Phytochelatin Synthase: An In Silico Comparative Analysis in Cyanobacteria and Eukaryotic Microalgae.

ABSTRACT: Phytochelatins (PCs) are small cysteine-rich peptides involved in metal detoxification, not genetically encoded but enzymatically synthesized by phytochelatin synthases (PCSs) starting from glutathione. The constitutive PCS expression even in the absence of metal contamination, the wide phylogenetic distribution and the similarity between PCSs and the papain-type cysteine protease catalytic domain suggest a wide range of functions for PCSs. These proteins, widely studied in land plants, have not been fully analyzed in algae and cyanobacteria, although these organisms are the first to cope with heavy-metal stress in aquatic environments and can be exploited for phytoremediation. To fill this gap, we compared the features of the PCS proteins of different cyanobacterial and algal taxa by phyl

SUBMITTER: Ferrari M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11314372 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature