| Type: | Family | Name: | PrpF, AcnD-accessory |
| Description: | The 2-methylcitrate cycle is one of at least five degradation pathways for propionate via propionyl-CoA. In the 2-methylcitrate pathway, degradation of propionate toward pyruvate consumes oxaloacetate and releases succinate. Oxidation of succinate back into oxaloacetate by the TCA cycle makes the 2-methylcitrate pathway a cycle. The propionate utilization operons of several bacteria which use this pathway differ from each other in the occurrence of two genes, acnD and prpF, in place of or in addition to the prpD gene encoding an Fe/S-independent 2-methylcitrate dehydratase enzyme. This family consists of PrpF, an incompletely characterised protein that appears to be an essential accessory protein for the Fe/S-dependent 2-methylisocitrate dehydratase AcnD () []. While the function of PrpF is not known, it has been suggested that it is an accessory protein required to prevent oxidative damage of the Fe/S centre of active AcnD enzyme or that it may be involved in synthesis or repair of the Fe/S cluster present in AcnD. This protein is related to, but distinct from, FldA, a putative fluorene degradation protein of Sphingomonas sp. LB126. | Short Name: | PrpF |
