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Cyclooxygenase
Exploring the Structure
PDB entry 1pth shows how aspirin blocks the cyclooxygenase active site. Aspirin is composed of two parts: an acetyl group attached to salicylic acid. When it attacks cyclooxygenase, it connects its acetyl group to a serine amino acid, permanently inactivating the enzyme. The picture shown here is a close-up of the active site after aspirin has performed its job. The acetyl group (shown in white and red) is attached to the serine amino acid (bright green), and the salicylic acid (large spheres) is bound close by. The backbone of the protein is shown in dark green.
This illustration was created with RasMol. You can create similar pictures by clicking on the PDB accession code above and picking one of the options under View Structure. Note that this structure includes only one of the two subunits, so when you look at the structure, you will be looking at only half of the entire complex. Also, a modified form of aspirin, with a bromine atom attached, was used in this structure; the bromine atom is not shown in this picture.
A list of all cyclooxygenases as of May, 2001, is available here. For suggestions for further reading on cyclooxygenase, click here.
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Last changed by: A.Honegger,