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A structural comparison of type c lysozymes based on their hydropathic profiles
L Menéndez-Arias1, J G Gavilanes, R Rodriguez
1Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Complutense, Madrid, Spain.
Journal of Theoretical Biology
|July 21, 1987
Summary
Hydropathic profiles effectively compare homologous proteins, revealing evolutionary relationships. Iterative methods best estimate phenotypic differences in lysozyme c proteins, aligning with morphological similarities.
Area of Science:
- Biochemistry
- Bioinformatics
- Evolutionary Biology
Background:
- Hydropathic profiles offer insights into protein 3D structure.
- Comparing homologous proteins using hydropathic profiles can reveal structural conservativeness.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and apply a simple approach for comparing hydropathic profiles.
- To evaluate different tree-construction methods for estimating phenotypic differences in homologous proteins.
Main Methods:
- A novel approach for comparing hydropathic profiles was developed.
- Applied to 19 lysozymes c with known primary structures.
- Fitch-and-Margoliash and unweighted-pair-group methods were used for tree construction and compared to a non-iterative method using a goodness-of-fit criterion.
Main Results:
- Iterative tree-construction methods provided a better fit than non-iterative methods for estimating phenotypic differences.
- Hydropathic analysis of lysozyme c placed chachalaca egg-white lysozyme closer to pheasant-like birds than ducks, consistent with morphology.
- Pigeon egg-white and equine milk lysozymes showed significant sequence and hydropathic differences from other lysozymes c.
Conclusions:
- Hydropathic profile comparison is a viable method for assessing structural conservativeness and evolutionary relationships in homologous proteins.
- Iterative tree-building algorithms are superior for accurately estimating phenotypic variations.
- The study confirms the utility of hydropathic analysis in understanding protein evolution and classification.
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