Shikimate dehydrogenase catalyzes the fourth step of the shikimate pathway, the essential route for the biosynthesis of aromatic compounds in plants and microorganisms. Absent in metazoans, this pathway is an attractive target for nontoxic herbicides and drugs. Escherichia coli expresses two shikimate dehydrogenase paralogs, the NADP-specific AroE and a putative enzyme YdiB. Here we characterize YdiB as a dual specificity quinate/shikimate dehydrogenase that utilizes either NAD or NADP as a cofactor. Structures of AroE and YdiB with bound cofactors were determined at 1.5 and 2.5 Å resolution, respectively. Both enzymes display a similar architecture with two ␣/ domains separated by a wide cleft. Comparison of their dinucleotide-binding domains reveals the molecular basis for cofactor specificity. Independent molecules display conformational flexibility suggesting that a switch between open and closed conformations occurs upon substrate binding. Sequence analysis and structural comparison led us to propose the catalytic machinery and a model for 3-dehydroshikimate recognition. Furthermore, we discuss the evolutionary and metabolic implications of the presence of two shikimate dehydrogenases in E. coli and other organisms.The shikimate pathway, which links metabolism of carbohydrates to biosynthesis of aromatic compounds, is essential to plants, bacteria, and fungi (1) as well as apicomplexan parasites (2). This seven-step metabolic route leads from phosphoenolpyruvate and erythrose 4-phosphate to chorismate, the common precursor for the synthesis of folic acid, ubiquinone, vitamins E and K, and aromatic amino acids (1). This pathway is absent in metazoans, which must obtain the essential amino acids phenylalanine and tryptophan from their diet. Therefore, enzymes of this pathway are important targets for the development of nontoxic herbicides (3), as well as antimicrobial (4) and antiparasite (2) agents. The sixth step in the pathway, catalyzed by 5-enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase, has already been successfully targeted, with the development of glyphosate, a broad spectrum herbicide (5). However, after 20 years of extensive use, glyphosate-resistant weeds have recently emerged (6), emphasizing the importance of maintaining target diversity. In order to design new inhibitors, crystal structures of several enzymes of the shikimate pathway have been elucidated recently: 3-dehydroquinate synthase (7), type I and II dehydroquinases (8), type I and II shikimate kinases (9, 10), and 5-enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase (11), catalyzing the second, third, fifth, and sixth steps of the pathway, respectively.Shikimate dehydrogenase (EC 1.1.1.25) catalyzes the fourth reaction in the shikimate pathway, the NADP-dependent reduction of 3-dehydroshikimate to shikimate (Fig. 1A). Whereas dehydrogenases usually form oligomers, shikimate dehydrogenase, coded by the gene aroE in Escherichia coli, is present as a monomer in most bacteria (12, 13). In higher organisms this activity is part of a multifunctional enzym...