Stacked beta-bulges in thymidylate synthase account for a novel right-handed rotation between opposing beta-sheets

The beta-sandwich in thymidylate synthase comprises two six-stranded mixed beta-sheets, each contributed by one subunit of the dimeric molecule. In contrast to other proteins of known structure in which beta-sheets stack face to face, the central beta-sheets in the thymidylate synthase dimer are related by a right-handed rather than a left-handed twist. Using a highly refined model of an Escherichia coli thymidylate synthase ternary complex, we show that the individual beta-sheets in each subunit are severely distorted by an unusual series of stacked beta-bulges, which partitions each larger sheet into two smaller beta-sheets approximately orthogonal to one another. These stacked beta-bulges are locally stabilized by hydrogen bonding involving eight conserved residues. This extended structure anchors the phosphate of bound dUMP and controls the precise orientation of the catalytically essential active site cysteine. Stereochemical factors associated with the pronounced crease caused by these stacked bulges account for the right-handed twist of opposing beta-sheets.