metallomics. In preparation.