Crystal structure of PvdO from Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Pyoverdine I (PVDI) is a water-soluble fluorescein siderophore with strong iron chelating ability from the gram-negative pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1. Compared to common siderophores, PVDI is a relatively large compound whose synthesis requires a group of enzymes with different catalytic activities. In addition to four nonribosomal peptide synthetases (NRPS) which are responsible for the production of the peptide backbone of PVDI, several additional enzymes are associated with the modification of the side chains. PvdO is one of these enzymes and participates in PVDI precursor maturation in the periplasm. We determined the crystal structure of PvdO at 1.24 Å resolution. The PvdO structure shares a common fold with some FGly-generating enzymes (FGE) and is stabilized by Ca2+. However, the catalytic residues in FGE are not observed in PvdO, indicating PvdO adopts a unique catalytic mechanism.