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Stenvinkel P, Avesani CM, Gordon LJ, Schalling M, Shiels PG. Biomimetics provides lessons from nature for contemporary ways to improve human health. J Clin Transl Sci 2021; 5:e128. [PMID: 34367673 PMCID: PMC8327543 DOI: 10.1017/cts.2021.790] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2021] [Revised: 05/06/2021] [Accepted: 05/07/2021] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Homo sapiens is currently living in serious disharmony with the rest of the natural world. For our species to survive, and for our well-being, we must gather knowledge from multiple perspectives and actively engage in studies of planetary health. The enormous diversity of species, one of the most striking aspects of life on our planet, provides a source of solutions that have been developed through evolution by natural selection by animals living in extreme environments. The food system is central to finding solutions; our current global eating patterns have a negative impact on human health, driven climate change and loss of biodiversity. We propose that the use of solutions derived from nature, an approach termed biomimetics, could mitigate the effects of a changing climate on planetary health as well as human health. For example, activation of the transcription factor Nrf2 may play a role in protecting animals living in extreme environments, or animals exposed to heat stress, pollution and pesticides. In order to meet these challenges, we call for the creation of novel interdisciplinary planetary health research teams.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter Stenvinkel
- Division of Renal Medicine, Department of Clinical Science, Technology and Intervention, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Carla M. Avesani
- Division of Renal Medicine, Department of Clinical Science, Technology and Intervention, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Line J. Gordon
- Stockholm Resilience Centre Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Martin Schalling
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Surgery, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Paul G. Shiels
- Institute of Cancer Sciences, Wolfson Wohl Translational Research Centre, University of Glasgow, Bearsden, Glasgow, UK
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2
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Abstract
During the evolution of skeletons, vertebrates acquired the bone made of calcium phosphate. By keeping the extracellular fluid in a supersaturated condition regarding calcium and phosphate, vertebrates create the bone when and where they want simply by providing a cue for precipitation. To secure this strategy, a new endocrine system has evolved that strictly controls the extracellular phosphate concentration. In response to phosphate intake, fibroblast growth factor-23 (FGF23) is secreted from the bone and acts on the kidney through binding to its receptor Klotho to increase urinary phosphate excretion and maintain phosphate homeostasis. The FGF23-Klotho endocrine system, when disrupted, results in hyperphosphatemia and ectopic precipitation of calcium phosphate in mice and humans. In addition to disturbed phosphate homeostasis, mice lacking Klotho suffer from premature aging. They exhibit multiple organ atrophy, arteriosclerosis characterized by vascular calcification, cardiac hypertrophy, sarcopenia, cognition impairment, frailty, and a shortened life span associated with chronic non-infectious inflammation. Restoration of the phosphate balance by placing Klotho- or FGF23-deficient mice on low phosphate diet rescued them from the aging-like phenotypes, indicating that phosphate was responsible for the accelerated aging. The similar pathophysiology is universally observed in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD), rendering advanced CKD a clinical model of accelerated aging. CKD patients bear colloidal nanoparticles containing calcium phosphate in the blood, which are termed calciprotein particles (CPPs). CPPs have the ability to induce cell damage and inflammation, potentially contributing to accelerated aging. Terrestrial vertebrates with the bone made of calcium phosphate may be destined to age due to ectopic calcium phosphate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Makoto Kuro-O
- Division of Anti-Aging Medicine, Center for Molecular Medicine, Jichi Medical University, Shimotsuke, Tochigi, Japan.
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Gallardo-Navarro ÓA, Santillán M. Three-Way Interactions in an Artificial Community of Bacterial Strains Directly Isolated From the Environment and Their Effect on the System Population Dynamics. Front Microbiol 2019; 10:2555. [PMID: 31798544 PMCID: PMC6865335 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2019.02555] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2019] [Accepted: 10/23/2019] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
This work is motivated by previous studies that have analyzed the population ecology of a collection of culturable thermoresistant bacteria, isolated from the Churince lagoon in Cuatro Cienegas, Mexico. In particular, it is aimed at testing a hypothesis from a modeling study, which states that antagonistic and sensitive bacteria co-exist thanks to resistant bacteria that protect sensitive ones by forming physical barriers. We selected three different bacterial strains from the referred collection: one antagonistic, one sensitive, and one resistant, and studied the population dynamics of mixed colonies. Our results show that, although the proposed protective mechanism does not work in this case, the resistant strain confers some kind of protection to sensitive bacteria. Further modeling and experimental results suggest that the presence of resistant bacteria indirectly improves the probability that patches of sensitive bacteria grow in a mixed colony. More precisely, our results suggest that by making antagonistic bacteria produce and secrete an antagonistic substance (with the concomitant metabolic cost and growth rate reduction), resistant bacteria increase the likelihood that sensitive bacteria locally outcompete antagonistic ones.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Moisés Santillán
- Unidad Monterrey, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del IPN, Apodaca, Mexico
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4
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Novel treatment strategies for chronic kidney disease: insights from the animal kingdom. Nat Rev Nephrol 2018; 14:265-284. [PMID: 29332935 DOI: 10.1038/nrneph.2017.169] [Citation(s) in RCA: 71] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Many of the >2 million animal species that inhabit Earth have developed survival mechanisms that aid in the prevention of obesity, kidney disease, starvation, dehydration and vascular ageing; however, some animals remain susceptible to these complications. Domestic and captive wild felids, for example, show susceptibility to chronic kidney disease (CKD), potentially linked to the high protein intake of these animals. By contrast, naked mole rats are a model of longevity and are protected from extreme environmental conditions through mechanisms that provide resistance to oxidative stress. Biomimetic studies suggest that the transcription factor nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (NRF2) offers protection in extreme environmental conditions and promotes longevity in the animal kingdom. Similarly, during months of fasting, immobilization and anuria, hibernating bears are protected from muscle wasting, azotaemia, thrombotic complications, organ damage and osteoporosis - features that are often associated with CKD. Improved understanding of the susceptibility and protective mechanisms of these animals and others could provide insights into novel strategies to prevent and treat several human diseases, such as CKD and ageing-associated complications. An integrated collaboration between nephrologists and experts from other fields, such as veterinarians, zoologists, biologists, anthropologists and ecologists, could introduce a novel approach for improving human health and help nephrologists to find novel treatment strategies for CKD.
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Parker ET, Cleaves HJ, Bada JL, Fernández FM. Quantitation of α-hydroxy acids in complex prebiotic mixtures via liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry. RAPID COMMUNICATIONS IN MASS SPECTROMETRY : RCM 2016; 30:2043-2051. [PMID: 27467333 DOI: 10.1002/rcm.7684] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2016] [Revised: 07/05/2016] [Accepted: 07/10/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
RATIONALE Spark discharge experiments, like those performed by Stanley Miller in the 1950s, generate complex, analytically challenging mixtures that contain biopolymer building blocks. Recently, α-amino acids and α-hydroxy acids (AHAs) were subjected to environmental cycling to form simple depsipeptides (peptides with both amide and ester linkages). The synthesis of AHAs under possible primordial environments must be examined to better understand this chemistry. METHODS We report a direct, quantitative method for AHAs using ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography and triple quadrupole mass spectrometry. Hexylamine ion-pairing chromatography and selected reaction monitoring detection were combined for the rapid analysis of ten AHAs in a single run. Additionally, prebiotic simulation experiments, including the first-ever reproduction of Miller's 1958 cyanamide spark discharge experiment, were performed to evaluate AHA synthesis over a wide range of possible primitive terrestrial environments. RESULTS The quantitating transition for each of the AHAs targeted in this study produced a limit of detection in the nanomolar concentration range. For most species, a linear response over a range spanning two orders of magnitude was found. The AHAs glycolic acid, lactic acid, malic acid, and α-hydroxyglutaric acid were detected in electric discharge experiments in the low micromolar concentration range. CONCLUSIONS The results of this work suggest that the most abundant building blocks available for prebiotic depsipeptide synthesis would have been glycolic, lactic, malic, and α-hydroxyglutaric acids, and their corresponding amino acids, glycine, alanine, and aspartic and glutamic acids. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric T Parker
- School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Georgia Institute of Technology, 901 Atlantic Drive, Atlanta, GA, 30332, USA
| | - H James Cleaves
- Earth-Life Science Institute, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Meguro Ku, Tokyo, Japan
- Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton, NJ, 08540, USA
| | - Jeffrey L Bada
- Geophysical Research Division, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California at San Diego, 8615 Kennel Way, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA
| | - Facundo M Fernández
- School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Georgia Institute of Technology, 901 Atlantic Drive, Atlanta, GA, 30332, USA
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6
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Stubbendieck RM, Vargas-Bautista C, Straight PD. Bacterial Communities: Interactions to Scale. Front Microbiol 2016; 7:1234. [PMID: 27551280 PMCID: PMC4976088 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2016.01234] [Citation(s) in RCA: 159] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2016] [Accepted: 07/25/2016] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
In the environment, bacteria live in complex multispecies communities. These communities span in scale from small, multicellular aggregates to billions or trillions of cells within the gastrointestinal tract of animals. The dynamics of bacterial communities are determined by pairwise interactions that occur between different species in the community. Though interactions occur between a few cells at a time, the outcomes of these interchanges have ramifications that ripple through many orders of magnitude, and ultimately affect the macroscopic world including the health of host organisms. In this review we cover how bacterial competition influences the structures of bacterial communities. We also emphasize methods and insights garnered from culture-dependent pairwise interaction studies, metagenomic analyses, and modeling experiments. Finally, we argue that the integration of multiple approaches will be instrumental to future understanding of the underlying dynamics of bacterial communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Reed M. Stubbendieck
- Interdisciplinary Program in Genetics, Texas A&M University, College StationTX, USA
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Texas A&M University, College StationTX, USA
| | - Carol Vargas-Bautista
- Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology, Texas A&M Agrilife Research, WeslacoTX, USA
| | - Paul D. Straight
- Interdisciplinary Program in Genetics, Texas A&M University, College StationTX, USA
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Texas A&M University, College StationTX, USA
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Ruginsk SG, Mecawi ADS, da Silva MP, Reis WL, Coletti R, de Lima JBM, Elias LLK, Antunes-Rodrigues J. Gaseous modulators in the control of the hypothalamic neurohypophyseal system. Physiology (Bethesda) 2015; 30:127-38. [PMID: 25729058 DOI: 10.1152/physiol.00040.2014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Nitric oxide (NO), carbon monoxide (CO), and hydrogen sulfide (H2S) are gaseous molecules produced by the brain. Within the hypothalamus, gaseous molecules have been highlighted as autocrine and paracrine factors regulating endocrine function. Therefore, in the present review, we briefly discuss the main findings linking NO, CO, and H2S to the control of body fluid homeostasis at the hypothalamic level, with particular emphasis on the regulation of neurohypophyseal system output.
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Affiliation(s)
- Silvia Graciela Ruginsk
- Department of Physiology, School of Medicine of Ribeirao Preto, University of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil; and
| | - Andre de Souza Mecawi
- Department of Physiology, School of Medicine of Ribeirao Preto, University of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil; and
| | - Melina Pires da Silva
- Department of Physiology, School of Medicine of Ribeirao Preto, University of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil; and
| | - Wagner Luis Reis
- Department of Physiology, School of Medicine of Ribeirao Preto, University of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil; and Physiology Department, Georgia Regents University, Augusta, Georgia
| | - Ricardo Coletti
- Department of Physiology, School of Medicine of Ribeirao Preto, University of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil; and
| | | | - Lucila Leico Kagohara Elias
- Department of Physiology, School of Medicine of Ribeirao Preto, University of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil; and
| | - Jose Antunes-Rodrigues
- Department of Physiology, School of Medicine of Ribeirao Preto, University of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil; and
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de Souza Mecawi A, Ruginsk SG, Elias LLK, Varanda WA, Antunes‐Rodrigues J. Neuroendocrine Regulation of Hydromineral Homeostasis. Compr Physiol 2015; 5:1465-516. [DOI: 10.1002/cphy.c140031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
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9
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Kooman JP. Geology, Paleoclimatology and the Evolution of the Kidney: Some Explorations into the Legacy of Homer Smith. Blood Purif 2012; 33:263-74. [DOI: 10.1159/000337095] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
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10
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Wu Y, Yuan H, Tan S, Chen JQ, Tian D, Yang H. Increased complexity of gene structure and base composition in vertebrates. J Genet Genomics 2011; 38:297-305. [PMID: 21777854 DOI: 10.1016/j.jgg.2011.06.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2011] [Revised: 06/01/2011] [Accepted: 06/12/2011] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
How the structure and base composition of genes changed with the evolution of vertebrates remains a puzzling question. Here we analyzed 895 orthologous protein-coding genes in six multicellular animals: human, chicken, zebrafish, sea squirt, fruit fly, and worm. Our analyses reveal that many gene regions, particularly intron and 3' UTR, gradually expanded throughout the evolution of vertebrates from their invertebrate ancestors, and that the number of exons per gene increased. Studies based on all protein-coding genes in each genome provide consistent results. We also find that GC-content increased in many gene regions (especially 5' UTR) in the evolution of endotherms, except in coding-exons. Analysis of individual genomes shows that 3' UTR demonstrated stronger length and GC-content correlation with intron than 5' UTR, and gene with large intron in all six species demonstrated relatively similar GC-content. Our data indicates a great increase in complexity in vertebrate genes and we propose that the requirement for morphological and functional changes is probably the driving force behind the evolution of structure and base composition complexity in multicellular animal genes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ying Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Department of Biology, Nanjing University, China
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11
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Steinke D, Salzburger W, Braasch I, Meyer A. Many genes in fish have species-specific asymmetric rates of molecular evolution. BMC Genomics 2006; 7:20. [PMID: 16466575 PMCID: PMC1413527 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2164-7-20] [Citation(s) in RCA: 87] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2005] [Accepted: 02/08/2006] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Gene and genome duplication events increase the amount of genetic material that might then contribute to an increase in the genomic and phenotypic complexity of organisms during evolution. Thus, it has been argued that there is a relationship between gene copy number and morphological complexity and/or species diversity. This hypothesis implies that duplicated genes have subdivided or evolved novel functions compared to their pre-duplication proto-orthologs. Such a functional divergence might be caused by an increase in evolutionary rates in one ortholog, by changes in expression, regulatory evolution, insertion of repetitive elements, or due to positive Darwinian selection in one copy. We studied a set of 2466 genes that were present in Danio rerio, Takifugu rubripes, Tetraodon nigroviridis and Oryzias latipes to test (i) for forces of positive Darwinian selection; (ii) how frequently duplicated genes are retained, and (iii) whether novel gene functions might have evolved. RESULTS 25% (610) of all investigated genes show significantly smaller or higher genetic distances in the genomes of particular fish species compared to their human ortholog than their orthologs in other fish according to relative rate tests. We identified 49 new paralogous pairs of duplicated genes in fish, in which one of the paralogs is under positive Darwinian selection and shows a significantly higher rate of molecular evolution in one of the four fish species, whereas the other copy apparently did not undergo adaptive changes since it retained the original rate of evolution. Among the genes under positive Darwinian selection, we found a surprisingly high number of ATP binding proteins and transcription factors. CONCLUSION The significant rate difference suggests that the function of these rate-changed genes might be essential for the respective fish species. We demonstrate that the measurement of positive selection is a powerful tool to identify divergence rates of duplicated genes and that this method has the capacity to identify potentially interesting candidates for adaptive gene evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dirk Steinke
- Lehrstuhl für Zoologie und Evolutionsbiologie, Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, D-78457 Konstanz, Germany
| | - Walter Salzburger
- Lehrstuhl für Zoologie und Evolutionsbiologie, Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, D-78457 Konstanz, Germany
- Center of Junior Research Fellows, University of Konstanz, D-78457 Konstanz, Germany
| | - Ingo Braasch
- Lehrstuhl für Zoologie und Evolutionsbiologie, Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, D-78457 Konstanz, Germany
- Department of Physiological Chemistry I, Biozentrum, University of Wuerzburg, Germany
| | - Axel Meyer
- Lehrstuhl für Zoologie und Evolutionsbiologie, Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, D-78457 Konstanz, Germany
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Saran S, Meima ME, Alvarez-Curto E, Weening KE, Rozen DE, Schaap P. cAMP signaling in Dictyostelium. Complexity of cAMP synthesis, degradation and detection. J Muscle Res Cell Motil 2003; 23:793-802. [PMID: 12952077 DOI: 10.1023/a:1024483829878] [Citation(s) in RCA: 69] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
cAMP plays a pivotal role in control of cell movement, differentiation and response to stress in all phases of the Dictyostelium life cycle. The multitudinous functions of cAMP require precise spatial and temporal control of its production, degradation and detection. Many novel proteins have recently been identified that critically modulate the cAMP signal. We focus in this review on the properties and functions of the three adenylyl cyclases and the three cAMP-phosphodiesterases that are present in Dictyostelium, and the network of proteins that regulate the activity of these enzymes. We also briefly discuss the two modes of detection of cAMP.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shweta Saran
- School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, MSI/WTB complex, Dundee DD1 5EH, UK
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Zippin JH, Levin LR, Buck J. CO(2)/HCO(3)(-)-responsive soluble adenylyl cyclase as a putative metabolic sensor. Trends Endocrinol Metab 2001; 12:366-70. [PMID: 11551811 DOI: 10.1016/s1043-2760(01)00454-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 95] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Cyclic AMP (cAMP) is an evolutionarily conserved regulator of metabolism. Recently, we identified a novel mammalian source of cAMP - soluble adenylyl cyclase (sAC) - that is regulated directly by bicarbonate ions (HCO(3)(-)). As the concentration of HCO(3)(-) reflects cellular levels of carbon dioxide (CO(2)), energy-generating metabolic processes (which increase intracellular CO(2)) are poised to activate bicarbonate-responsive sAC. This direct link between metabolic activity, sAC and cAMP could represent an evolutionarily conserved mechanism of metabolic feedback regulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- J H Zippin
- Dept of Pharmacology, Weill Medical College of Cornell University, 1300 York Avenue, New York, NY 10021, USA
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Chen Y, Cann MJ, Litvin TN, Iourgenko V, Sinclair ML, Levin LR, Buck J. Soluble adenylyl cyclase as an evolutionarily conserved bicarbonate sensor. Science 2000; 289:625-8. [PMID: 10915626 DOI: 10.1126/science.289.5479.625] [Citation(s) in RCA: 649] [Impact Index Per Article: 27.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
Spermatozoa undergo a poorly understood activation process induced by bicarbonate and mediated by cyclic adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate (cAMP). It has been assumed that bicarbonate mediates its effects through changes in intracellular pH or membrane potential; however, we demonstrate here that bicarbonate directly stimulates mammalian soluble adenylyl cyclase (sAC) activity in vivo and in vitro in a pH-independent manner. sAC is most similar to adenylyl cyclases from cyanobacteria, and bicarbonate regulation of cyclase activity is conserved in these early forms of life. sAC is also expressed in other bicarbonate-responsive tissues, which suggests that bicarbonate regulation of cAMP signaling plays a fundamental role in many biological systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Y Chen
- Department of Pharmacology, Joan and Sanford I. Weill Medical College of Cornell University, 1300 York Avenue, New York, NY 10021, USA
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15
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D'Alessio G. The evolutionary transition from monomeric to oligomeric proteins: tools, the environment, hypotheses. PROGRESS IN BIOPHYSICS AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 1999; 72:271-98. [PMID: 10581971 DOI: 10.1016/s0079-6107(99)00009-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Recently, renewed interest in the evolution of oligomeric proteins has seen new approaches explored and new hypotheses proposed. The model systems chosen are generally made up of pairs of homologous proteins, each composed of a monomer and a dimeric counterpart, but the question has been also approached by comparing statistically significant structural patterns in sets of monomeric and oligomeric proteins. Here the tools of genetics and chemistry potentially available to the evolution of oligomeric proteins are discussed, as well as the possible effects of environments on the early attempts to oligomerization. Traces of an ancestral monomeric status of oligomers may be detected in the significant presence of polar and charged residues at intersubunit interfaces, and by the recognition that, besides the hydrophobic effect, a 'hydrophilic' effect has also had a role in the construction of these interfaces. The traditional 'mutation' model is described and found to be based on a hierarchy of mutations, crowned by a 'primary' mutation, one that could prime oligomerization by irreversibly altering the structure of an ancestral monomer. The mechanism of oligomerization based on the exchange or 'swap' of structural elements between monomers is discussed. The possibility is also discussed that the main steps in the folding pathway of an oligomeric protein reiterate the main steps in its evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- G D'Alessio
- Dipartimento di Chimica Organica e Biologica, University of Naples Federico II, Italy.
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16
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Abstract
Major increases in complexity during animal evolution occurred at the transition from a unicellular protozoan to a multicellular metazoan, the evolution of Bilateria from diploblasts (possibly the Cambrian explosion) and during early vertebrate evolution. A role for gene duplication in the third event has been widely discussed. Here I examine the possible role of gene duplications and domain shuffling in the first two events. There is evidence for a wave of gene duplications and shuffling which may have paved the way for multicellularity; there are also examples of gene duplications that may have facilitated the transition from diploblasts to Bilateria.
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Affiliation(s)
- L G Lundin
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Microbiology, BMC, Uppsala, Sweden.
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