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Selective neutrality and enzyme kinetics

L Demetrius1

  • 1Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.

Journal of Molecular Evolution
|October 8, 1997
PubMed
Summary
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Enzyme evolution theory links functional properties to allelic variation. Enzyme substrate specificity and reaction rates predict whether enzyme changes in populations are adaptive or neutral, guiding evolutionary studies.

Area of Science:

  • Biochemistry
  • Evolutionary Biology
  • Population Genetics

Background:

  • Enzyme functional parameters, including substrate specificity and reaction rates, are crucial for understanding enzyme evolution.
  • Allelic variation in natural populations can be either neutral or adaptive, but inferring the driving forces has been challenging.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To connect enzyme functional parameters to the neutral or adaptive nature of observed allelic variation.
  • To establish a theoretical framework for predicting evolutionary forces based on enzyme kinetics.

Main Methods:

  • Applying a recent theory of enzyme evolution.
  • Analyzing relationships between enzyme activity variables (substrate specificity, reaction rate) and evolutionary forces (neutral selection, adaptation).

Related Experiment Videos

  • Illustrating findings with case studies of well-studied enzyme evolutionary dynamics.

    • Main Results:

    • Enzymes with broad substrate specificity show adaptive allelic variation, with mutations potentially increasing organism fitness.
    • Enzymes with absolute specificity and diffusion-controlled rates exhibit neutral variation; mutations are deleterious or neutral.
    • Enzymes with absolute/group specificity and non-diffusion-controlled rates display partially neutral variation, with potential for adaptation.

    Conclusions:

    • Enzyme kinetic properties serve as reliable indicators of the evolutionary forces shaping allelic variation.
    • This framework enhances the understanding of molecular evolution and enzyme adaptation in natural populations.