Pectin Digestion in Herbivorous Beetles: Impact of Pseudoenzymes Exceeds That of Their Active Counterparts.

ABSTRACT: Many protein families harbor pseudoenzymes that have lost the catalytic function of their enzymatically active counterparts. Assigning alternative function and importance to these proteins is challenging. Because the evolution toward pseudoenzymes is driven by gene duplication, they often accumulate in multigene families. Plant cell wall-degrading enzymes (PCWDEs) are prominent examples of expanded gene families. The pectolytic glycoside hydrolase family 28 (GH28) allows herbivorous insects to break down the PCW polysaccharide pectin. GH28 in the Phytophaga clade of beetles contains many active enzymes but also many inactive counterparts. Using functional characterization, gene silencing, global transcriptome analyses, and recordings of life history traits, we found that not only catalytic

SUBMITTER: Kirsch R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6549527 | biostudies-literature | 2019

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature