Exploring the evolution of novel enzyme functions within structurally defined protein superfamilies.

ABSTRACT: In order to understand the evolution of enzyme reactions and to gain an overview of biological catalysis we have combined sequence and structural data to generate phylogenetic trees in an analysis of 276 structurally defined enzyme superfamilies, and used these to study how enzyme functions have evolved. We describe in detail the analysis of two superfamilies to illustrate different paradigms of enzyme evolution. Gathering together data from all the superfamilies supports and develops the observation that they have all evolved to act on a diverse set of substrates, whilst the evolution of new chemistry is much less common. Despite that, by bringing together so much data, we can provide a comprehensive overview of the most common and rare types of changes in function. Our analysis demonstra

SUBMITTER: Furnham N 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3291543 | biostudies-literature | 2012

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature