Abstract Disclosure: N. Motl: None. K.L. Harris: None. D. Mizrachi: None. R.J. Auchus: None. E. Scott: None. Background: In intact cells, the hydroxysteroid dehydrogenases (HSDs) strongly favor either NADPH-dependent ketosteroid reduction or NAD+-dependent hydroxysteroid oxidation. For ketosteroid reductases, mutation of the arginine 38 residue in the cofactor-binding domain, which forms a salt-bridge with the 2-phosphate of NADP(H), attenuates the reductive preference but does not eliminate NADPH binding. We sought to engineer mutations of human 17βHSD1 that lack NADP(H) binding, analogous to the oxidative HSDs. Methods: Wild-type 17βHSD1 and mutations of L37 and/or R38 in the cofactor-binding domain were expressed in E. coli and purified to homogeneity in one step. The purified proteins were assayed for NAD+- and NADP-dependent estradiol oxidation to measure cofactor affinity. Crystals were grown in the presence of NAD+ and/or estrone, and structures were determined using molecular replacement. Results: For wild-type 17βHSD1, the Km for NAD+ was 7-times higher than for NADP+ (44 vs 6.2 μM, respectively). Mutations R38D and R38I raised the Km for NAD+ < 4-fold but the Km for NADP+ >60-fold to favor NAD+ utilization. For mutations L37D/R38I and L37D/R38D, the Km for NAD+ was 100-120 μM, but NADP+ could not support catalysis at concentrations up to 4 mM. The crystal structures of 17βHSD1, wild-type and mutations R38D or L37D/R38D soaked with NAD+, were solved to 1.79, 1.75, and 1.80 Å, respectively. All structures displayed a near-identical overall fold. While the NAD density for the mutant structures was much weaker than for the wild type enzymes, some differences in NAD positioning were observed. The R38D mutation had minor NAD repositioning. However, in the L37D/R38D structure the NAD cofactor is repositioned slightly further and 37D is angled towards the cofactor, rather than away from it as observed in the other structures. The positively-charged R38 which interacts with the NADP phosphate oxygen in the wild type enzyme (PDB: 1QYV) is lost in both mutants. Instead the oxygen atoms of both mutated residues orient towards where the cofactor phosphate oxygen would be present, likely interfering with NADP binding and contributing to the observed switch of cofactor preference. Conclusion: Mutation of L37D combined with a second, hydrophobic or negatively-charged substitution at R38 precluded NADP(H) binding and converted 17βHSD1 to a purely oxidative HSD similar to 17βHSD2. NADP(H) exclusion in the L37D/R38D mutant appears to be due to 1) loss of the phosphate-R38 interaction and 2) the position and negatively charged character of oxygen atoms of 37D/38D conflicting with positioning of the positively charged NADP phosphate. Keywords: hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase, nicotinamide cofactor, estrogen, x-ray crystallography Presentation: 6/2/2024