The structure of the mutant dihydrofolate reductase from Streptococcus faecium. Amino acid sequence of peptide CNBr 7 and complete sequence of the protein.

The complete amino acid sequence of the mutant dihydrofolate reductase from Streptococcus faecium var. Durans strain A has been determined by sequence analysis of peptides produced by tryptic, chymotryptic, thermolytic, and mild acid cleavage of the large peptide CNBr 7 and from previously reported studies. The sequence of the S. faecium enzyme is compared to the reported sequence of dihydrofolate reductase from Escherichia coli and the two are shown to contain two domains of substantial homology. One of these domains consists of the NH2-terminal 60 residues and is considered to contribute the dihydrofolate binding site. The second domain probably contains the dinucleotide binding structure. Comparison of the sequences of the dihydrofolate reductases with those of larger dehydrogenases of known structure failed to show any evidence for homology. Considerations of size and predictions of secondary structure also suggest that the second domain in the reductases has no structural similarity to the nucleotide binding site in the larger dehydrogenases. It is concluded that the two reductases are related, although distantly, but that they have evolved from an ancestral protein different from the primitive predecessor of the other oxidoreductases.