Proteome-wide 3D structure prediction provides insights into the ancestral metabolism of ancient archaea and bacteria.

ABSTRACT: Ancestral metabolism has remained controversial due to a lack of evidence beyond sequence-based reconstructions. Although prebiotic chemists have provided hints that metabolism might originate from non-enzymatic protometabolic pathways, gaps between ancestral reconstruction and prebiotic processes mean there is much that is still unknown. Here, we apply proteome-wide 3D structure predictions and comparisons to investigate ancestorial metabolism of ancient bacteria and archaea, to provide information beyond sequence as a bridge to the prebiotic processes. We compare representative bacterial and archaeal strains, which reveal surprisingly similar physiological and metabolic characteristics via microbiological and biophysical experiments. Pairwise comparison of protein structures identify the

SUBMITTER: Zhao W 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9772386 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature