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Structure Reveals Homology in Elevator Transporters
Noah Trebesch1, Emad Tajkhorshid1
1Theoretical and Computational Biophysics Group, NIH Resource for Macromolecular Modeling and Visualization, Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Biorxiv : the Preprint Server for Biology
|July 3, 2023
Summary
Elevator transporters, crucial for cell membrane transport, are revealed to be homologous across diverse families. This study establishes their shared evolutionary origin and conserved architecture, deepening our understanding of this fundamental biological mechanism.
Area of Science:
- Biochemistry
- Molecular Biology
- Structural Biology
Background:
- Elevator transporters are key mechanisms for substrate transport across cell membranes.
- Previous classifications fragmented elevator transporters into unrelated families, limiting evolutionary context.
- Understanding the evolutionary history of these transporters is crucial for elucidating their molecular function.
Conclusions:
- Elevator transporters from different families share a common evolutionary origin and conserved structural architecture.
- The findings necessitate a re-evaluation of elevator transporter classification and evolutionary history.
- This work provides a deeper, more nuanced understanding of the elevator transport mechanism and its functional implications.
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