Prostaglandin H
2 (PGH
2) formed from arachidonic acid is an unstable intermediate and isefficiently converted into more stable arachidonate metabolites by the action of enzymes. ProstaglandinF synthase (PGFS) has dual catalytic activities: formation of PGF
2 from PGH
2 by the PGH
2 9,11-endoperoxide reductase activity and 9
,11
-PGF
2 (PGF
2) from PGD
2 by the PGD
2 11-ketoreductaseactivity in the presence of NADPH. Bimatoprost (BMP), which is a highly effective ocular hypotensiveagent, is a PGF
2 analogue that inhibits both the PGD
2 11-ketoreductase and PGH
2 9,11-endoperoxidereductase activities of PGFS. To examine the catalytic mechanism of PGH
2 9,11-endoperoxide reductase,a crystal structure of PGFS[NADPH + BMP] has been determined at 2.0 Å resolution. BMP binds nearthe PGD
2 binding site, but the
- and
-chains of BMP are locate on the
- and
-chains of PGD
2,respectively. Consequently, the bound BMP and PGD
2 direct their opposite faces of the cyclopentanemoieties toward the nicotinamide ring of the bound NADP. The
- and
-chains of BMP are involvedin H-bonding with protein residues, while the cyclopentane moiety is surrounded by water molecules andis not directly attached to either the protein or the bound NADPH, indicating that the cyclopentane moietyis movable in the active site. From the complex structure, two model structures of PGFS containing PGF
2and PGH
2 were built. On the basis of the model structures and inhibition data, a putative catalytic mechanismof PGH
2 9,11-endoperoxide reductase of PGFS is proposed. Formation of PGF
2 from PGH
2 most likelyinvolves a direct hydride transfer from the bound NADPH to the endoperoxide of PGH
2 without theparticipation of specific amino acid residues.