Computational analysis of the fructosyltransferase enzymes in plants, fungi and bacteria

Fructosyltransferases (FTases) are enzymes produced by plants, fungi, and bacteria, which are responsible for the synthesis of fructooligosaccharides. In this study, we conducted a computational analysis of reported sequences for FTase from a diverse source of organisms, such as plants, fungi, and bacteria. Ninety-one proteins sequences were obtained; all belonging to the glycoside hydrolase 32 (GH32) and 68 (GH68) families. The sequences were grouped in seven clades, five for plants, one for fungi, and one for bacteria. Our findings suggest that FTases from fungi and bacteria likely evolved from dicotyledonous FTases. The analysis of catalytic domains A, D and E, which contain the amino acids involved in the catalytic binding site, allowed the identification of clade-specific conserved characteristics. The analysis of sequence motifs involved in donor/acceptor molecule affinity showed that additional sequences could be responsible for donor/acceptor molecule affinity. The correlation of this large set of FTases allowed to identify additional features that might be used for the identification and classification of new FTases, and to improve the understanding of these valuable enzymes.