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Structural and evolutionary insights into astacin metallopeptidases.
F Xavier Gomis-Rüth1, Walter Stöcker2
1Proteolysis Laboratory, Department of Structural Biology, Molecular Biology Institute of Barcelona (IBMB), Higher Scientific Research Council (CSIC), Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.
Frontiers in Molecular Biosciences
|January 23, 2023
Summary
Astacins are metallopeptidases found across many species. This study proposes astacins originated in early animals (Holozoa) and spread through horizontal gene transfer, not from plants.
Area of Science:
- Biochemistry
- Evolutionary Biology
- Genomics
Background:
- Astacins are a family of metallopeptidases (MPs) with a conserved structure, including a signal peptide, prodomain, and zinc-dependent catalytic domain (CD).
- Their catalytic domains share structural features with other metzincin clan MPs, such as zinc-binding motifs (HEXXHXXGXXH, EXXRXDRD) and a SIMHY motif.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the evolutionary origin and distribution of astacin genes across different kingdoms of life.
- To analyze the structural determinants of astacin domains and their phylogenetic relationships.
Main Methods:
- Extensive sequence searches across diverse taxa.
- Analysis of astacin domain structures (PRO, MAM, TRAF, CUB, EGF-like).
- Phylogenetic analysis to determine evolutionary origins.
Main Results:
- Astacin CDs were identified in over 25,000 sequences from humans to Metazoa, including Choanoflagellata, Filasterea, and Ichtyosporea.
- Fewer astacin sequences were found in non-holozoan eukaryotes, some archaea, and bacteria, but none in plants.
- Astacin genes were detected in various animal-associated microbes, suggesting potential horizontal gene transfer.
Conclusions:
- Astacins likely originated at the root of Holozoa, consistent with Darwinian evolution.
- The scattered distribution of astacins in non-holozoan taxa suggests horizontal gene transfer events from holozoan donors.
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