结构基因组学揭示了整个昆虫生命树的蛋白质功能和远程同类物
Weiyin Wu1, Chunlai Cui2,3, Yixiao Zhu1,4
1Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Biology and Ecological Regulation of Crop Pathogens and Insects, State Key Laboratory for Vegetation Structure, Function and Construction, College of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China.
Cell research
|January 28, 2026
概括
这项研究绘制了1329万种昆虫蛋白质结构的地图,揭示了对抗病毒防御至关重要的cGAS类受体 (cGLRs) 等保存的蛋白质家族. 这种结构基因组学方法增强了对昆虫蛋白质功能和进化的理解.
科学领域:
- 进化生物学是进化的生物学.
- 结构生物学是结构生物学.
- 基因组学就是基因组学.
背景情况:
- 昆虫占描述的动物物种的50%以上,使它们成为研究生物多样性的关键群体.
- 了解蛋白质结构对于弥合遗传序列及其功能之间的差距至关重要.
- 在昆虫中探索序列-结构-功能关系可以揭示基本的生物过程.
研究的目的:
- 为了重建一个全面的昆虫系谱,并创建一个大规模的蛋白质结构图谱.
- 为了利用蛋白质注释和进化分析的结构信息.
- 研究特定蛋白质家族的结构保护和功能作用,例如cGAS类受体 (cGLRs).
主要方法:
- 对4854种昆虫物种的分类结构重建.
- 从824种代表性昆虫物种中预测了1329万个蛋白质结构.
- 蛋白质注释的结构聚类和相似性搜索的应用.
- 在昆虫蛋白质中识别远端同类.
- 在抗病毒防御中对cGAS类受体功能的实验验证.
主要成果:
- 一个完善的昆虫系谱和13.290万个预测蛋白质结构的地图.
- 蛋白质的有效分组,其序列不同但结构相似.
- 7.61万种昆虫蛋白质的注释,其中14%以前没有注释.
- 识别了7亿5千万个遥远的同类物种,其中许多具有古老的起源.
- 在所有被调查的昆虫中发现结构保守的cGAS类受体 (cGLRs),在蚊子抗病毒防御中发挥着明显的作用.
结论:
- 结构基因组学为了解各种生物体中的蛋白质功能和进化提供了一个强大的框架.
- 尽管有显著的序列分歧,但蛋白质的结构性保护可以保持.
- 预测的昆虫蛋白质结构图谱为未来的生物研究提供了宝贵的资源.
- 类似cGAS的受体 (cGLRs) 在结构上是保存的,在昆虫免疫中具有功能性重要性.
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