Bacterial citrate lyase

Abstract

Bacterial citrate lyase, the key enzyme in fermentation of citrate, has interesting structural features. The enzyme is a complex assembled from three non-identical subunits, two having distinct enzymatic activities and one functioning as an acyl-carrier protein. Bacterial citrate lyase, si-citrate synthase and ATP-citrate lyase have similar stereospecificities and show cofactor cross-reactions. On account of these common features, the citrate enzymes are promising markers in the study of evolutionary biology. The occurrence, function, regulation and structure of bacterial citrate lyase are reviewed in this article.