Arsenate reductase (ArsC) from Staphylococcus aureus catalyses the reduction of arsenate to arsenite. It participates in the arsenic detoxification system of the gram-positive bacterium. ArsC also catalyses dephosphorylation in addition to reduction, although at a reduced efficiency.
Arsenate reductase has a PTPase-I fold typical for low molecular weight tyrosine phosphatases which includes the catalytic P-loop and the similarity is corresponds to the similarity between arsenate and phosphate ions. The structural similarity of this fold has resulted in arsenate reductase displaying phosphatase activity in vitro as well as being able to reduce arsenate.
Defined by 14 residues: CYS:A-10THR:A-11GLY:A-12ASN:A-13SER:A-14CYS:A-15ARG:A-16SER:A-17SER:A-36THR:A-63ASP:A-65CYS:A-82CYS:A-89ASP:A-105