Molecular comparison of Neanderthal and Modern Human adenylosuccinate lyase.

ABSTRACT: The availability of genomic data from extinct homini such as Neanderthals has caused a revolution in palaeontology allowing the identification of modern human-specific protein substitutions. Currently, little is known as to how these substitutions alter the proteins on a molecular level. Here, we investigate adenylosuccinate lyase, a conserved enzyme involved in purine metabolism for which several substitutions in the modern human protein (hADSL) have been described to affect intelligence and behaviour. During evolution, modern humans acquired a specific substitution (Ala429Val) in ADSL distinguishing it from the ancestral variant present in Neanderthals (nADSL). We show here that despite this conservative substitution being solvent exposed and located distant from the active site, there i

SUBMITTER: Van Laer B 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6301967 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature