Hexamerization and thermostability emerged very early during geranylgeranylglyceryl phosphate synthase evolution.

ABSTRACT: A large number of archaea live in hyperthermophilic environments. In consequence, their proteins need to adopt to these harsh conditions, including the enzymes that catalyze the synthesis of their membrane ether lipids. The enzyme that catalyzes the formation of the first ether bond in these lipids, geranylgeranylglyceryl phosphate synthase (GGGPS), exists as a hexamer in many hyperthermophilic archaea, and a recent study suggested that hexamerization serves for a fine-tuning of the flexibility - stability trade-off under hyperthermophilic conditions. We have recently reconstructed the sequences of ancestral group II GGGPS enzymes and now present a detailed biochemical characterization of nine of these predecessors, which allowed us to trace back the evolution of hexameric GGGPS and to dra

SUBMITTER: Kropp C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7888582 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature