Structure of Leishmania major cysteine synthase

A crystallographic and biochemical study of L. major cysteine synthase, which is a pyridoxyl phosphate-dependent enzyme, is reported. The structure was determined to 1.8 Å resolution and revealed that the cofactor has been lost and that a fragment of γ-poly-D-glutamic acid, a crystallization ingredient, was bound in the active site. The enzyme was inhibited by peptides.