Structural insight into the core of CAD, the multifunctional protein leading de novo pyrimidine biosynthesis

Moreno-Morcillo et al. provide insights into human CAD, the multifunctional protein initiating and controlling de novo biosynthesis of pyrimidines, by characterizing a construct covering DHO and ATC domains. The authors show that this construct forms hexamers and that this assembly does not depend on whether DHO domain is active. They propose a model with the DHO and ATC domains as the central supporting framework of CAD particles.