Conservation of electrostatic properties within enzyme families and superfamilies

Electrostatic interactions play a key role in enzyme catalytic function. At long range, electrostatics steer the incoming ligand/substrate to the active site, and at short distances, electrostatics provide the specific local interactions for catalysis. In cases in which electrostatics determine enzyme function, orthologs should share the electrostatic properties to maintain function. Often, electrostatic potential maps are employed to depict how conserved surface electrostatics preserve function. We expand on previous efforts to explain conservation of function, using novel electrostatic sequence and structure analyses of four enzyme families and one enzyme superfamily. We show that the spatial charge distribution is conserved within each family and superfamily. Conversely, phylogenetic analysis of key electrostatic residues provide the evolutionary origins of functionality.