STRUCTURE AND PROPERTIES OF PYRUVATE DECARBOXYLASE AND SITE-DIRECTED MUTAGENESIS OF THE ZYMOMONAS-MOBILIS ENZYME

Pyruvate decarboxylase (EC 4.1.1.1) is a thiamin diphosphate-dependent enzyme that catalyzes the penultimate step in alcohol fermentation, T he enzyme is widely distributed in plants and fungi but is rare in pro karyotes and absent in animals, Here we review its structure and prope rties with particular emphasis on how site-directed mutagenesis of the enzyme from Zymomonas mobilis has assisted us to understand the funct ion of critical residues, (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights re served.