Crystal Structure of the Reaction Complex of 3-Deoxy- d - arabino -heptulosonate-7-phosphate Synthase from Thermotoga maritima Refines the Catalytic Mechanism and Indicates a New Mechanism of Allosteric Regulation

3-Deoxy-d-arabino-heptulosonate-7-phosphate synthase (DAHPS) catalyzes the first reaction of the aromatic biosynthetic pathway in bacteria, fungi, and plants, the condensation of phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP) and d-erythrose-4-phosphate (E4P) with the formation of DAHP. Crystals of DAHPS from Thermotoga maritima (DAHPSTm) were grown in the presence of PEP and metal cofactor, Cd2+, and then soaked with E4P at 4 °C where the catalytic activity of the...