LuxE is an acyl-protein synthetase found in bioluminescent bacteria. LuxE catalyses the formation of an acyl-protein thioester from a fatty acid and a protein. This is the second step in the bioluminescent fatty acid reduction system, which converts tetradecanoic acid to the aldehyde substrate of the luciferase-catalysed bioluminescence reaction [1] A conserved cysteine found at position 364 in Photobacterium phosphoreum LuxE (Swiss:Q52100) is thought to be acylated during the transfer of the acyl group from the synthetase subunit to the reductase. The carboxyl terminal of the synthetase is though to act as a flexible arm to transfer acyl groups between the sites of activation and reduction [2]. This family also includes Vibrio cholerae RBFN protein (Swiss:Q06961), which is involved in the biosynthesis of the O-antigen component 3-deoxy-L-glycero-tetronic acid.

1: Nucleotide sequence and functional analysis of the luxE gene encoding acyl-protein synthetase of the lux operon from Photobacterium leiognathi. Lin JW, Chao YF, Weng SF; Biochem Biophys Res Commun 1996;228:764-773. PMID:8941351

2: Identification of the acyl transfer site of fatty acyl-protein synthetase from bioluminescent bacteria. Soly RR, Meighen EA; J Mol Biol 1991;219:69-77. PMID:2023262

3: A putative pathway for biosynthesis of the O-antigen component, 3-deoxy-L-glycero-tetronic acid, based on the sequence of the Vibrio cholerae O1 rfb region. Morona R, Stroeher UH, Karageorgos LE, Brown MH, Manning PA; Gene 1995;166:19-31. PMID:8529890