Primary Citation of Related Structures:   1NPC
PubMed Abstract: 
The crystal structure of the neutral protease from Bacillus cereus has been refined to an R factor of 17.5% at 0.2-nm resolution. The enzyme, an extracellular metalloendopeptidase, consists of two domains and binds one zinc and four calcium ions. The structure is very similar to that of thermolysin, with which the enzyme shares 73% amino-acid sequence identity ...
The crystal structure of the neutral protease from Bacillus cereus has been refined to an R factor of 17.5% at 0.2-nm resolution. The enzyme, an extracellular metalloendopeptidase, consists of two domains and binds one zinc and four calcium ions. The structure is very similar to that of thermolysin, with which the enzyme shares 73% amino-acid sequence identity. The active-site cleft between the two domains is wider in neutral protease than in thermolysin. This suggests the presence of a flexible hinge region between the two domains, which may assist enzyme action. The high-resolution analysis allows detailed examination of possible causes for the difference in thermostability between neutral protease and thermolysin.
Related Citations: 
Crystal Structure of Neutral Protease from Bacillus Cereus Refined at 3.0 Angstroms Resolution and Comparison with the Homologous But More Thermostable Enzyme Thermolysin Pauptit, R.A., Karlsson, R., Picot, D., Jenkins, J.A., Niklaus-Reimer, A., Jansonius, J.N. (1988) J Mol Biol 199: 525
The Primary Structure of Bacillus Cereus Neutral Proteinase and Comparison with Thermolysin and Bacillus Subtilis Proteinase Sidler, W., Niederer, E., Suter, F., Zuber, H. (1986) Biol Chem Hoppe Seyler 367: 643
Organizational Affiliation: 
Department of Structural Biology, University of Basel, Switzerland.