nucleotide-binding domain (NBD) of Helicobacter pylori exopolyphosphatase/guanosine pentaphosphate phosphohydrolase (HpPPX/GppA) and similar proteins
The PPX/GppA family proteins play essential roles in bacterial survival and metabolism. Guanosine pentaphosphate (pppGpp) phosphohydrolase (GppA; EC 3.6.1.40) plays a key role in (p)ppGpp homeostasis. It specifically catalyzes the conversion of pppGpp to ppGpp (guanosine tetraphosphate). Sharing a similar domain structure, GppA is indistinguishable from exopolyphosphatase (PPX; EC 3.6.1.11), which mediates the metabolism of cellular inorganic polyphosphate. Especially, it is responsible for the maintenance of appropriate levels of cellular inorganic polyphosphate (PolyP). The family corresponds a group of proteins similar to Helicobacter pylori PPX/GppA (HpPPX/GppA). HpPPX/GppA is phylogenetically distant from the Escherichia coli homologs. Unlike E. coli that possesses two homologs, EcGppA and EcPPX, H. pylori encodes only one PPX/GppA homolog, HpPPX/GppA. As such, HpPPX/GppA may play important roles in the homeostasis of both (p)ppGpp and PolyP.