Characterization and site-directed mutagenesis of the putative novel acyl carrier protein Rv0033 and Rv1344 from Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Mycolic acids are generated in Mycobacterium tuberculosis as a result of the interaction of two fatty acid biosynthetic systems: type I fatty acid synthase (FAS) and type II fatty acid synthase. Acyl carrier protein (ACP) is a small, acidic protein in type II FAS systems. It plays a central role in mycolic acid biosynthesis by transferring the acyl groups from one enzyme to another for the completion of the fatty acid synthesis cycle. The nature of the proper recognition between ACPs and its many interactive proteins is not understood. Here, we report the over-expression, purification, and characterization of two putative ACPs: Rv0033 and Rv1344 in M. tuberculosis. In order to study the role of the conserved residues and the conformation of whole protein, some site-directed mutations of recombinant Acp1344 were made and the 3D structure of Acp1344 was modeled.     

Tryptophan fluorescence reveals induced folding of Vibrio harveyi acyl carrier protein upon interaction with partner enzymes

We have introduced tryptophan as a local fluorescent probe to monitor the conformation of Vibrio harveyi acyl carrier protein (ACP), a small flexible protein that is unfolded at neutral pH but must undergo reversible conformational change during the synthesis and delivery of bacterial fatty acids. Consistent with known 3D structures of ACP, steady-state fluorescence and quenching experiments indicated that Trp at positions 46, 50, and 72 are buried in the hydrophobic core upon Mg(2+)-induced ACP folding, whereas residues 25 and 45 remain in a hydrophilic environment on the protein surface. Attachment of fatty acids to the phosphopantetheine prosthetic group progressively stabilized the folded conformation of all Trp-substituted ACPs, but longer chains (14:0) were less effective than medium chains (8:0) in shielding Trp from acrylamide quenching in the L46W protein. Interaction with ACP-dependent enzymes LpxA and holo-ACP synthase also caused folding of L46W; fluorescence quenching indicated proximity of Trp-45 in helix II of ACP in LpxA binding. Our results suggest that divalent cations and fatty acylation produce differing environments in the ACP core and also reveal enzyme partner-induced folding of ACP, a key feature of "natively unfolded" proteins.     

Structural modification of acyl carrier protein by butyryl group

Fatty acid synthesis in bacteria is catalyzed by a set of individual enzymes known as the type II fatty acid synthase. Acyl carrier protein (ACP) shuttles the acyl intermediates between individual pathway enzymes. In this study, we determined the solution structures of three different forms of ACP, apo‐ACP, ACP, and butyryl‐ACP under identical experimental conditions. The structural studies revealed that attachment of butyryl acyl intermediate to ACP alters the conformation of ACP. This finding supports the more general notion that the attachment of different acyl intermediates alters the ACP structure to facilitate their recognition and turnover by the appropriate target enzymes.     

A conformational switch from a closed apo- to an open holo-form equips the acyl carrier protein for acyl chain accommodation

Acyl carrier proteins (ACPs) play crucial roles in the biosynthesis of fatty acids, non-ribosomal polypeptides and polyketides. The three-dimensional NMR structure of Leishmania major holo-LmACP, belonging to the type II pathway, has been reported previously, but the structure of its apo-form and its conformational differences with the holo-form remain to be explored. Here we report the crystal structures of apo-LmACP (wild-type and S37A mutant) at 2.0 Å resolution and compare their key features with the structures of holo-LmACP (wild-type) and other type II ACPs from Escherichia coli and Plasmodium falciparum. The crystal structure of apo-LmACP, which is homologous to other type II ACPs, displays some key structural rearrangements as compared to its holo-structure. Contrary to holo-form, which exists predominantly as a monomer, the apo-form exists as a mixture of monomeric and dimeric population in solution. In contrast to the closed structure of apo-LmACP, holo-LmACP structure was observed in an open conformation as a result of reorganization of specific helices and loops. We propose that the structural changes exhibited by LmACP occur due to the attachment of the phosphopantetheine arm and may be a prerequisite for the initiation of fatty acid synthesis. The movement of helix 3 may also play a role in the dissociation of holo-LmACP from its cognate enzymes of the FAS II pathway.     

Relationships between fatty acid and polyketide synthases from Streptomyces coelicolor A3(2): characterization of the fatty acid synthase acyl carrier protein.

We have characterized an acyl carrier protein (ACP) presumed to be involved in the synthesis of fatty acids in Streptomyces coelicolor A3(2). This is the third ACP to have been identified in S. coelicolor; the two previously characterized ACPs are involved in the synthesis of two aromatic polyketides: the blue-pigmented antibiotic actinorhodin and a grey pigment associated with the spore walls. The three ACPs are clearly related. The presumed fatty acid synthase (FAS) ACP was partially purified, and the N-terminal amino acid sequence was obtained. The corresponding gene (acpP) was cloned and sequenced and found to lie within 1 kb of a previously characterized gene (fabD) encoding another subunit of the S. coelicolor FAS, malonyl coenzyme A:ACP acyl-transferase. Expression of S. coelicolor acpP in Escherichia coli yielded several different forms, whose masses corresponded to the active (holo) form of the protein carrying various acyl substituents. To test the mechanisms that normally prevent the FAS ACP from substituting for the actinorhodin ACP, acpP was cloned in place of actI-open reading frame 3 (encoding the actinorhodin ACP) to allow coexpression of acpP with the act polyketide synthase (PKS) genes. Pigmented polyketide production was observed, but only at a small fraction of its former level. This suggests that the FAS and PKS ACPs may be biochemically incompatible and that this could prevent functional complementation between the FAS and PKSs that potentially coexist within the same cells.     

A mechanism based protein crosslinker for acyl carrier protein dehydratases

Recent advances in the structural study of fatty acid synthase (FAS) and polyketide synthase (PKS) biosynthetic enzymes have illuminated our understanding of modular enzymes of the acetate pathway. However, one significant and persistent challenge in such analyses is resolution of the acyl carrier protein (ACP), a small (～9 kDa) protein to which biosynthetic intermediates are tethered throughout the biosynthetic cycle. Here we report a chemoenzymatic crosslinking strategy in which the installation of a historical suicide substrate scaffold upon the 4′-phosphopantetheine (PPant) arm of the ACP is used to capture the active site of acyl carrier protein dehydratase (DH) domains in FAS. Through the synthesis of a small panel of related probes we identify structural features essential for ACP–DH crosslinking, and apply gel-based assays to demonstrate the stability as well as purification strategies for isolation of the chemoenzymatically modified ACP. Applying these carrier protein crosslinking techniques to the structural analysis of FAS and PKS complexes has the potential to provide snapshots of these biosynthetic assembly lines at work.     

Site-directed mutagenesis of acyl carrier protein (ACP) reveals amino acid residues involved in ACP structure and acyl-ACP synthetase activity.

Acyl carrier protein (ACP) interacts with many different enzymes during the synthesis of fatty acids, phospholipids, and other specialized products in bacteria. To examine the structural and functional roles of amino acids previously implicated in interactions between the ACP polypeptide and fatty acids attached to the phosphopantetheine prosthetic group, recombinant Vibrio harveyi ACP and mutant derivatives of conserved residues Phe-50, Ile-54, Ala-59, and Tyr-71 were prepared from glutathione S-transferase fusion proteins. Circular dichroism revealed that, unlike Escherichia coli ACP, V. harveyi-derived ACPs are unfolded at neutral pH in the absence of divalent cations; all except F50A and I54A recovered native conformation upon addition of MgCl(2). Mutant I54A was not processed to the holo form by ACP synthase. Some mutations significantly decreased catalytic efficiency of ACP fatty acylation by V. harveyi acyl-ACP synthetase relative to recombinant ACP, e.g. F50A (4%), I54L (20%), and I54V (31%), whereas others (V12G, Y71A, and A59G) had less effect. By contrast, all myristoylated ACPs examined were effective substrates for the luminescence-specific V. harveyi myristoyl-ACP thioesterase. Conformationally sensitive gel electrophoresis at pH 9 indicated that fatty acid attachment stabilizes mutant ACPs in a chain length-dependent manner, although stabilization was decreased for mutants F50A and A59G. Our results indicate that (i) residues Ile-54 and Phe-50 are important in maintaining native ACP conformation, (ii) residue Ala-59 may be directly involved in stabilization of ACP structure by acyl chain binding, and (iii) acyl-ACP synthetase requires native ACP conformation and involves interaction with fatty acid binding pocket residues, whereas myristoyl-ACP thioesterase is insensitive to acyl donor structure.     

Structural studies of fatty acyl-(acyl carrier protein) thioesters reveal a hydrophobic binding cavity that can expand to fit longer substrates

A knowledge of the structures of acyl chain loaded species of the acyl carrier protein (ACP) as used in fatty acid biosynthesis and a range of other metabolic events, is essential for a full understanding of the molecular recognition at the heart of these processes. To date the only crystal structure of an acylated species of ACP is that of a butyryl derivative of Escherichia coli ACP. We have now determined the structures of a family of acylated E. coli ACPs of varying acyl chain length. The acyl moiety is attached via a thioester bond to a phosphopantetheine linker that is in turn bound to a serine residue in ACP. The growing acyl chain can be accommodated within a central cavity in the ACP for transport during the elongation stages of lipid synthesis through changes in the conformation of a four alpha-helix bundle. The results not only clarify the means by which a substrate of varying size and complexity is transported in the cell but also suggest a mechanism by which interacting enzymes can recognize the loaded ACP through recognition of surface features including the conformation of the phosphopantetheine linker.     

Identification and molecular characterization of the beta-ketoacyl-[acyl carrier protein] synthase component of the Arabidopsis mitochondrial fatty acid synthase

Substrate specificity of condensing enzymes is a predominant factor determining the nature of fatty acyl chains synthesized by type II fatty acid synthase (FAS) enzyme complexes composed of discrete enzymes. The gene (mtKAS) encoding the condensing enzyme, beta-ketoacyl-[acyl carrier protein] (ACP) synthase (KAS), constituent of the mitochondrial FAS was cloned from Arabidopsis thaliana, and its product was purified and characterized. The mtKAS cDNA complemented the KAS II defect in the E. coli CY244 strain mutated in both fabB and fabF encoding KAS I and KAS II, respectively, demonstrating its ability to catalyze the condensation reaction in fatty acid synthesis. In vitro assays using extracts of CY244 containing all E. coli FAS components, except that KAS I and II were replaced by mtKAS, gave C(4)-C(18) fatty acids exhibiting a bimodal distribution with peaks at C(8) and C(14)-C(16). Previously observed bimodal distributions obtained using mitochondrial extracts appear attributable to the mtKAS enzyme in the extracts. Although the mtKAS sequence is most similar to that of bacterial KAS IIs, sensitivity of mtKAS to the antibiotic cerulenin resembles that of E. coli KAS I. In the first or priming condensation reaction of de novo fatty acid synthesis, purified His-tagged mtKAS efficiently utilized malonyl-ACP, but not acetyl-CoA as primer substrate. Intracellular targeting using green fluorescent protein, Western blot, and deletion analyses identified an N-terminal signal conveying mtKAS into mitochondria. Thus, mtKAS with its broad chain length specificity accomplishes all condensation steps in mitochondrial fatty acid synthesis, whereas in plastids three KAS enzymes are required.     

Identification and analysis of the acyl carrier protein (ACP) docking site on beta-ketoacyl-ACP synthase III

The molecular details that govern the specific interactions between acyl carrier protein (ACP) and the enzymes of fatty acid biosynthesis are unknown. We investigated the mechanism of ACP-protein interactions using a computational analysis to dock the NMR structure of ACP with the crystal structure of beta-ketoacyl-ACP synthase III (FabH) and experimentally tested the model by the biochemical analysis of FabH mutants. The activities of the mutants were assessed using both an ACP-dependent and an ACP-independent assay. The ACP interaction surface was defined by mutations that compromised FabH activity in the ACP-dependent assay but had no effect in the ACP-independent assay. ACP docked to a positively charged/hydrophobic patch adjacent to the active site tunnel on FabH, which included a conserved arginine (Arg-249) that was required for ACP docking. Kinetic analysis and direct binding studies between FabH and ACP confirmed the identification of Arg-249 as critical for FabH-ACP interaction. Our experiments reveal the significance of the positively charged/hydrophobic patch located adjacent to the active site cavities of the fatty acid biosynthesis enzymes and the high degree of sequence conservation in helix II of ACP across species.     

The purification and function of acetyl coenzyme A:acyl carrier protein transacylase

When individual enzyme activities of the fatty acid synthetase (FAS) system were assayed in extracts from five different plant tissues, acetyl-CoA:acyl carrier protein (ACP) transacylase and beta-ketoacyl-ACP synthetases I and II had consistently low specific activities in comparison with the other enzymes of the system. However, two of these extracts synthesized significant levels of medium chain fatty acids (rather than C16 and C18 acid) from [14C]malonyl-CoA; these extracts had elevated levels of acetyl-CoA:ACP transacylase. To explore the role of the acetyl transacylase more carefully, this enzyme was purified some 180-fold from spinach leaf extracts. Varying concentrations of the transacylase were then added either to spinach leaf extracts or to a completely reconstituted FAS system consisting of highly purified enzymes. The results suggested that: (a) acetyl-CoA:ACP transacylase was the enzyme catalyzing the rate-limiting step in the plant FAS system; (b) increasing concentration of this enzyme markedly increased the levels of the medium chain fatty acids, whereas increase of the other enzymes of the FAS system led to increased levels of stearic acid synthesis; and (c) beta-ketoacyl-ACP synthetase I was not involved in the rate-limiting step. It is suggested that modulation of the activity of acetyl-CoA:ACP transacylase may have important implications in the type of fatty acid synthesized, as well as the amount of fatty acids formed.     

圆红冬孢酵母新颖脂肪酸合酶的重组表达、纯化与活性检测

脂肪酸合酶(Fatty acid synthase,FAS)催化乙酰辅酶A和丙二酸单酰辅酶A反应生成脂肪酸,是油脂合成代谢途径中最重要的酶之一。在高产油脂的圆红冬孢酵母Rhodosporidium toruloides中发现了一种新颖的FAS,它含两个亚基,与其他物种的FAS相比,具有独特的结构域组成,尤其是含两个酰基载体蛋白(ACP)结构域。由于ACP在脂肪酸合成反应中起辅因子作用,推测多个ACP有利于提高FAS的催化活性,为研究该FAS的生物化学和结构特征,构建了表达FAS两个亚基的载体,并转化大肠杆菌Escherichia coli BL21(DE3),含pET22b-FAS1和pET24-FAS2质粒的重组菌株ZWE06可同时高表达两个亚基,经硫酸铵沉淀、蔗糖密度梯度离心和阴离子交换层析纯化,得到的重组FAS比活力达到548 mU/mg。纯化的FAS复合物可用于后续酶动力学和蛋白结构研究,且表达与纯化方法的建立对研究其他ACP的功能具有参考价值。     

Purification and characterization of acyl carrier protein from two cyanobacteria species

The acyl carrier protein (ACP), an essential protein cofactor for fatty acid synthesis, has been isolated from two cyanobacteria: the filamentous, heterocystous, Anabaena variabilis (ATCC 29211) and the unicellular Synechocystis 6803 (ATCC 27184). Both ACPs have been purified to homogeneity utilizing a three-column procedure. Synechocystis 6803 ACP was purified 1800-fold with 67% yield, while A. variabilis ACP was purified 1040-fold with 50% yield. Yields of 13.0 micrograms ACP/g Synechocystis 6803 and 9.0 micrograms ACP/g A. variabilis were achieved. Amino acid analysis indicated that these ACPs were highly charged acidic proteins similar to other known ACPs. Sequence analysis revealed that both cyanobacterial ACPs were highly conserved with both spinach and Escherichia coli ACP at the phosphopantetheine prosthetic group region. Examining the probability of alpha-helix and beta-turn regions in various ACPs, showed that cyanobacterial ACPs were more closely related to E. coli ACP than spinach ACP I. Immunoblot analysis and a competitive binding assay for ACP illustrated that both ACPs bound poorly to spinach ACP I antibody. SDS/PAGE and native PAGE of Synechocystis 6803 ACP and A. variabilis ACP showed that cyanobacteria ACPs co-migrated with E. coli ACP and had relative molecular masses of 18,100 and 17,900 respectively. Both native and urea gel analysis of acyl-ACP products from fatty acid synthase reactions demonstrated that bacterial ACPs and plant ACP gave essentially the same metabolic products when assayed using either bacterial or plant fatty acid synthase. A. variabilis and Synechocystis 6803 ACP could be acylated using E. coli acyl ACP synthetase.     

Evolution of acyl-ACP thioesterases and β-ketoacyl-ACP synthases revealed by protein–protein interactions

The fatty acid synthase (FAS) is a conserved primary metabolic enzyme complex capable of tolerating cross-species engineering of domains for the development of modified and overproduced fatty acids. In eukaryotes, acyl-acyl carrier protein thioesterases (TEs) off-load mature cargo from the acyl carrier protein (ACP), and plants have developed TEs for short/medium-chain fatty acids. We showed that engineering plant TEs into the green microalga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii does not result in the predicted shift in fatty acid profile. Since fatty acid biosynthesis relies on substrate recognition and protein–protein interactions between the ACP and its partner enzymes, we hypothesized that plant TEs and algal ACP do not functionally interact. Phylogenetic analysis revealed major evolutionary differences between FAS enzymes, including TEs and ketoacyl synthases (KSs), in which the former is present only in some species, whereas the latter is present in all, and has a common ancestor. In line with these results, TEs appeared to be selective towards their ACP partners, whereas KSs showed promiscuous behavior across bacterial, plant, and algal species. Based on phylogenetic analyses, in silico docking, in vitro mechanistic cross-linking, and in vivo algal engineering, we propose that phylogeny can predict effective interactions between ACPs and partner enzymes.     

Mammalian mitochondria contain a soluble acyl carrier protein

Plant and fungal mitochondria contain type II fatty acid synthesis systems closely related to those of bacteria in which the individual reactions are catalyzed by separate soluble proteins acting on intermediates bound to acyl carrier protein (ACP). Mammalian mitochondria are thought to synthesize fatty acids, but evidence for the key ACP component was lacking since the only reported ACP was the SDAP subunit of the membrane-bound NADH:ubiquinone oxidoreductase, We report that most of the SDAP is found in the soluble (matrix) fraction of bovine heart mitochondria and is therefore available to carry the intermediates of type II fatty acid synthesis.     

X-ray crystal structure of Mycobacterium tuberculosis beta-ketoacyl acyl carrier protein synthase II (mtKasB)

Mycolic acids are long chain alpha-alkyl branched, beta-hydroxy fatty acids that represent a characteristic component of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis cell wall. Through their covalent attachment to peptidoglycan via an arabinogalactan polysaccharide, they provide the basis for an essential outer envelope membrane. Mycobacteria possess two fatty acid synthases (FAS); FAS-I carries out de novo synthesis of fatty acids while FAS-II is considered to elongate medium chain length fatty acyl primers to provide long chain (C(56)) precursors of mycolic acids. Here we report the crystal structure of Mycobacterium tuberculosis beta-ketoacyl acyl carrier protein synthase (ACP) II mtKasB, a mycobacterial elongation condensing enzyme involved in FAS-II. This enzyme, along with the M. tuberculosis beta-ketoacyl ACP synthase I mtKasA, catalyzes the Claisen-type condensation reaction responsible for fatty acyl elongation in FAS-II and are potential targets for development of novel anti-tubercular drugs. The crystal structure refined to 2.4 A resolution revealed that, like other KAS-II enzymes, mtKasB adopts a thiolase fold but contains unique structural features in the capping region that may be crucial to its preference for longer fatty acyl chains than its counterparts from other bacteria. Modeling of mtKasA using the mtKasB structure as a template predicts the overall structures to be almost identical, but a larger entrance to the active site tunnel is envisaged that might contribute to the greater sensitivity of mtKasA to the inhibitor thiolactomycin (TLM). Modeling of TLM binding in mtKasB shows that the drug fits the active site poorly and results of enzyme inhibition assays using TLM analogues are wholly consistent with our structural observations. Consequently, the structure described here further highlights the potential of TLM as an anti-tubercular lead compound and will aid further exploration of the TLM scaffold towards the design of novel compounds, which inhibit mycobacterial KAS enzymes more effectively.     

Structural and dynamic characterization of a freestanding acyl carrier protein involved in the biosynthesis of cyclic lipopeptide antibiotics

Friulimicin is a cyclic lipodecapeptide antibiotic that is produced by Actinoplanes friuliensis. Similar to the related lipopeptide drug daptomycin, the peptide skeleton of friulimicin is synthesized by a large multienzyme nonribosomal peptide synthetase (NRPS) system. The LipD protein plays a major role in the acylation reaction of friulimicin. The attachment of the fatty acid group promotes its antibiotic activity. Phylogenetic analysis reveals that LipD is most closely related to other freestanding acyl carrier proteins (ACPs), for which the genes are located near to NRPS gene clusters. Here, we report that the solution NMR structure of apo‐LipD is very similar to other four‐helix bundle forming ACPs from fatty acid synthase (FAS), polyketide synthase, and NRPS systems. By recording NMR dynamics data, we found that the backbone motions in holo‐LipD are more restricted than in apo‐LipD due to the attachment of phosphopantetheine moiety. This enhanced stability of holo‐LipD was also observed in differential scanning calorimetry experiments. Furthermore, we demonstrate that, unlike several other ACPs, the folding of LipD does not depend on the presence of divalent cations, although the presence of Mg²⁺ or Ca²⁺ can increase the protein stability. We propose that small structural rearrangements in the tertiary structure of holo‐LipD which lead to the enhanced stability are important for the cognate enzyme recognition for the acylation reaction. Our results also highlight the different surface charges of LipD and FAS‐ACP from A. friuliensis that would allow the acyl‐CoA ligase to interact preferentially with the LipD instead of binding to the FAS‐ACP.     

Probing the mechanism of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis beta-ketoacyl-acyl carrier protein synthase III mtFabH: factors influencing catalysis and substrate specificity

Mycolic acids are the dominant feature of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis cell wall. These alpha-alkyl, beta-hydroxy fatty acids are formed by the condensation of two fatty acids, a long meromycolic acid and a shorter C(24)-C(26) fatty acid. The component fatty acids are produced via a combination of type I and II fatty acid synthases (FAS) with FAS-I products being elongated by FAS-II toward meromycolic acids. The beta-ketoacyl-acyl carrier protein (ACP) synthase III encoded by mtfabH (mtFabH) links FAS-I and FAS-II, catalyzing the condensation of FAS-I-derived acyl-CoAs with malonyl-acyl carrier protein (ACP). The acyl-CoA chain length specificity of mtFabH was assessed in vitro; the enzyme extended longer, physiologically relevant acyl-CoA primers when paired with AcpM, its natural partner, than with Escherichia coli ACP. The ability of the enzyme to use E. coli ACP suggests that a similar mode of binding is likely with both ACPs, yet it is clear that unique factors inherent to AcpM modulate the substrate specificity of mtFabH. Mutation of proposed key mtFabH residues was used to define their catalytic roles. Substitution of supposed acyl-CoA binding residues reduced transacylation, with double substitutions totally abrogating activity. Mutation of Arg(46) revealed its more critical role in malonyl-AcpM decarboxylation than in the acyl-CoA binding role. Interestingly, this effect was suppressed intragenically by Arg(161) --> Ala substitution. Our structural studies suggested that His(258), previously implicated in malonyl-ACP decarboxylation, also acts as an anchor point for a network of water molecules that we propose promotes deprotonation and transacylation of Cys(122).     

A GX2GX3G motif facilitates acyl chain sequestration by Saccharomyces cerevisiae acyl carrier protein

Saccharomyces cerevisiae acyl carrier protein (ScACP) is a component of the large fungal fatty acid synthase I (FAS I) complex. ScACP comprises two subdomains: a conserved ACP domain that shares extensive structural homology with other ACPs and a unique structural domain. Unlike the metazoan type I ACP that does not sequester the acyl chain, ScACP can partially sequester the growing acyl chain within its hydrophobic core by a mechanism that remains elusive. Our studies on the acyl-ScACP intermediates disclose a unique ¹⁸⁸GX₂GX₃G¹⁹⁵ sequence in helix II important for ACP function. Complete loss of sequestration was observed upon mutation of the three glycines in this sequence to valine (G188V/G191V/G195V), while G191V and G188V/G191V double mutants displayed a faster rate of acyl chain hydrolysis. Likewise, mutation of Thr216 to Ala altered the size of the hydrophobic cavity, resulting in loss of C₁₂- chain sequestration. Combining NMR studies with insights from the crystal structure, we show that three glycines in helix II and a threonine in helix IV favor conformational change, which in turn generate space for acyl chain sequestration. Furthermore, we identified the primary hydrophobic cavity of ScACP, present between the carboxyl end of helix II and IV. The opening of the cavity lies between the second and third turns of helix II and loop II. Overall, the study highlights a novel role of the GX₂GX₃G motif in regulating acyl chain sequestration, vital for ScACP function.