Crystal Structure of Lactaldehyde Dehydrogenase from Escherichia coli and Inferences Regarding Substrate and Cofactor Specificity

Aldehyde dehydrogenases catalyze the oxidation of aldehyde substrates to the corresponding carboxylic acids. Lactaldehyde dehydrogenase from Escherichia coli (aldA gene product, P25553) is an NAD(+)-dependent enzyme implicated in the metabolism of l-fucose and l-rhamnose. During the heterologous expression and purification of taxadiene synthase from the Pacific yew, lactaldehyde dehydrogenase from E. coli was identified as a minor