Fructose-bisphosphate aldolases: an evolutionary history

Two mechanistically distinct forms of fructose-bisphosphate aldolase are known to exist. It has been assumed that the Class II (metallo) aldolases are evolutionary more primitive than their Class I (Schiff-base) analogs since the latter had only been found in eukaryotes. With the identification of prokaryotic Class I aldolases, we present here an alternative scheme of aldolase evolution. This scheme proposes that both aldolase classes are evolutionarily ancient and rationalizes the observed highly variable expression of both enzyme types in contemporary file forms.