Conclusion
Prior to our study, many crystal structures of soluble Family I PPases
from lower organisms are available. But no structural study on PPases
from higher organisms has been reported. Given the emerging role of
human PPA1 in tumorigenesis and the potential value of human PPA1 as a
target for anti-cancer drug development, it becomes essential to obtain
an atomic resolution structure of human PPA1. Such a structure is
presented in the current study. The structure, in conjunction with
results from modeling studies and previous knowledge on PPase
structures, sheds new insights into the mechanism of PPA1 functions. The
structure also provides the basis for structure-based drug discovery by
using in silico virtual screening of small molecule compound
libraries, which is being carried out in our lab.