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Related Concept Videos

Amino Acid Biosynthetic Pathways01:29

Amino Acid Biosynthetic Pathways

Amino acid biosynthesis is essential for cell growth, protein synthesis, and metabolic regulation. Cells generate essential and non-essential amino acids from metabolic intermediates to sustain vital biological functions. These intermediates originate from key metabolic pathways: glycolysis, the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle, and the pentose phosphate pathway. Important precursors include α-ketoglutarate, pyruvate, oxaloacetate, phosphoenolpyruvate, and erythrose-4-phosphate, which provide...
Conserved Binding Sites01:49

Conserved Binding Sites

Many proteins’ biological role depends on their interactions with their ligands, small molecules that bind to specific locations on the protein known as ligand-binding sites. Ligand-binding sites are often conserved among homologous proteins as these sites are critical for protein function.
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Conserved Binding Sites01:49

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From DNA to Protein

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Evolution of New Traits in Microbes01:24

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Microorganisms evolve rapidly due to their large population sizes and short generation times, often exhibiting measurable changes within days under laboratory conditions. Natural selection acts on standing genetic variation, enabling the retention and amplification of beneficial traits that confer fitness advantages in changing environments.Adaptive Pigment Regulation in RhodobacterIn Rhodobacter, a genus of purple non-sulfur bacteria, light-harvesting pigments such as bacteriochlorophyll and...
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A Facile Protocol to Generate Site-Specifically Acetylated Proteins in Escherichia Coli
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Published on: December 9, 2017

Evolutionarily conserved optimization of amino acid biosynthesis.

Ethan O Perlstein1, Benjamin L de Bivort, Samuel Kunes

  • 1Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, 7 Cambridge Center, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA. perlst@fas.harvard.edu

Journal of Molecular Evolution
|August 9, 2007
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

The cognate bias hypothesis explains how amino acid biosynthesis pathways evolved to reduce reliance on specific amino acids, conferring a growth advantage. This study confirms this evolutionary mechanism across all domains of life.

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Identifying Amino Acid Overproducers Using Rare-Codon-Rich Markers
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Identifying Amino Acid Overproducers Using Rare-Codon-Rich Markers

Published on: June 24, 2019

Area of Science:

  • Evolutionary biology
  • Biochemistry
  • Bioinformatics

Background:

  • The cognate bias hypothesis proposes that amino acid biosynthetic enzymes evolved to lose cognate amino acid residues, reducing scarcity effects.
  • Previous bioinformatic studies demonstrated reduced cognate bias in bacterial amino acid biosynthesis pathways.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the presence and implications of cognate bias in amino acid biosynthesis across all domains of life (Archaebacteria and Eukaryota).
  • To experimentally validate the cognate bias hypothesis using yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae).

Main Methods:

  • Bioinformatic analysis of protein-sequence data from diverse life domains.
  • Experimental validation using yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) under amino acid deprivation conditions.
  • Correlation analysis between amino acid underrepresentation in biosynthetic enzymes and growth decline.

Main Results:

  • Cognate bias in amino acid biosynthesis is conserved across Archaebacteria and Eukaryota.
  • Evolutionarily conserved under- and overrepresentations of amino acids in noncognate pathways were observed, explained by secondary metabolism.
  • Yeast growth decline under amino acid deprivation is negatively correlated with cognate amino acid underrepresentation in biosynthetic enzymes.
  • Cognate fold representation proved more predictive of growth advantage than metabolic cost or intracellular concentrations.

Conclusions:

  • The cognate bias hypothesis is validated across all domains of life, highlighting its fundamental role in evolutionary adaptation.
  • Amino acid underrepresentation in cognate biosynthetic pathways confers a significant selective growth advantage.
  • Cognate fold representation is a key factor in predicting cellular growth advantage under nutrient stress.