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Related Experiment Videos

Thiol proteases and aldehyde dehydrogenases: evolution from a common thiolesterase precursor?

J Hempel1, H Nicholas, H Jörnvall

  • 1Department of Molecular Genetics and Biochemistry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pennsylvania 15261.

Proteins
|January 1, 1991
PubMed
Summary

Aldehyde dehydrogenases and thiol proteases share conserved residues and structural similarities, suggesting an ancestral link. This evolutionary relationship is supported by enzyme mechanisms and gene structures.

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Area of Science:

  • Biochemistry
  • Molecular Evolution
  • Enzymology

Background:

  • Aldehyde dehydrogenases and thiol proteases are distinct enzyme classes with known functions.
  • Previous studies have not extensively explored potential evolutionary links between these enzyme families.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the potential ancestral relationship between aldehyde dehydrogenases and thiol proteases.
  • To identify conserved regions and structural similarities that may indicate common evolutionary origins.

Main Methods:

  • Performed sequence alignment of human liver aldehyde dehydrogenase with a Dictyostelium discoideum thiol protease.
  • Conducted multiple sequence alignments incorporating additional aldehyde dehydrogenases and thiol proteases.
  • Analyzed tertiary structures (e.g., papain) to assess the spatial proximity of conserved residues.

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Main Results:

  • Identified 47 residue identities between human liver aldehyde dehydrogenase and a Dictyostelium discoideum thiol protease, including active site cysteines.
  • Discovered three distinct regions of clustered residue similarities in a multiple alignment of related enzymes.
  • Observed that these conserved regions are spatially close in the tertiary structure of papain, despite being distant in primary sequence.

Conclusions:

  • The structural proximity of conserved residues, shared thiol ester mechanisms, and gene structures support an ancestral link.
  • Findings suggest that thiol proteases and aldehyde dehydrogenases may have evolved from a common ancestor.
  • This evolutionary hypothesis is further supported by conserved salt-bridging and disulfide-paired residues.