The crystal structure of dihydrodipicolinate reductase from the human-pathogenic bacterium Bartonella henselae strain Houston-1 at 2.3 Å resolution

In bacteria, the second committed step in the diaminopimelate/lysine anabolic pathways is catalyzed by the enzyme dihydrodipicolinate reductase (DapB). DapB catalyzes the reduction of dihydrodipicolinate to yield tetrahydrodipicolinate. Here, the cloning, expression, purification, crystallization and X-ray diffraction analysis of DapB from the human-pathogenic bacterium Bartonella henselae, the causative bacterium of cat-scratch disease, are reported. Protein crystals were grown in conditions consisting of 5%(w/v) PEG 4000, 200 mM sodium acetate, 100 mM sodium citrate tribasic pH 5.5 and were shown to diffract to ∼2.3 Å resolution. They belonged to space group P4322, with unit-cell parameters a = 109.38, b = 109.38, c = 176.95 Å. Rr.i.m. was 0.11, Rwork was 0.177 and Rfree was 0.208. The three-dimensional structural features of the enzymes show that DapB from B. henselae is a tetramer consisting of four identical polypeptides. In addition, the substrate NADP+ was found to be bound to one monomer, which resulted in a closed conformational change in the N-terminal domain.

Recent contributions of structure-based drug design to the development of antibacterial compounds

According to a Pew Research study published in February 2015, there are 37 antibacterial programs currently in clinical trials in the United States. Protein structure-based methods for guiding small molecule design were used in at least 34 of these programs. Typically, this occurred at an early stage (drug discovery and/or lead optimization) prior to an Investigational New Drug (IND) application, although sometimes in retrospective studies to rationalize biological activity. Recognizing that structure-based methods are resource-intensive and often require specialized equipment and training, the NIAID has funded two Structural Genomics Centers to determine structures of infectious disease species proteins with the aim of supporting individual investigators' research programs with structural biology methods.

Cloning, expression, purification, crystallization and X-ray diffraction analysis of dihydrodipicolinate synthase from the human pathogenic bacterium Bartonella henselae strain Houston-1 at 2.1 Å resolution

The enzyme dihydrodipicolinate synthase catalyzes the committed step in the synthesis of diaminopimelate and lysine to facilitate peptidoglycan and protein synthesis. Dihydrodipicolinate synthase catalyzes the condensation of L-aspartate 4-semialdehyde and pyruvate to synthesize L-2,3-dihydrodipicolinate. Here, the cloning, expression, purification, crystallization and X-ray diffraction analysis of dihydrodipicolinate synthase from the pathogenic bacterium Bartonella henselae, the causative bacterium of cat-scratch disease, are presented. Protein crystals were grown in conditions consisting of 20%(w/v) PEG 4000, 100 mM sodium citrate tribasic pH 5.5 and were shown to diffract to ∼2.10 Å resolution. They belonged to space group P212121, with unit-cell parameters a = 79.96, b = 106.33, c = 136.25 Å. The final R values were Rr.i.m. = 0.098, Rwork = 0.183, Rfree = 0.233.

Structure of an ADP-ribosylation factor, ARF1, from Entamoeba histolytica bound to Mg(2+)-GDP

Entamoeba histolytica is the etiological agent of amebiasis, a diarrheal disease which causes amoebic liver abscesses and amoebic colitis. Approximately 50 million people are infected worldwide with E. histolytica. With only 10% of infected people developing symptomatic amebiasis, there are still an estimated 100,000 deaths each year. Because of the emergence of resistant strains of the parasite, it is necessary to find a treatment which would be a proper response to this challenge. ADP-ribosylation factor (ARF) is a member of the ARF family of GTP-binding proteins. These proteins are ubiquitous in eukaryotic cells; they generally associate with cell membranes and regulate vesicular traffic and intracellular signalling. The crystal structure of ARF1 from E. histolytica has been determined bound to magnesium and GDP at 1.8 Å resolution. Comparison with other structures of eukaryotic ARF proteins shows a highly conserved structure and supports the interswitch toggle mechanism of communicating the conformational state to partner proteins.

Structure of a CutA1 divalent-cation tolerance protein from Cryptosporidium parvum, the protozoal parasite responsible for cryptosporidiosis

Cryptosporidiosis is an infectious disease caused by protozoan parasites of the Cryptosporidium genus. Infection is associated with mild to severe diarrhea that usually resolves spontaneously in healthy human adults, but may lead to severe complications in young children and in immunocompromised patients. The genome of C. parvum contains a gene, CUTA_CRYPI, that may play a role in regulating the intracellular concentration of copper, which is a toxic element in excess. Here, the crystal structure of this CutA1 protein, Cp-CutA1, is reported at 2.0 Å resolution. As observed for other CutA1 structures, the 117-residue protein is a trimer with a core ferrodoxin-like fold. Circular dichroism spectroscopy shows little, in any, unfolding of Cp-CutA1 up to 353 K. This robustness is corroborated by (1)H-(15)N HSQC spectra at 333 K, which are characteristic of a folded protein, suggesting that NMR spectroscopy may be a useful tool to further probe the function of the CutA1 proteins. While robust, Cp-CutA1 is not as stable as the homologous protein from a hyperthermophile, perhaps owing to a wide β-bulge in β2 that protrudes Pro48 and Ser49 outside the β-sheet.

Structures of a histidine triad family protein from Entamoeba histolytica bound to sulfate, AMP and GMP

Three structures of the histidine triad family protein from Entamoeba histolytica, the causative agent of amoebic dysentery, were solved at high resolution within the Seattle Structural Genomics Center for Infectious Disease (SSGCID). The structures have sulfate (PDB entry 3oj7), AMP (PDB entry 3omf) or GMP (PDB entry 3oxk) bound in the active site, with sulfate occupying the same space as the α-phosphate of the two nucleotides. The C(α) backbones of the three structures are nearly superimposable, with pairwise r.m.s.d.s ranging from 0.06 to 0.13 Å.

Structures of prostaglandin F synthase from the protozoa Leishmania major and Trypanosoma cruzi with NADP

The crystal structures of prostaglandin F synthase (PGF) from both Leishmania major and Trypanosoma cruzi with and without their cofactor NADP have been determined to resolutions of 2.6 Å for T. cruzi PGF, 1.25 Å for T. cruzi PGF with NADP, 1.6 Å for L. major PGF and 1.8 Å for L. major PGF with NADP. These structures were determined by molecular replacement to a final R factor of less than 18.6% (Rfree of less than 22.9%). PGF in the infectious protozoa L. major and T. cruzi is a potential therapeutic target.

Structure of uridine diphosphate N-acetylglucosamine pyrophosphorylase from Entamoeba histolytica

Uridine diphosphate N-acetylglucosamine pyrophosphorylase (UAP) catalyzes the final step in the synthesis of UDP-GlcNAc, which is involved in cell-wall biogenesis in plants and fungi and in protein glycosylation. Small-molecule inhibitors have been developed against UAP from Trypanosoma brucei that target an allosteric pocket to provide selectivity over the human enzyme. A 1.8 Å resolution crystal structure was determined of UAP from Entamoeba histolytica, an anaerobic parasitic protozoan that causes amoebic dysentery. Although E. histolytica UAP exhibits the same three-domain global architecture as other UAPs, it appears to lack three α-helices at the N-terminus and contains two amino acids in the allosteric pocket that make it appear more like the enzyme from the human host than that from the other parasite T. brucei. Thus, allosteric inhibitors of T. brucei UAP are unlikely to target Entamoeba UAPs.

Structures of aspartate aminotransferases from Trypanosoma brucei, Leishmania major and Giardia lamblia

The structures of three aspartate aminotransferases (AATs) from eukaryotic pathogens were solved within the Seattle Structural Genomics Center for Infectious Disease (SSGCID). Both the open and closed conformations of AAT were observed. Pyridoxal phosphate was bound to the active site via a Schiff base to a conserved lysine. An active-site mutant showed that Trypanosoma brucei AAT still binds pyridoxal phosphate even in the absence of the tethering lysine. The structures highlight the challenges for the structure-based design of inhibitors targeting the active site, while showing options for inhibitor design targeting the N-terminal arm.

Increasing the structural coverage of tuberculosis drug targets

High-resolution three-dimensional structures of essential Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) proteins provide templates for TB drug design, but are available for only a small fraction of the Mtb proteome. Here we evaluate an intra-genus "homolog-rescue" strategy to increase the structural information available for TB drug discovery by using mycobacterial homologs with conserved active sites. Of 179 potential TB drug targets selected for x-ray structure determination, only 16 yielded a crystal structure. By adding 1675 homologs from nine other mycobacterial species to the pipeline, structures representing an additional 52 otherwise intractable targets were solved. To determine whether these homolog structures would be useful surrogates in TB drug design, we compared the active sites of 106 pairs of Mtb and non-TB mycobacterial (NTM) enzyme homologs with experimentally determined structures, using three metrics of active site similarity, including superposition of continuous pharmacophoric property distributions. Pair-wise structural comparisons revealed that 19/22 pairs with >55% overall sequence identity had active site Cα RMSD <1 Å, >85% side chain identity, and ≥80% PSAPF (similarity based on pharmacophoric properties) indicating highly conserved active site shape and chemistry. Applying these results to the 52 NTM structures described above, 41 shared >55% sequence identity with the Mtb target, thus increasing the effective structural coverage of the 179 Mtb targets over three-fold (from 9% to 32%). The utility of these structures in TB drug design can be tested by designing inhibitors using the homolog structure and assaying the cognate Mtb enzyme; a promising test case, Mtb cytidylate kinase, is described. The homolog-rescue strategy evaluated here for TB is also generalizable to drug targets for other diseases.

Crystal structure and putative substrate identification for the Entamoeba histolytica low molecular weight tyrosine phosphatase

Entamoeba histolytica is a eukaryotic intestinal parasite of humans, and is endemic in developing countries. We have characterized the E. histolytica putative low molecular weight protein tyrosine phosphatase (LMW-PTP). The structure for this amebic tyrosine phosphatase was solved, showing the ligand-induced conformational changes necessary for binding of substrate. In amebae, it was expressed at low but detectable levels as detected by immunoprecipitation followed by immunoblotting. A mutant LMW-PTP protein in which the catalytic cysteine in the active site was replaced with a serine lacked phosphatase activity, and was used to identify a number of trapped putative substrate proteins via mass spectrometry analysis. Seven of these putative substrate protein genes were cloned with an epitope tag and overexpressed in amebae. Five of these seven putative substrate proteins were demonstrated to interact specifically with the mutant LMW-PTP. This is the first biochemical study of a small tyrosine phosphatase in Entamoeba, and sets the stage for understanding its role in amebic biology and pathogenesis.

Mycobacterium tuberculosis Rv2179c protein establishes a new exoribonuclease family with broad phylogenetic distribution

Ribonucleases (RNases) maintain the cellular RNA pool by RNA processing and degradation. In many bacteria, including the human pathogen Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), the enzymes mediating several central RNA processing functions are still unknown. Here, we identify the hypothetical Mtb protein Rv2179c as a highly divergent exoribonuclease. Although the primary sequence of Rv2179c has no detectable similarity to any known RNase, the Rv2179c crystal structure reveals an RNase fold. Active site residues are equivalent to those in the DEDD family of RNases, and Rv2179c has close structural homology to Escherichia coli RNase T. Consistent with the DEDD fold, Rv2179c has exoribonuclease activity, cleaving the 3' single-strand overhangs of duplex RNA. Functional orthologs of Rv2179c are prevalent in actinobacteria and found in bacteria as phylogenetically distant as proteobacteria. Thus, Rv2179c is the founding member of a new, large RNase family with hundreds of members across the bacterial kingdom.

Cytidine derivatives as IspF inhibitors of Burkolderia pseudomallei

Published biological data suggest that the methyl erythritol phosphate (MEP) pathway, a non-mevalonate isoprenoid biosynthetic pathway, is essential for certain bacteria and other infectious disease organisms. One highly conserved enzyme in the MEP pathway is 2C-methyl-d-erythritol 2,4-cyclodiphosphate synthase (IspF). Fragment-bound complexes of IspF from Burkholderia pseudomallei were used to design and synthesize a series of molecules linking the cytidine moiety to different zinc pocket fragment binders. Testing by surface plasmon resonance (SPR) found one molecule in the series to possess binding affinity equal to that of cytidine diphosphate, despite lacking any metal-coordinating phosphate groups. Close inspection of the SPR data suggest different binding stoichiometries between IspF and test compounds. Crystallographic analysis shows important variations between the binding mode of one synthesized compound and the pose of the bound fragment from which it was designed. The binding modes of these molecules add to our structural knowledge base for IspF and suggest future refinements in this compound series.

Multi-target parallel processing approach for gene-to-structure determination of the influenza polymerase PB2 subunit

Pandemic outbreaks of highly virulent influenza strains can cause widespread morbidity and mortality in human populations worldwide. In the United States alone, an average of 41,400 deaths and 1.86 million hospitalizations are caused by influenza virus infection each year ¹. Point mutations in the polymerase basic protein 2 subunit (PB2) have been linked to the adaptation of the viral infection in humans ². Findings from such studies have revealed the biological significance of PB2 as a virulence factor, thus highlighting its potential as an antiviral drug target.

The structural genomics program put forth by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease (NIAID) provides funding to Emerald Bio and three other Pacific Northwest institutions that together make up the Seattle Structural Genomics Center for Infectious Disease (SSGCID). The SSGCID is dedicated to providing the scientific community with three-dimensional protein structures of NIAID category A-C pathogens. Making such structural information available to the scientific community serves to accelerate structure-based drug design.

Structure-based drug design plays an important role in drug development. Pursuing multiple targets in parallel greatly increases the chance of success for new lead discovery by targeting a pathway or an entire protein family. Emerald Bio has developed a high-throughput, multi-target parallel processing pipeline (MTPP) for gene-to-structure determination to support the consortium. Here we describe the protocols used to determine the structure of the PB2 subunit from four different influenza A strains.

Combining functional and structural genomics to sample the essential Burkholderia structome

Background

The genus Burkholderia includes pathogenic gram-negative bacteria that cause melioidosis, glanders, and pulmonary infections of patients with cancer and cystic fibrosis. Drug resistance has made development of new antimicrobials critical. Many approaches to discovering new antimicrobials, such as structure-based drug design and whole cell phenotypic screens followed by lead refinement, require high-resolution structures of proteins essential to the parasite.

Methodology/Principal Findings

We experimentally identified 406 putative essential genes in B. thailandensis, a low-virulence species phylogenetically similar to B. pseudomallei, the causative agent of melioidosis, using saturation-level transposon mutagenesis and next-generation sequencing (Tn-seq). We selected 315 protein products of these genes based on structure-determination criteria, such as excluding very large and/or integral membrane proteins, and entered them into the Seattle Structural Genomics Center for Infection Disease (SSGCID) structure determination pipeline. To maximize structural coverage of these targets, we applied an “ortholog rescue” strategy for those producing insoluble or difficult to crystallize proteins, resulting in the addition of 387 orthologs (or paralogs) from seven other Burkholderia species into the SSGCID pipeline. This structural genomics approach yielded structures from 31 putative essential targets from B. thailandensis, and 25 orthologs from other Burkholderia species, yielding an overall structural coverage for 49 of the 406 essential gene families, with a total of 88 depositions into the Protein Data Bank. Of these, 25 proteins have properties of a potential antimicrobial drug target i.e., no close human homolog, part of an essential metabolic pathway, and a deep binding pocket. We describe the structures of several potential drug targets in detail.

Conclusions/Significance

This collection of structures, solubility and experimental essentiality data provides a resource for development of drugs against infections and diseases caused by Burkholderia. All expression clones and proteins created in this study are freely available by request.

Structural characterization of a ribose-5-phosphate isomerase B from the pathogenic fungus Coccidioides immitis

BACKGROUND

Ribose-5-phosphate isomerase is an enzyme that catalyzes the interconversion of ribose-5-phosphate and ribulose-5-phosphate. This family of enzymes naturally occurs in two distinct classes, RpiA and RpiB, which play an important role in the pentose phosphate pathway and nucleotide and co-factor biogenesis.

RESULTS

Although RpiB occurs predominantly in bacteria, here we report crystal structures of a putative RpiB from the pathogenic fungus Coccidioides immitis. A 1.9 Å resolution apo structure was solved by combined molecular replacement and single wavelength anomalous dispersion (SAD) phasing using a crystal soaked briefly in a solution containing a high concentration of iodide ions. RpiB from C. immitis contains modest sequence and high structural homology to other known RpiB structures. A 1.8 Å resolution phosphate-bound structure demonstrates phosphate recognition and charge stabilization by a single positively charged residue whereas other members of this family use up to five positively charged residues to contact the phosphate of ribose-5-phosphate. A 1.7 Å resolution structure was obtained in which the catalytic base of C. immitis RpiB, Cys76, appears to form a weakly covalent bond with the central carbon of malonic acid with a bond distance of 2.2 Å. This interaction may mimic that formed by the suicide inhibitor iodoacetic acid with RpiB.

CONCLUSION

The C. immitis RpiB contains the same fold and similar features as other members of this class of enzymes such as a highly reactive active site cysteine residue, but utilizes a divergent phosphate recognition strategy and may recognize a different substrate altogether.

Structure of a Nudix hydrolase (MutT) in the Mg(2+)-bound state from Bartonella henselae, the bacterium responsible for cat scratch fever

Cat scratch fever (also known as cat scratch disease and bartonellosis) is an infectious disease caused by the proteobacterium Bartonella henselae following a cat scratch. Although the infection usually resolves spontaneously without treatment in healthy adults, bartonellosis may lead to severe complications in young children and immunocompromised patients, and there is new evidence suggesting that B. henselae may be associated with a broader range of clinical symptoms then previously believed. The genome of B. henselae contains genes for two putative Nudix hydrolases, BH02020 and BH01640 (KEGG). Nudix proteins play an important role in regulating the intracellular concentration of nucleotide cofactors and signaling molecules. The amino-acid sequence of BH02020 is similar to that of the prototypical member of the Nudix superfamily, Escherichia coli MutT, a protein that is best known for its ability to neutralize the promutagenic compound 7,8-dihydro-8-oxoguanosine triphosphate. Here, the crystal structure of BH02020 (Bh-MutT) in the Mg(2+)-bound state was determined at 2.1 Å resolution (PDB entry 3hhj). As observed in all Nudix hydrolase structures, the α-helix of the highly conserved `Nudix box' in Bh-MutT is one of two helices that sandwich a four-stranded mixed β-sheet with the central two β-strands parallel to each other. The catalytically essential divalent cation observed in the Bh-MutT structure, Mg(2+), is coordinated to the side chains of Glu57 and Glu61. The structure is not especially robust; a temperature melt obtained using circular dichroism spectroscopy shows that Bh-MutT irreversibly unfolds and precipitates out of solution upon heating, with a T(m) of 333 K.

The Protein Maker: an automated system for high-throughput parallel purification

The Protein Maker is an automated purification system developed by Emerald BioSystems for high-throughput parallel purification of proteins and antibodies. This instrument allows multiple load, wash and elution buffers to be used in parallel along independent lines for up to 24 individual samples. To demonstrate its utility, its use in the purification of five recombinant PB2 C-terminal domains from various subtypes of the influenza A virus is described. Three of these constructs crystallized and one diffracted X-rays to sufficient resolution for structure determination and deposition in the Protein Data Bank. Methods for screening lysis buffers for a cytochrome P450 from a pathogenic fungus prior to upscaling expression and purification are also described. The Protein Maker has become a valuable asset within the Seattle Structural Genomics Center for Infectious Disease (SSGCID) and hence is a potentially valuable tool for a variety of high-throughput protein-purification applications.

Probing conformational states of glutaryl-CoA dehydrogenase by fragment screening

Glutaric acidemia type 1 is an inherited metabolic disorder which can cause macrocephaly, muscular rigidity, spastic paralysis and other progressive movement disorders in humans. The defects in glutaryl-CoA dehydrogenase (GCDH) associated with this disease are thought to increase holoenzyme instability and reduce cofactor binding. Here, the first structural analysis of a GCDH enzyme in the absence of the cofactor flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD) is reported. The apo structure of GCDH from Burkholderia pseudomallei reveals a loss of secondary structure and increased disorder in the FAD-binding pocket relative to the ternary complex of the highly homologous human GCDH. After conducting a fragment-based screen, four small molecules were identified which bind to GCDH from B. pseudomallei. Complex structures were determined for these fragments, which cause backbone and side-chain perturbations to key active-site residues. Structural insights from this investigation highlight differences from apo GCDH and the utility of small-molecular fragments as chemical probes for capturing alternative conformational states of preformed protein crystals.

Structure of the cystathionine γ-synthase MetB from Mycobacterium ulcerans

Cystathionine γ-synthase (CGS) is a transulfurication enzyme that catalyzes the first specific step in L-methionine biosynthesis by the reaction of O(4)-succinyl-L-homoserine and L-cysteine to produce L-cystathionine and succinate. Controlling the first step in L-methionine biosythesis, CGS is an excellent potential drug target. Mycobacterium ulcerans is a slow-growing mycobacterium that is the third most common form of mycobacterial infection, mainly infecting people in Africa, Australia and Southeast Asia. Infected patients display a variety of skin ailments ranging from indolent non-ulcerated lesions as well as ulcerated lesions. Here, the crystal structure of CGS from M. ulcerans covalently linked to the cofactor pyridoxal phosphate (PLP) is reported at 1.9 Å resolution. A second structure contains PLP as well as a highly ordered HEPES molecule in the active site acting as a pseudo-ligand. These results present the first structure of a CGS from a mycobacterium and allow comparison with other CGS enzymes. This is also the first structure reported from the pathogen M. ulcerans.

An ensemble of structures of Burkholderia pseudomallei 2,3-bisphosphoglycerate-dependent phosphoglycerate mutase

Burkholderia pseudomallei is a soil-dwelling bacterium endemic to Southeast Asia and Northern Australia. Burkholderia is responsible for melioidosis, a serious infection of the skin. The enzyme 2,3-bisphosphoglycerate-dependent phosphoglycerate mutase (PGAM) catalyzes the interconversion of 3-phosphoglycerate and 2-phosphoglycerate, a key step in the glycolytic pathway. As such it is an extensively studied enzyme and X-ray crystal structures of PGAM enzymes from multiple species have been elucidated. Vanadate is a phosphate mimic that is a powerful tool for studying enzymatic mechanisms in phosphoryl-transfer enzymes such as phosphoglycerate mutase. However, to date no X-ray crystal structures of phosphoglycerate mutase have been solved with vanadate acting as a substrate mimic. Here, two vanadate complexes together with an ensemble of substrate and fragment-bound structures that provide a comprehensive picture of the function of the Burkholderia enzyme are reported.

Structures of a putative ζ-class glutathione S-transferase from the pathogenic fungus Coccidioides immitis

Coccidioides immitis is a pathogenic fungus populating the southwestern United States and is a causative agent of coccidioidomycosis, sometimes referred to as Valley Fever. Although the genome of this fungus has been sequenced, many operons are not properly annotated. Crystal structures are presented for a putative uncharacterized protein that shares sequence similarity with ζ-class glutathione S-transferases (GSTs) in both apo and glutathione-bound forms. The apo structure reveals a nonsymmetric homodimer with each protomer comprising two subdomains: a C-terminal helical domain and an N-terminal thioredoxin-like domain that is common to all GSTs. Half-site binding is observed in the glutathione-bound form. Considerable movement of some components of the active site relative to the glutathione-free form was observed, indicating an induced-fit mechanism for cofactor binding. The sequence homology, structure and half-site occupancy imply that the protein is a ζ-class glutathione S-transferase, a maleylacetoacetate isomerase (MAAI).

Structure of aldose reductase from Giardia lamblia

Giardia lamblia is an anaerobic aerotolerant eukaryotic parasite of the intestines. It is believed to have diverged early from eukarya during evolution and is thus lacking in many of the typical eukaryotic organelles and biochemical pathways. Most conspicuously, mitochondria and the associated machinery of oxidative phosphorylation are absent; instead, energy is derived from substrate-level phosphorylation. Here, the 1.75 Å resolution crystal structure of G. lamblia aldose reductase heterologously expressed in Escherichia coli is reported. As in other oxidoreductases, G. lamblia aldose reductase adopts a TIM-barrel conformation with the NADP(+)-binding site located within the eight β-strands of the interior.

Structure of 3-ketoacyl-(acyl-carrier-protein) reductase from Rickettsia prowazekii at 2.25 Å resolution

Rickettsia prowazekii, a parasitic Gram-negative bacterium, is in the second-highest biodefense category of pathogens of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, but only a handful of structures have been deposited in the PDB for this bacterium; to date, all of these have been solved by the SSGCID. Owing to its small genome (about 800 protein-coding genes), it relies on the host for many basic biosynthetic processes, hindering the identification of potential antipathogenic drug targets. However, like many bacteria and plants, its metabolism does depend upon the type II fatty-acid synthesis (FAS) pathway for lipogenesis, whereas the predominant form of fatty-acid biosynthesis in humans is via the type I pathway. Here, the structure of the third enzyme in the FAS pathway, 3-ketoacyl-(acyl-carrier-protein) reductase, is reported at a resolution of 2.25 Å. Its fold is highly similar to those of the existing structures from some well characterized pathogens, such as Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Burkholderia pseudomallei, but differs significantly from the analogous mammalian structure. Hence, drugs known to target the enzymes of pathogenic bacteria may serve as potential leads against Rickettsia, which is responsible for spotted fever and typhus and is found throughout the world.