Tropinone reductase-II (TR-II) catalyzes the NADPH-dependent reduction of the carbonylgroup of tropinone to a
-hydroxyl group. The crystal structure of TR-II complexed with NADP
+ andpseudotropine (
-tropine) has been determined at 1.9 Å resolution. A seven-residue peptide near theactive site, disordered in the unliganded structure, is fixed in the ternary complex by participation of thecofactor and substrate binding. The
-tropine molecule is bound in an orientation which satisfies theproduct configuration and the stereochemical arrangement toward the cofactor. The substrate binding sitedisplays a complementarity to the bound substrate (
-tropine) in its correct orientation. In addition,electrostatic interactions between the substrate and Glu156 seem to specify the binding position andorientation of the substrate. A comparison between the active sites in TR-II and TR-I shows that theyprovide different van der Waals surfaces and electrostatic features. These differences likely contribute tothe correct binding mode of the substrates, which are in opposite orientations in TR-II and TR-I, and todifferent reaction stereospecificities. The active site structure in the TR-II ternary complex also suggeststhat the arrangement of the substrate, cofactor, and catalytic residues is stereoelectronically favorable forthe reaction.