Structure of the inhibitor complex of old yellow enzyme from Trypanosoma cruzi.

Old yellow enzyme (OYE) is an NADPH oxidoreductase which contains flavin mononucleotide as prosthetic group. The X-ray structures of OYE from Trypanosoma cruzi (TcOYE) which produces prostaglandin (PG) F(2α) from PGH(2) have been determined in the presence or absence of menadione. The binding motif of menadione, known as one of the inhibitors for TcOYE, should accelerate the structure-based development of novel anti-chagasic drugs that inhibit PGF(2α) production specifically.