Abstract

Fungi and viruses encode a variety of peptidases having a plethora of functions. Many fungal peptidases are extracellular and are likely used to degrade proteins in their environment. Viral peptidases are processing enzymes, intimately involved in the virus infectious cycle. The viral RNA genome is translated by the host-cell machinery into a large polyprotein that is cleaved by the viral peptidases into mature capsid proteins, non-structural proteins and enzymes. I review the structure and catalytic mechanism of scytalidoglutamic peptidase isolated from the wood-destroying fungus Scytalidium lignicolum. This enzyme has a unique β-sandwich fold and a novel catalytic mechanism based on a glutamate, a glutamine and a nucleophilic water molecule. Hepatitis A virus (HAV) 3C peptidase was the first structure identified for a viral 3C enzyme that exhibited the three-dimensional fold of the chymotrypsin family of serine peptidases but had a cysteine sulfur atom instead of the serine oxygen as the nucleophile. The structure of HAV 3C was unusual in that the Asp residue expected as the third member of the catalytic triad did not interact with the general base His. The present structure is of a β-lactone-inhibited version of HAV 3C that has a restored catalytic triad.