NagD UMPase from E. coli is a member of the p-nitrophenyl phosphatase family of the Haloacid Dehalogenase (HAD) superfamily. There is a NagD homolog in Yersinia pestis with an 86% identical and ~94% similar amino acid sequence, and thus it was predicted to be a UMPase like NagD from E. coli. However, the only way to truly know the activity of a enzyme is to characterize the purified protein. We have cloned the gene, overexpressed the protein, and determined that NagD from Y. pestis is active on UMP. We are in the process of purifying the protein so that we can finish characterization of the enzyme and compare it to NagD from E. coli. Y. pestis is the causative agent of “the plague”, a disease of historical significance that is still prevalent today. Studying proteins from Y. pestis will help us to understand this pathogen better and may help us to discover potential novel antibiotic targets.

NagD from Yersinia pestis

254th National Meeting (2017)

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