Structural chemistry of the histone methyltransferases cofactor binding site.

Histone methyltransferases (HMTs) transfer a methyl group from the cofactor S-adenosyl methionine to lysine or arginine residues on histone tails, thereby regulating chromatin compaction, binding of effector proteins and gene transcription. HMTs constitute an emerging target class in diverse disease areas, and selective chemical probes are necessary for target validation. Potent and selective competitors of the substrate peptide have been reported, but the chemical tractability of the cofactor binding site is poorly understood.

The crystal structure of Toxoplasma gondii pyruvate kinase 1.

Background: Pyruvate kinase (PK), which catalyzes the final step in glycolysis converting phosphoenolpyruvate to pyruvate, is a central metabolic regulator in most organisms. Consequently PK represents an attractive therapeutic target in cancer and human pathogens, like Apicomplexans. The phylum Aplicomplexa, a group of exclusively parasitic organisms, includes the genera Plasmodium, Cryptosporidium and Toxoplasma, the etiological agents of malaria, cryptosporidiosis and toxoplasmosis respectively.

Structural genomics of histone tail recognition.

Summary: The structural genomics of histone tail recognition web server is an open access resource that presents within mini articles all publicly available experimental structures of histone tails in complex with human proteins. Each article is composed of interactive 3D slides that dissect the structural mechanism underlying the recognition of specific sequences and histone marks. A concise text html-linked to interactive graphics guides the reader through the main features of the interaction.