The sensor domains of the DeoR are catalytically inactive versions of the ISOCOT fold, but retain the substrate binding site [1]. DeorC senses diverse sugar derivatives such as deoxyribose nucleoside (DeoR), tagatose phosphate (LacR), galactosamine (AgaR), myo-inositol (Bacillus IolR) and L-ascorbate (UlaR) [1,2]. It can also bind L-ascorbate 6-phosphate, agrocinopines, sn-glycerol 3-phosphate, and sulfoquinovose (Matilla et. al., FEMS Microbiology Reviews, fuab043, 45, 2021, 1. https://doi.org/10.1093/femsre/fuab043).

1: Diversification of catalytic activities and ligand interactions in the protein fold shared by the sugar isomerases, eIF2B, DeoR transcription factors, acyl-CoA transferases and methenyltetrahydrofolate synthetase. Anantharaman V, Aravind L; J Mol Biol. 2006;356:823-842. PMID:16376935

2: Quaternary structural transitions in the DeoR-type repressor UlaR control transcriptional readout from the L-ascorbate utilization regulon in Escherichia coli. Garces F, Fernandez FJ, Gomez AM, Perez-Luque R, Campos E, Prohens R, Aguilar J, Baldoma L, Coll M, Badia J, Vega MC; Biochemistry. 2008;47:11424-11433. PMID:18844374