1
|
Sun F, Caetano-Anollés G. Menzerath-Altmann's Law of Syntax in RNA Accretion History. Life (Basel) 2021; 11:489. [PMID: 34071925 PMCID: PMC8228408 DOI: 10.3390/life11060489] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2021] [Revised: 05/25/2021] [Accepted: 05/26/2021] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
RNA evolves by adding substructural parts to growing molecules. Molecular accretion history can be dissected with phylogenetic methods that exploit structural and functional evidence. Here, we explore the statistical behaviors of lengths of double-stranded and single-stranded segments of growing tRNA, 5S rRNA, RNase P RNA, and rRNA molecules. The reconstruction of character state changes along branches of phylogenetic trees of molecules and trees of substructures revealed strong pushes towards an economy of scale. In addition, statistically significant negative correlations and strong associations between the average lengths of helical double-stranded stems and their time of origin (age) were identified with the Pearson's correlation and Spearman's rho methods. The ages of substructures were derived directly from published rooted trees of substructures. A similar negative correlation was detected in unpaired segments of rRNA but not for the other molecules studied. These results suggest a principle of diminishing returns in RNA accretion history. We show this principle follows a tendency of substructural parts to decrease their size when molecular systems enlarge that follows the Menzerath-Altmann's law of language in full generality and without interference from the details of molecular growth.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Fengjie Sun
- School of Science and Technology, Georgia Gwinnett College, Lawrenceville, GA 30043, USA;
- Evolutionary Bioinformatics Laboratory, Department of Crop Sciences, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
| | - Gustavo Caetano-Anollés
- Evolutionary Bioinformatics Laboratory, Department of Crop Sciences, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Long X, Xue H, Wong JTF. Descent of Bacteria and Eukarya From an Archaeal Root of Life. Evol Bioinform Online 2020; 16:1176934320908267. [PMID: 32636606 PMCID: PMC7313328 DOI: 10.1177/1176934320908267] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2019] [Accepted: 01/30/2020] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
The 3 biological domains delineated based on small subunit ribosomal RNAs (SSU rRNAs) are confronted by uncertainties regarding the relationship between Archaea and Bacteria, and the origin of Eukarya. The similarities between the paralogous valyl-tRNA and isoleucyl-tRNA synthetases in 5398 species estimated by BLASTP, which decreased from Archaea to Bacteria and further to Eukarya, were consistent with vertical gene transmission from an archaeal root of life close to Methanopyrus kandleri through a Primitive Archaea Cluster to an Ancestral Bacteria Cluster, and to Eukarya. The predominant similarities of the ribosomal proteins (rProts) of eukaryotes toward archaeal rProts relative to bacterial rProts established that an archaeal parent rather than a bacterial parent underwent genome merger with bacteria to generate eukaryotes with mitochondria. Eukaryogenesis benefited from the predominantly archaeal accelerated gene adoption (AGA) phenotype pertaining to horizontally transferred genes from other prokaryotes and expedited genome evolution via both gene-content mutations and nucleotidyl mutations. Archaeons endowed with substantial AGA activity were accordingly favored as candidate archaeal parents. Based on the top similarity bitscores displayed by their proteomes toward the eukaryotic proteomes of Giardia and Trichomonas, and high AGA activity, the Aciduliprofundum archaea were identified as leading candidates of the archaeal parent. The Asgard archaeons and a number of bacterial species were among the foremost potential contributors of eukaryotic-like proteins to Eukarya.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Xi Long
- Division of Life Science, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong, China
| | - Hong Xue
- Division of Life Science, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong, China
| | - J Tze-Fei Wong
- Division of Life Science, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong, China
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Abstract
The ribosome and RNase P are cellular ribonucleoprotein complexes that perform peptide bond synthesis and phosphodiester bond cleavage, respectively. Both are ancient biological assemblies that were already present in the last universal common ancestor of all life. The large subunit rRNA in the ribosome and the RNA subunit of RNase P are the ribozyme components required for catalysis. Here, we explore the idea that these two large ribozymes may have begun their evolutionary odyssey as an assemblage of RNA "fragments" smaller than the contemporary full-length versions and that they transitioned through distinct stages along a pathway that may also be relevant for the evolution of other non-coding RNAs.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Michael W Gray
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and Centre for Comparative Genomics and Evolutionary Bioinformatics, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia B3H 4R2, Canada.
| | - Venkat Gopalan
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and Center for RNA Biology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210.
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Tay AP, Liang A, Hamey JJ, Hart‐Smith G, Wilkins MR. MS2‐Deisotoper: A Tool for Deisotoping High‐Resolution MS/MS Spectra in Normal and Heavy Isotope‐Labelled Samples. Proteomics 2019; 19:e1800444. [DOI: 10.1002/pmic.201800444] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2018] [Revised: 07/05/2019] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Aidan P. Tay
- Systems Biology InitiativeSchool of Biotechnology and Biomolecular SciencesThe University of New South Wales Sydney New South Wales 2052 Australia
| | - Angelita Liang
- Systems Biology InitiativeSchool of Biotechnology and Biomolecular SciencesThe University of New South Wales Sydney New South Wales 2052 Australia
| | - Joshua J. Hamey
- Systems Biology InitiativeSchool of Biotechnology and Biomolecular SciencesThe University of New South Wales Sydney New South Wales 2052 Australia
| | - Gene Hart‐Smith
- Systems Biology InitiativeSchool of Biotechnology and Biomolecular SciencesThe University of New South Wales Sydney New South Wales 2052 Australia
| | - Marc R. Wilkins
- Systems Biology InitiativeSchool of Biotechnology and Biomolecular SciencesThe University of New South Wales Sydney New South Wales 2052 Australia
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Ariza-Mateos A, Briones C, Perales C, Domingo E, Gómez J. The archaeology of coding RNA. Ann N Y Acad Sci 2019; 1447:119-134. [PMID: 31237363 DOI: 10.1111/nyas.14173] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2019] [Revised: 05/18/2019] [Accepted: 05/29/2019] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Different theories concerning the origin of RNA (and, in particular, mRNA) point to the concatenation and expansion of proto-tRNA-like structures. Different biochemical and biophysical tools have been used to search for ancient-like RNA elements with a specific structure in genomic viral RNAs, including that of the hepatitis C virus, as well as in cellular mRNA populations, in particular those of human hepatocytes. We define this method as "archaeological," and it has been designed to discover evolutionary patterns through a nonphylogenetic and nonrepresentational strategy. tRNA-like elements were found in structurally or functionally relevant positions both in viral RNA and in one of the liver mRNAs examined, the antagonist interferon-alpha subtype 5 (IFNA5) mRNA. Additionally, tRNA-like elements are highly represented within the hepatic mRNA population, which suggests that they could have participated in the formation of coding RNAs in the distant past. Expanding on this finding, we have observed a recurring dsRNA-like motif next to the tRNA-like elements in both viral RNAs and IFNA5 mRNA. This suggested that the concatenation of these RNA motifs was an activity present in the RNA pools that might have been relevant in the RNA world. The extensive alteration of sequences that likely triggered the transition from the predecessors of coding RNAs to the first fully functional mRNAs (which was not the case in the stepwise construction of noncoding rRNAs) hinders the phylogeny-based identification of RNA elements (both sequences and structures) that might have been active before the advent of protein synthesis. Therefore, our RNA archaeological method is presented as a way to better understand the structural/functional versatility of a variety of RNA elements, which might represent "the losers" in the process of RNA evolution as they had to adapt to the selective pressures favoring the coding capacity of the progressively longer mRNAs.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ascensión Ariza-Mateos
- Laboratory of RNA Archaeology, Instituto de Parasitología y Biomedicina "López-Neyra" (CSIC), Granada, Spain.,Centro de Biología Molecular "Severo Ochoa" (CSIC-UAM), Campus de Cantoblanco, Madrid, Spain
| | - Carlos Briones
- Department of Molecular Evolution, Centro de Astrobiología (CSIC-INTA), Madrid, Spain.,Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Hepáticas y Digestivas (CIBERehd), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | - Celia Perales
- Centro de Biología Molecular "Severo Ochoa" (CSIC-UAM), Campus de Cantoblanco, Madrid, Spain.,Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Hepáticas y Digestivas (CIBERehd), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain.,Department of Clinical Microbiology, IIS-Fundación Jiménez Díaz, UAM, Madrid, Spain
| | - Esteban Domingo
- Centro de Biología Molecular "Severo Ochoa" (CSIC-UAM), Campus de Cantoblanco, Madrid, Spain.,Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Hepáticas y Digestivas (CIBERehd), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | - Jordi Gómez
- Laboratory of RNA Archaeology, Instituto de Parasitología y Biomedicina "López-Neyra" (CSIC), Granada, Spain.,Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Hepáticas y Digestivas (CIBERehd), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Caetano-Anollés G, Nasir A, Kim KM, Caetano-Anollés D. Rooting Phylogenies and the Tree of Life While Minimizing Ad Hoc and Auxiliary Assumptions. Evol Bioinform Online 2018; 14:1176934318805101. [PMID: 30364468 PMCID: PMC6196624 DOI: 10.1177/1176934318805101] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2018] [Accepted: 09/05/2018] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Phylogenetic methods unearth evolutionary history when supported by three starting points of reason: (1) the continuity axiom begs the existence of a "model" of evolutionary change, (2) the singularity axiom defines the historical ground plan (phylogeny) in which biological entities (taxa) evolve, and (3) the memory axiom demands identification of biological attributes (characters) with historical information. Axiom consequences are interlinked, making the retrodiction enterprise an endeavor of reciprocal fulfillment. In particular, establishing direction of evolutionary change (character polarization) roots phylogenies and enables testing the existence of historical memory (homology). Unfortunately, rooting phylogenies, especially the "tree of life," generally follow narratives instead of integrating empirical and theoretical knowledge of retrodictive exploration. This stems mostly from a focus on molecular sequence analysis and uncertainties about rooting methods. Here, we review available rooting criteria, highlighting the need to minimize both ad hoc and auxiliary assumptions, especially argumentative ad hocness. We show that while the outgroup comparison method has been widely adopted, the generality criterion of nesting and additive phylogenetic change embodied in Weston rule offers the most powerful rooting approach. We also propose a change of focus, from phylogenies that describe the evolution of biological systems to those that describe the evolution of parts of those systems. This weakens violation of character independence, helps formalize the generality criterion of rooting, and provides new ways to study the problem of evolution.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Gustavo Caetano-Anollés
- Evolutionary Bioinformatics Laboratory, Department of Crop Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA
| | - Arshan Nasir
- Evolutionary Bioinformatics Laboratory, Department of Crop Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA
- Department of Biosciences, COMSATS University Islamabad, Islamabad, Pakistan
| | - Kyung Mo Kim
- Division of Polar Life Sciences, Korea Polar Research Institute, Incheon, Republic of Korea
| | - Derek Caetano-Anollés
- Department of Evolutionary Genetics, Max-Planck-Institut für Evolutionsbiologie, Plön, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Caetano-Anollés D, Caetano-Anollés K, Caetano-Anollés G. Evolution of macromolecular structure: a 'double tale' of biological accretion and diversification. Sci Prog 2018; 101:360-383. [PMID: 30296968 PMCID: PMC10365222 DOI: 10.3184/003685018x15379391431599] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
The evolution of structure in biology is driven by accretion and diversification. Accretion brings together disparate parts to form bigger wholes. Diversification provides opportunities for growth and innovation. Here, we review patterns and processes that are responsible for a 'double tale' of accretion and diversification at various levels of complexity, from proteins and nucleic acids to high-rise building structures in cities. Parts are at first weakly linked and associate variously. As they diversify, they compete with each other and are selected for performance. The emerging interactions constrain their structure and associations. This causes parts to self-organise into modules with tight linkage. In a second phase, variants of the modules evolve and become new parts for a new generative cycle of higher-level organisation. Evolutionary genomics and network biology support the 'double tale' of structural module creation and validate an evolutionary principle of maximum abundance that drives the gain and loss of modules.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Derek Caetano-Anollés
- Department of Evolutionary Genetics of the Max-Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology, Plön, Germany. Developmental Biology from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
| | - Kelsey Caetano-Anollés
- Division of Biomedical Informatics of Seoul National University College of Medicine, Republic of Korea. Animal Sciences from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
| | - Gustavo Caetano-Anollés
- Department of Crop Sciences and Affiliate of the C.R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. University of La Plata in Argentina
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Staley JT, Caetano-Anollés G. Archaea-First and the Co-Evolutionary Diversification of Domains of Life. Bioessays 2018; 40:e1800036. [PMID: 29944192 DOI: 10.1002/bies.201800036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2018] [Revised: 05/12/2018] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
The origins and evolution of the Archaea, Bacteria, and Eukarya remain controversial. Phylogenomic-wide studies of molecular features that are evolutionarily conserved, such as protein structural domains, suggest Archaea is the first domain of life to diversify from a stem line of descent. This line embodies the last universal common ancestor of cellular life. Here, we propose that ancestors of Euryarchaeota co-evolved with those of Bacteria prior to the diversification of Eukarya. This co-evolutionary scenario is supported by comparative genomic and phylogenomic analyses of the distributions of fold families of domains in the proteomes of free-living organisms, which show horizontal gene recruitments and informational process homologies. It also benefits from the molecular study of cell physiologies responsible for membrane phospholipids, methanogenesis, methane oxidation, cell division, gas vesicles, and the cell wall. Our theory however challenges popular cell fusion and two-domain of life scenarios derived from sequence analysis, demanding phylogenetic reconciliation. Also see the video abstract here: https://youtu.be/9yVWn_Q9faY.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- James T Staley
- Department of Microbiology and Astrobiology Program, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA
| | - Gustavo Caetano-Anollés
- Department of Crop Sciences, C. R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, 61801, USA
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Salomon M, Dassy B. Partitional Classification: A Complement to Phylogeny. Evol Bioinform Online 2016; 12:149-56. [PMID: 27346943 PMCID: PMC4912232 DOI: 10.4137/ebo.s38288] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/24/2015] [Revised: 03/21/2016] [Accepted: 03/27/2016] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
The tree of life is currently an active object of research, though next to vertical gene transmission non vertical gene transfers proved to play a significant role in the evolutionary process. To overcome this difficulty, trees of life are now constructed from genes hypothesized vital, on the assumption that these are all transmitted vertically. This view has been challenged. As a frame for this discussion, we developed a partitional taxonomical system clustering taxa at a high taxonomical rank. Our analysis (1) selects RNase P RNA sequences of bacterial, archaeal, and eucaryal genera from genetic databases, (2) submits the sequences, aligned, to k-medoid analysis to obtain clusters, (3) establishes the correspondence between clusters and taxa, (4) constructs from the taxa a new type of taxon, the genetic community (GC), and (5) classifies the GCs: Archaea-Eukaryotes contrastingly different from the six others, all bacterial. The GCs would be the broadest frame to carry out the phylogenies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Marc Salomon
- Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Université Paris 06, Faculté de Biologie, Paris, France
| | - Bruno Dassy
- Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Université Paris 06, Faculté de Biologie, Paris, France
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Coevolution Theory of the Genetic Code at Age Forty: Pathway to Translation and Synthetic Life. Life (Basel) 2016; 6:life6010012. [PMID: 26999216 PMCID: PMC4810243 DOI: 10.3390/life6010012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2016] [Revised: 02/26/2016] [Accepted: 03/04/2016] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The origins of the components of genetic coding are examined in the present study. Genetic information arose from replicator induction by metabolite in accordance with the metabolic expansion law. Messenger RNA and transfer RNA stemmed from a template for binding the aminoacyl-RNA synthetase ribozymes employed to synthesize peptide prosthetic groups on RNAs in the Peptidated RNA World. Coevolution of the genetic code with amino acid biosynthesis generated tRNA paralogs that identify a last universal common ancestor (LUCA) of extant life close to Methanopyrus, which in turn points to archaeal tRNA introns as the most primitive introns and the anticodon usage of Methanopyrus as an ancient mode of wobble. The prediction of the coevolution theory of the genetic code that the code should be a mutable code has led to the isolation of optional and mandatory synthetic life forms with altered protein alphabets.
Collapse
|
11
|
Caetano-Anollés G, Caetano-Anollés D. Computing the origin and evolution of the ribosome from its structure - Uncovering processes of macromolecular accretion benefiting synthetic biology. Comput Struct Biotechnol J 2015; 13:427-47. [PMID: 27096056 PMCID: PMC4823900 DOI: 10.1016/j.csbj.2015.07.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2015] [Revised: 07/16/2015] [Accepted: 07/19/2015] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Accretion occurs pervasively in nature at widely different timeframes. The process also manifests in the evolution of macromolecules. Here we review recent computational and structural biology studies of evolutionary accretion that make use of the ideographic (historical, retrodictive) and nomothetic (universal, predictive) scientific frameworks. Computational studies uncover explicit timelines of accretion of structural parts in molecular repertoires and molecules. Phylogenetic trees of protein structural domains and proteomes and their molecular functions were built from a genomic census of millions of encoded proteins and associated terminal Gene Ontology terms. Trees reveal a ‘metabolic-first’ origin of proteins, the late development of translation, and a patchwork distribution of proteins in biological networks mediated by molecular recruitment. Similarly, the natural history of ancient RNA molecules inferred from trees of molecular substructures built from a census of molecular features shows patchwork-like accretion patterns. Ideographic analyses of ribosomal history uncover the early appearance of structures supporting mRNA decoding and tRNA translocation, the coevolution of ribosomal proteins and RNA, and a first evolutionary transition that brings ribosomal subunits together into a processive protein biosynthetic complex. Nomothetic structural biology studies of tertiary interactions and ancient insertions in rRNA complement these findings, once concentric layering assumptions are removed. Patterns of coaxial helical stacking reveal a frustrated dynamics of outward and inward ribosomal growth possibly mediated by structural grafting. The early rise of the ribosomal ‘turnstile’ suggests an evolutionary transition in natural biological computation. Results make explicit the need to understand processes of molecular growth and information transfer of macromolecules.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Gustavo Caetano-Anollés
- Evolutionary Bioinformatics Laboratory, Department of Crop Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1101W. Peabody Drive, Urbana, IL 61801, USA; C.R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
| | - Derek Caetano-Anollés
- C.R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Li F, Liu X, Zhou W, Yang X, Shen Y. Auto-inhibitory Mechanism of the Human Mitochondrial RNase P Protein Complex. Sci Rep 2015; 5:9878. [PMID: 25928769 PMCID: PMC4415599 DOI: 10.1038/srep09878] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2014] [Accepted: 03/24/2015] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
It is known that tRNAs play an essential role in genetic information transfer from DNA to protein. The maturation of tRNA precursors is performed by the endoribonuclease RNase P, which classically consists of a main RNA segment and accessory proteins. However, the newly identified human mitochondrial RNase P-like protein (MRPP123) complex is unique in that it is composed of three proteins without RNA. Here, we determined the crystal structure of MRPP123 complex subunit 3 (MRPP3), which is thought to carry out the catalytic reaction. A detailed structural analysis in combination with biochemical assays suggests that MRPP3 is in an auto-inhibitory conformation in which metal ions that are essential for catalysis are excluded from the active site. Our results indicate that further regulation is necessary to rearrange the conformation of the active site of MRPP3 and trigger it, thus providing important information to understand the activation of MRPP123.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Fengzhi Li
- 1] State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology, Nankai University, 94 Weijin Road, Tianjin 300071, China [2] College of Life Sciences, Nankai University, 94 Weijin Road, Tianjin 300071, China
| | - Xiaofen Liu
- College of Life Sciences, Nankai University, 94 Weijin Road, Tianjin 300071, China
| | - Weihong Zhou
- College of Life Sciences, Nankai University, 94 Weijin Road, Tianjin 300071, China
| | - Xue Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology, Nankai University, 94 Weijin Road, Tianjin 300071, China
| | - Yuequan Shen
- 1] State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology, Nankai University, 94 Weijin Road, Tianjin 300071, China [2] College of Life Sciences, Nankai University, 94 Weijin Road, Tianjin 300071, China [3] Synergetic Innovation Center of Chemical Science and Engineering, 94 Weijin Road, Tianjin 300071, China
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
A phylogenomic census of molecular functions identifies modern thermophilic archaea as the most ancient form of cellular life. ARCHAEA-AN INTERNATIONAL MICROBIOLOGICAL JOURNAL 2014; 2014:706468. [PMID: 25249790 PMCID: PMC4164138 DOI: 10.1155/2014/706468] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2013] [Revised: 11/20/2013] [Accepted: 01/17/2014] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
The origins of diversified life remain mysterious despite considerable efforts devoted to untangling the roots of the universal tree of life. Here we reconstructed phylogenies that described the evolution of molecular functions and the evolution of species directly from a genomic census of gene ontology (GO) definitions. We sampled 249 free-living genomes spanning organisms in the three superkingdoms of life, Archaea, Bacteria, and Eukarya, and used the abundance of GO terms as molecular characters to produce rooted phylogenetic trees. Results revealed an early thermophilic origin of Archaea that was followed by genome reduction events in microbial superkingdoms. Eukaryal genomes displayed extraordinary functional diversity and were enriched with hundreds of novel molecular activities not detected in the akaryotic microbial cells. Remarkably, the majority of these novel functions appeared quite late in evolution, synchronized with the diversification of the eukaryal superkingdom. The distribution of GO terms in superkingdoms confirms that Archaea appears to be the simplest and most ancient form of cellular life, while Eukarya is the most diverse and recent.
Collapse
|
14
|
Kim KM, Nasir A, Hwang K, Caetano-Anollés G. A tree of cellular life inferred from a genomic census of molecular functions. J Mol Evol 2014; 79:240-62. [PMID: 25128982 DOI: 10.1007/s00239-014-9637-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2014] [Accepted: 08/05/2014] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
Phylogenomics aims to describe evolutionary relatedness between organisms by analyzing genomic data. The common practice is to produce phylogenomic trees from molecular information in the sequence, order, and content of genes in genomes. These phylogenies describe the evolution of life and become valuable tools for taxonomy. The recent availability of structural and functional data for hundreds of genomes now offers the opportunity to study evolution using more deep, conserved, and reliable sets of molecular features. Here, we reconstruct trees of life from the functions of proteins. We start by inferring rooted phylogenomic trees and networks of organisms directly from Gene Ontology annotations. Phylogenies and networks yield novel insights into the emergence and evolution of cellular life. The ancestor of Archaea originated earlier than the ancestors of Bacteria and Eukarya and was thermophilic. In contrast, basal bacterial lineages were non-thermophilic. A close relationship between Plants and Metazoa was also identified that disagrees with the traditional Fungi-Metazoa grouping. While measures of evolutionary reticulation were minimum in Eukarya and maximum in Bacteria, the massive role of horizontal gene transfer in microbes did not materialize in phylogenomic networks. Phylogenies and networks also showed that the best reconstructions were recovered when problematic taxa (i.e., parasitic/symbiotic organisms) and horizontally transferred characters were excluded from analysis. Our results indicate that functionomic data represent a useful addition to the set of molecular characters used for tree reconstruction and that trees of cellular life carry in deep branches considerable predictive power to explain the evolution of living organisms.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kyung Mo Kim
- Microbial Resource Center, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Daejeon, 305-806, Korea
| | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
15
|
Caetano-Anollés G, Nasir A, Zhou K, Caetano-Anollés D, Mittenthal JE, Sun FJ, Kim KM. Archaea: the first domain of diversified life. ARCHAEA (VANCOUVER, B.C.) 2014; 2014:590214. [PMID: 24987307 PMCID: PMC4060292 DOI: 10.1155/2014/590214] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2013] [Revised: 02/15/2014] [Accepted: 03/25/2014] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Abstract
The study of the origin of diversified life has been plagued by technical and conceptual difficulties, controversy, and apriorism. It is now popularly accepted that the universal tree of life is rooted in the akaryotes and that Archaea and Eukarya are sister groups to each other. However, evolutionary studies have overwhelmingly focused on nucleic acid and protein sequences, which partially fulfill only two of the three main steps of phylogenetic analysis, formulation of realistic evolutionary models, and optimization of tree reconstruction. In the absence of character polarization, that is, the ability to identify ancestral and derived character states, any statement about the rooting of the tree of life should be considered suspect. Here we show that macromolecular structure and a new phylogenetic framework of analysis that focuses on the parts of biological systems instead of the whole provide both deep and reliable phylogenetic signal and enable us to put forth hypotheses of origin. We review over a decade of phylogenomic studies, which mine information in a genomic census of millions of encoded proteins and RNAs. We show how the use of process models of molecular accumulation that comply with Weston's generality criterion supports a consistent phylogenomic scenario in which the origin of diversified life can be traced back to the early history of Archaea.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Gustavo Caetano-Anollés
- Evolutionary Bioinformatics Laboratory, Department of Crop Sciences, Institute for Genomic Biology and Illinois Informatics Institute, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
| | - Arshan Nasir
- Evolutionary Bioinformatics Laboratory, Department of Crop Sciences, Institute for Genomic Biology and Illinois Informatics Institute, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
| | - Kaiyue Zhou
- Evolutionary Bioinformatics Laboratory, Department of Crop Sciences, Institute for Genomic Biology and Illinois Informatics Institute, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
| | - Derek Caetano-Anollés
- Evolutionary Bioinformatics Laboratory, Department of Crop Sciences, Institute for Genomic Biology and Illinois Informatics Institute, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
| | - Jay E. Mittenthal
- Evolutionary Bioinformatics Laboratory, Department of Crop Sciences, Institute for Genomic Biology and Illinois Informatics Institute, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
| | - Feng-Jie Sun
- School of Science and Technology, Georgia Gwinnett College, Lawrenceville, GA 30043, USA
| | - Kyung Mo Kim
- Microbial Resource Center, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Daejeon 305-806, Republic of Korea
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
Caetano-Anollés G, Sun FJ. The natural history of transfer RNA and its interactions with the ribosome. Front Genet 2014; 5:127. [PMID: 24847358 PMCID: PMC4023039 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2014.00127] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2014] [Accepted: 04/22/2014] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Gustavo Caetano-Anollés
- Evolutionary Bioinformatics Laboratory, Department of Crop Sciences, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, IL, USA
| | - Feng-Jie Sun
- School of Science and Technology, Georgia Gwinnett College Lawrenceville, GA, USA
| |
Collapse
|
17
|
Kim KM, Nasir A, Caetano-Anollés G. The importance of using realistic evolutionary models for retrodicting proteomes. Biochimie 2014; 99:129-37. [DOI: 10.1016/j.biochi.2013.11.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2013] [Accepted: 11/22/2013] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
|
18
|
Comparative analysis of proteomes and functionomes provides insights into origins of cellular diversification. ARCHAEA-AN INTERNATIONAL MICROBIOLOGICAL JOURNAL 2013; 2013:648746. [PMID: 24492748 PMCID: PMC3892558 DOI: 10.1155/2013/648746] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2013] [Revised: 11/22/2013] [Accepted: 11/25/2013] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Reconstructing the evolutionary history of modern species is a difficult problem complicated by the conceptual and technical limitations of phylogenetic tree building methods. Here, we propose a comparative proteomic and functionomic inferential framework for genome evolution that allows resolving the tripartite division of cells and sketching their history. Evolutionary inferences were derived from the spread of conserved molecular features, such as molecular structures and functions, in the proteomes and functionomes of contemporary organisms. Patterns of use and reuse of these traits yielded significant insights into the origins of cellular diversification. Results uncovered an unprecedented strong evolutionary association between Bacteria and Eukarya while revealing marked evolutionary reductive tendencies in the archaeal genomic repertoires. The effects of nonvertical evolutionary processes (e.g., HGT, convergent evolution) were found to be limited while reductive evolution and molecular innovation appeared to be prevalent during the evolution of cells. Our study revealed a strong vertical trace in the history of proteins and associated molecular functions, which was reliably recovered using the comparative genomics approach. The trace supported the existence of a stem line of descent and the very early appearance of Archaea as a diversified superkingdom, but failed to uncover a hidden canonical pattern in which Bacteria was the first superkingdom to deploy superkingdom-specific structures and functions.
Collapse
|
19
|
Caetano-Anollés G, Wang M, Caetano-Anollés D. Structural phylogenomics retrodicts the origin of the genetic code and uncovers the evolutionary impact of protein flexibility. PLoS One 2013; 8:e72225. [PMID: 23991065 PMCID: PMC3749098 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0072225] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2013] [Accepted: 07/07/2013] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The genetic code shapes the genetic repository. Its origin has puzzled molecular scientists for over half a century and remains a long-standing mystery. Here we show that the origin of the genetic code is tightly coupled to the history of aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase enzymes and their interactions with tRNA. A timeline of evolutionary appearance of protein domain families derived from a structural census in hundreds of genomes reveals the early emergence of the 'operational' RNA code and the late implementation of the standard genetic code. The emergence of codon specificities and amino acid charging involved tight coevolution of aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases and tRNA structures as well as episodes of structural recruitment. Remarkably, amino acid and dipeptide compositions of single-domain proteins appearing before the standard code suggest archaic synthetases with structures homologous to catalytic domains of tyrosyl-tRNA and seryl-tRNA synthetases were capable of peptide bond formation and aminoacylation. Results reveal that genetics arose through coevolutionary interactions between polypeptides and nucleic acid cofactors as an exacting mechanism that favored flexibility and folding of the emergent proteins. These enhancements of phenotypic robustness were likely internalized into the emerging genetic system with the early rise of modern protein structure.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Gustavo Caetano-Anollés
- Evolutionary Bioinformatics Laboratory, Department of Crop Sciences, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Minglei Wang
- Evolutionary Bioinformatics Laboratory, Department of Crop Sciences, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois, United States of America
| | - Derek Caetano-Anollés
- Evolutionary Bioinformatics Laboratory, Department of Crop Sciences, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois, United States of America
| |
Collapse
|
20
|
Bukhari SA, Caetano-Anollés G. Origin and evolution of protein fold designs inferred from phylogenomic analysis of CATH domain structures in proteomes. PLoS Comput Biol 2013; 9:e1003009. [PMID: 23555236 PMCID: PMC3610613 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1003009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2012] [Accepted: 02/13/2013] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The spatial arrangements of secondary structures in proteins, irrespective of their connectivity, depict the overall shape and organization of protein domains. These features have been used in the CATH and SCOP classifications to hierarchically partition fold space and define the architectural make up of proteins. Here we use phylogenomic methods and a census of CATH structures in hundreds of genomes to study the origin and diversification of protein architectures (A) and their associated topologies (T) and superfamilies (H). Phylogenies that describe the evolution of domain structures and proteomes were reconstructed from the structural census and used to generate timelines of domain discovery. Phylogenies of CATH domains at T and H levels of structural abstraction and associated chronologies revealed patterns of reductive evolution, the early rise of Archaea, three epochs in the evolution of the protein world, and patterns of structural sharing between superkingdoms. Phylogenies of proteomes confirmed the early appearance of Archaea. While these findings are in agreement with previous phylogenomic studies based on the SCOP classification, phylogenies unveiled sharing patterns between Archaea and Eukarya that are recent and can explain the canonical bacterial rooting typically recovered from sequence analysis. Phylogenies of CATH domains at A level uncovered general patterns of architectural origin and diversification. The tree of A structures showed that ancient structural designs such as the 3-layer (αβα) sandwich (3.40) or the orthogonal bundle (1.10) are comparatively simpler in their makeup and are involved in basic cellular functions. In contrast, modern structural designs such as prisms, propellers, 2-solenoid, super-roll, clam, trefoil and box are not widely distributed and were probably adopted to perform specialized functions. Our timelines therefore uncover a universal tendency towards protein structural complexity that is remarkable.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Syed Abbas Bukhari
- Evolutionary Bioinformatics Laboratory, Department of Crop Sciences, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois, United States of America
| | - Gustavo Caetano-Anollés
- Evolutionary Bioinformatics Laboratory, Department of Crop Sciences, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois, United States of America
| |
Collapse
|
21
|
Barbas A, Popescu A, Frazão C, Arraiano CM, Fialho AM. Rossmann-fold motifs can confer multiple functions to metabolic enzymes: RNA binding and ribonuclease activity of a UDP-glucose dehydrogenase. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2012; 430:218-24. [PMID: 23137539 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2012.10.091] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2012] [Accepted: 10/25/2012] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Metabolic enzymes are usually characterized to have one specific function, and this is the case of UDP-glucose dehydrogenase that catalyzes the twofold NAD(+)-dependent oxidation of UDP-glucose into UDP-glucuronic acid. We have determined that this enzyme is also capable of participating in other cellular processes. Here, we report that the bacterial UDP-glucose dehydrogenase (UgdG) from Sphingomonas elodea ATCC 31461, which provides UDP-glucuronic acid for the synthesis of the exopolysaccharide gellan, is not only able to bind RNA but also acts as a ribonuclease. The ribonucleolytic activity occurs independently of the presence of NAD(+) and the RNA binding site does not coincide with the NAD(+) binding region. We have also performed the kinetics of interaction between UgdG and RNA. Moreover, computer analysis reveals that the N- and C-terminal domains of UgdG share structural features with ancient mitochondrial ribonucleases named MAR. MARs are present in lower eukaryotic microorganisms, have a Rossmannoid-fold and belong to the isochorismatase superfamily. This observation reinforces that the Rossmann structural motifs found in NAD(+)-dependent dehydrogenases can have a dual function working as a nucleotide cofactor binding domain and as a ribonuclease.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ana Barbas
- Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica/Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Oeiras, Portugal
| | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
22
|
Caetano-Anollés G, Nasir A. Benefits of using molecular structure and abundance in phylogenomic analysis. Front Genet 2012; 3:172. [PMID: 22973296 PMCID: PMC3434437 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2012.00172] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2012] [Accepted: 08/18/2012] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Gustavo Caetano-Anollés
- Evolutionary Bioinformatics Laboratory, Department of Crop Sciences, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, IL, USA
| | | |
Collapse
|
23
|
Goldfarb KC, Borah S, Cech TR. RNase P branches out from RNP to protein: organelle-triggered diversification? Genes Dev 2012; 26:1005-9. [PMID: 22588715 DOI: 10.1101/gad.193581.112] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
RNase P is the enzyme that removes 5' leader sequences from precursor tRNAs. Remarkably, in most organisms, RNase P is a ribonucleoprotein particle where the RNA component is responsible for catalysis. In this issue of Genes & Development, Gutmann and colleagues (pp. 1022-1027) report the first organism, Arabidopsis thaliana, to employ protein-only RNase P in both its nucleus and organelles. An intriguing possibility is that replacement of RNase P ribonucleoprotein particles (RNPs) by proteins may have been triggered by the acquisition of organelles.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Katherine C Goldfarb
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Colorado Biofrontiers Institute, Boulder Colorado 80309, USA
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
24
|
Wu S, Kikovska E, Lindell M, Kirsebom LA. Cleavage mediated by the catalytic domain of bacterial RNase P RNA. J Mol Biol 2012; 422:204-14. [PMID: 22626870 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2012.05.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2011] [Revised: 05/11/2012] [Accepted: 05/15/2012] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Like other RNA molecules, RNase P RNA (RPR) is composed of domains, and these have different functions. Here, we provide data demonstrating that the catalytic (C) domain of Escherichia coli (Eco) RPR when separated from the specificity (S) domain mediates cleavage using various model RNA hairpin loop substrates. Compared to full-length Eco RPR, the rate constant, k(obs), of cleavage for the truncated RPR (CP RPR) was reduced 30- to 13,000-fold depending on substrate. Specifically, the structural architecture of the -1/+73 played a significant role where a C(-1)/G(+73) pair had the most dramatic effect on k(obs). Substitution of A(248) (E. coli numbering), positioned near the cleavage site in the RNase P-substrate complex, with G in the CP RPR resulted in 30-fold improvement in rate. In contrast, strengthening the interaction between the RPR and the 3' end of the substrate only had a modest effect. Interestingly, although deleting the S-domain gave a reduction in the rate, it resulted in a less erroneous RPR with respect to cleavage site selection. These data support and extend our understanding of the coupling between the distal interaction between the S-domain and events at the active site. Our findings will also be discussed with respect to the structure of RPR derived from different organisms.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Shiying Wu
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Biomedical Centre, SE-751 24 Uppsala, Sweden
| | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
25
|
Harish A, Caetano-Anollés G. Ribosomal history reveals origins of modern protein synthesis. PLoS One 2012; 7:e32776. [PMID: 22427882 PMCID: PMC3299690 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0032776] [Citation(s) in RCA: 104] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2011] [Accepted: 01/30/2012] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The origin and evolution of the ribosome is central to our understanding of the cellular world. Most hypotheses posit that the ribosome originated in the peptidyl transferase center of the large ribosomal subunit. However, these proposals do not link protein synthesis to RNA recognition and do not use a phylogenetic comparative framework to study ribosomal evolution. Here we infer evolution of the structural components of the ribosome. Phylogenetic methods widely used in morphometrics are applied directly to RNA structures of thousands of molecules and to a census of protein structures in hundreds of genomes. We find that components of the small subunit involved in ribosomal processivity evolved earlier than the catalytic peptidyl transferase center responsible for protein synthesis. Remarkably, subunit RNA and proteins coevolved, starting with interactions between the oldest proteins (S12 and S17) and the oldest substructure (the ribosomal ratchet) in the small subunit and ending with the rise of a modern multi-subunit ribosome. Ancestral ribonucleoprotein components show similarities to in vitro evolved RNA replicase ribozymes and protein structures in extant replication machinery. Our study therefore provides important clues about the chicken-or-egg dilemma associated with the central dogma of molecular biology by showing that ribosomal history is driven by the gradual structural accretion of protein and RNA structures. Most importantly, results suggest that functionally important and conserved regions of the ribosome were recruited and could be relics of an ancient ribonucleoprotein world.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Gustavo Caetano-Anollés
- Evolutionary Bioinformatics Laboratory, Department of Crop Sciences, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, Illinois, United States of America
| |
Collapse
|
26
|
Kim KM, Caetano-Anollés G. The evolutionary history of protein fold families and proteomes confirms that the archaeal ancestor is more ancient than the ancestors of other superkingdoms. BMC Evol Biol 2012; 12:13. [PMID: 22284070 PMCID: PMC3306197 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2148-12-13] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2011] [Accepted: 01/27/2012] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The entire evolutionary history of life can be studied using myriad sequences generated by genomic research. This includes the appearance of the first cells and of superkingdoms Archaea, Bacteria, and Eukarya. However, the use of molecular sequence information for deep phylogenetic analyses is limited by mutational saturation, differential evolutionary rates, lack of sequence site independence, and other biological and technical constraints. In contrast, protein structures are evolutionary modules that are highly conserved and diverse enough to enable deep historical exploration. Results Here we build phylogenies that describe the evolution of proteins and proteomes. These phylogenetic trees are derived from a genomic census of protein domains defined at the fold family (FF) level of structural classification. Phylogenomic trees of FF structures were reconstructed from genomic abundance levels of 2,397 FFs in 420 proteomes of free-living organisms. These trees defined timelines of domain appearance, with time spanning from the origin of proteins to the present. Timelines are divided into five different evolutionary phases according to patterns of sharing of FFs among superkingdoms: (1) a primordial protein world, (2) reductive evolution and the rise of Archaea, (3) the rise of Bacteria from the common ancestor of Bacteria and Eukarya and early development of the three superkingdoms, (4) the rise of Eukarya and widespread organismal diversification, and (5) eukaryal diversification. The relative ancestry of the FFs shows that reductive evolution by domain loss is dominant in the first three phases and is responsible for both the diversification of life from a universal cellular ancestor and the appearance of superkingdoms. On the other hand, domain gains are predominant in the last two phases and are responsible for organismal diversification, especially in Bacteria and Eukarya. Conclusions The evolution of functions that are associated with corresponding FFs along the timeline reveals that primordial metabolic domains evolved earlier than informational domains involved in translation and transcription, supporting the metabolism-first hypothesis rather than the RNA world scenario. In addition, phylogenomic trees of proteomes reconstructed from FFs appearing in each of the five phases of the protein world show that trees reconstructed from ancient domain structures were consistently rooted in archaeal lineages, supporting the proposal that the archaeal ancestor is more ancient than the ancestors of other superkingdoms.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kyung Mo Kim
- Evolutionary Bioinformatics Laboratory, Department of Crop Science, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
| | | |
Collapse
|
27
|
The phylogenomic roots of modern biochemistry: origins of proteins, cofactors and protein biosynthesis. J Mol Evol 2012; 74:1-34. [PMID: 22210458 DOI: 10.1007/s00239-011-9480-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2011] [Accepted: 12/12/2011] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
The complexity of modern biochemistry developed gradually on early Earth as new molecules and structures populated the emerging cellular systems. Here, we generate a historical account of the gradual discovery of primordial proteins, cofactors, and molecular functions using phylogenomic information in the sequence of 420 genomes. We focus on structural and functional annotations of the 54 most ancient protein domains. We show how primordial functions are linked to folded structures and how their interaction with cofactors expanded the functional repertoire. We also reveal protocell membranes played a crucial role in early protein evolution and show translation started with RNA and thioester cofactor-mediated aminoacylation. Our findings allow elaboration of an evolutionary model of early biochemistry that is firmly grounded in phylogenomic information and biochemical, biophysical, and structural knowledge. The model describes how primordial α-helical bundles stabilized membranes, how these were decorated by layered arrangements of β-sheets and α-helices, and how these arrangements became globular. Ancient forms of aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase (aaRS) catalytic domains and ancient non-ribosomal protein synthetase (NRPS) modules gave rise to primordial protein synthesis and the ability to generate a code for specificity in their active sites. These structures diversified producing cofactor-binding molecular switches and barrel structures. Accretion of domains and molecules gave rise to modern aaRSs, NRPS, and ribosomal ensembles, first organized around novel emerging cofactors (tRNA and carrier proteins) and then more complex cofactor structures (rRNA). The model explains how the generation of protein structures acted as scaffold for nucleic acids and resulted in crystallization of modern translation.
Collapse
|
28
|
Kikovska E, Wu S, Mao G, Kirsebom LA. Cleavage mediated by the P15 domain of bacterial RNase P RNA. Nucleic Acids Res 2011; 40:2224-33. [PMID: 22102593 PMCID: PMC3299987 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkr1001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Independently folded domains in RNAs frequently adopt identical tertiary structures regardless of whether they are in isolation or are part of larger RNA molecules. This is exemplified by the P15 domain in the RNA subunit (RPR) of the universally conserved endoribonuclease P, which is involved in the processing of tRNA precursors. One of its domains, encompassing the P15 loop, binds to the 3'-end of tRNA precursors resulting in the formation of the RCCA-RNase P RNA interaction (interacting residues underlined) in the bacterial RPR-substrate complex. The function of this interaction was hypothesized to anchor the substrate, expose the cleavage site and result in re-coordination of Mg(2+) at the cleavage site. Here we show that small model-RNA molecules (~30 nt) carrying the P15-loop mediated cleavage at the canonical RNase P cleavage site with significantly reduced rates compared to cleavage with full-size RPR. These data provide further experimental evidence for our model that the P15 domain contributes to both substrate binding and catalysis. Our data raises intriguing evolutionary possibilities for 'RNA-mediated' cleavage of RNA.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ema Kikovska
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Box 596, Biomedical Centre, SE-751 24 Uppsala, Sweden
| | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
29
|
Talini G, Branciamore S, Gallori E. Ribozymes: Flexible molecular devices at work. Biochimie 2011; 93:1998-2005. [PMID: 21740954 DOI: 10.1016/j.biochi.2011.06.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2011] [Accepted: 06/23/2011] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
The discovery of ribozymes, RNAs with catalytic activity, revealed the extraordinary characteristic of this molecule, and corroborated the idea that RNA was the first informative polymer. The "RNA world" hypothesis asserts that the DNA/RNA/PROTEIN world arose from an earlier RNA world in which were present only RNA molecules able to perform both of the two functions performed separately by DNA and proteins in the present-day cells: the ability to transfer genetic information and to carry out catalytic activity. The catalytic properties of ribozymes are exclusively due to the capacity of RNA molecules to assume particular structures. Moreover, the structural versatility of RNA can allow to a single RNA sequence to fold in more than one structure, able to perform more than one function. In the first part of this work we will discuss the RNA plasticity, focusing on "bifunctional" ribozymes isolated by in vitro selection experiments, and on the consequences of this plasticity in the prospective of the emergence of new specific functions. The possibility that one sequence could have more than one structure/function, greatly increase the evolutionary potential of RNA, and the capacity of RNA to switch from a structure/function to another is probably one of the reasons of the evolutionary success also in modern-day cells. Naturally occurring ribozymes discovered in contemporary cells, demonstrate the crucial role that ribozymes still have in the modern protein world. In the second part of this paper we will discuss the capacity of natural ribozymes to modulate gene expression making use of their exclusive catalytic properties. Moreover, we will consider the possibility of their ancient origin.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Giulia Talini
- Laboratory of Cancer Genetics and Gene Transfer, Core Research Laboratory, Istituto Toscano Tumori, AOU Careggi, Viale Pieraccini 6, 50139 Florence, Italy
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
30
|
Srivastava A, Cai L, Mrázek J, Malmberg RL. Mutational patterns in RNA secondary structure evolution examined in three RNA families. PLoS One 2011; 6:e20484. [PMID: 21698102 PMCID: PMC3117835 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0020484] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2011] [Accepted: 05/03/2011] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
The goal of this work was to study mutational patterns in the evolution of RNA secondary structure. We analyzed bacterial tmRNA, RNaseP and eukaryotic telomerase RNA secondary structures, mapping structural variability onto phylogenetic trees constructed primarily from rRNA sequences. We found that secondary structures evolve both by whole stem insertion/deletion, and by mutations that create or disrupt stem base pairing. We analyzed the evolution of stem lengths and constructed substitution matrices describing the changes responsible for the variation in the RNA stem length. In addition, we used principal component analysis of the stem length data to determine the most variable stems in different families of RNA. This data provides new insights into the evolution of RNA secondary structures and patterns of variation in the lengths of double helical regions of RNA molecules. Our findings will facilitate design of improved mutational models for RNA structure evolution.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Anuj Srivastava
- Institute of Bioinformatics, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, United States of America.
| | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
31
|
Kim KM, Caetano-Anollés G. The proteomic complexity and rise of the primordial ancestor of diversified life. BMC Evol Biol 2011; 11:140. [PMID: 21612591 PMCID: PMC3123224 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2148-11-140] [Citation(s) in RCA: 77] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2011] [Accepted: 05/25/2011] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The last universal common ancestor represents the primordial cellular organism from which diversified life was derived. This urancestor accumulated genetic information before the rise of organismal lineages and is considered to be either a simple 'progenote' organism with a rudimentary translational apparatus or a more complex 'cenancestor' with almost all essential biological processes. Recent comparative genomic studies support the latter model and propose that the urancestor was similar to modern organisms in terms of gene content. However, most of these studies were based on molecular sequences, which are fast evolving and of limited value for deep evolutionary explorations. RESULTS Here we engage in a phylogenomic study of protein domain structure in the proteomes of 420 free-living fully sequenced organisms. Domains were defined at the highly conserved fold superfamily (FSF) level of structural classification and an iterative phylogenomic approach was used to reconstruct max_set and min_set FSF repertoires as upper and lower bounds of the urancestral proteome. While the functional make up of the urancestral sets was complex, they represent only 5-11% of the 1,420 FSFs of extant proteomes and their make up and reuse was at least 5 and 3 times smaller than proteomes of free-living organisms, repectively. Trees of proteomes reconstructed directly from FSFs or from molecular functions, which included the max_set and min_set as articial taxa, showed that urancestors were always placed at their base and rooted the tree of life in Archaea. Finally, a molecular clock of FSFs suggests the min_set reflects urancestral genetic make up more reliably and confirms diversified life emerged about 2.9 billion years ago during the start of planet oxygenation. CONCLUSIONS The minimum urancestral FSF set reveals the urancestor had advanced metabolic capabilities, was especially rich in nucleotide metabolism enzymes, had pathways for the biosynthesis of membrane sn1,2 glycerol ester and ether lipids, and had crucial elements of translation, including a primordial ribosome with protein synthesis capabilities. It lacked however fundamental functions, including transcription, processes for extracellular communication, and enzymes for deoxyribonucleotide synthesis. Proteomic history reveals the urancestor is closer to a simple progenote organism but harbors a rather complex set of modern molecular functions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kyung Mo Kim
- Evolutionary Bioinformatics Laboratory, Department of Crop Science, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
- Korean Bioinformation Center, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology, 111 Gwahangno, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 305-806, Korea
| | - Gustavo Caetano-Anollés
- Evolutionary Bioinformatics Laboratory, Department of Crop Science, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
| |
Collapse
|
32
|
Stamatopoulou V, Toumpeki C, Tzakos A, Vourekas A, Drainas D. Domain Architecture of the DRpp29 Protein and Its Interaction with the RNA Subunit of Dictyostelium discoideum RNase P. Biochemistry 2010; 49:10714-27. [DOI: 10.1021/bi101297z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Chrisavgi Toumpeki
- Department of Biochemistry, School of Medicine, University of Patras, 26500 Patras, Greece
| | - Andreas Tzakos
- Department of Chemistry, Section of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Ioannina, 45110 Ioannina, Greece
| | - Anastassios Vourekas
- Department of Biochemistry, School of Medicine, University of Patras, 26500 Patras, Greece
| | - Denis Drainas
- Department of Biochemistry, School of Medicine, University of Patras, 26500 Patras, Greece
| |
Collapse
|
33
|
Proteome evolution and the metabolic origins of translation and cellular life. J Mol Evol 2010; 72:14-33. [PMID: 21082171 DOI: 10.1007/s00239-010-9400-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2010] [Accepted: 10/25/2010] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
The origin of life has puzzled molecular scientists for over half a century. Yet fundamental questions remain unanswered, including which came first, the metabolic machinery or the encoding nucleic acids. In this study we take a protein-centric view and explore the ancestral origins of proteins. Protein domain structures in proteomes are highly conserved and embody molecular functions and interactions that are needed for cellular and organismal processes. Here we use domain structure to study the evolution of molecular function in the protein world. Timelines describing the age and function of protein domains at fold, fold superfamily, and fold family levels of structural complexity were derived from a structural phylogenomic census in hundreds of fully sequenced genomes. These timelines unfold congruent hourglass patterns in rates of appearance of domain structures and functions, functional diversity, and hierarchical complexity, and revealed a gradual build up of protein repertoires associated with metabolism, translation and DNA, in that order. The most ancient domain architectures were hydrolase enzymes and the first translation domains had catalytic functions for the aminoacylation and the molecular switch-driven transport of RNA. Remarkably, the most ancient domains had metabolic roles, did not interact with RNA, and preceded the gradual build-up of translation. In fact, the first translation domains had also a metabolic origin and were only later followed by specialized translation machinery. Our results explain how the generation of structure in the protein world and the concurrent crystallization of translation and diversified cellular life created further opportunities for proteomic diversification.
Collapse
|
34
|
Abstract
Nuclear ribonuclease (RNase) P is a ubiquitous essential ribonucleoprotein complex, one of only two known RNA-based enzymes found in all three domains of life. The RNA component is the catalytic moiety of RNases P across all phylogenetic domains; it contains a well-conserved core, whereas peripheral structural elements are diverse. RNA components of eukaryotic RNases P tend to be less complex than their bacterial counterparts, a simplification that is accompanied by a dramatic reduction of their catalytic ability in the absence of protein. The size and complexity of the protein moieties increase dramatically from bacterial to archaeal to eukaryotic enzymes, apparently reflecting the delegation of some structural functions from RNA to proteins and, perhaps, in response to the increased complexity of the cellular environment in the more evolutionarily advanced organisms; the reasons for the increased dependence on proteins are not clear. We review current information on RNase P and the closely related universal eukaryotic enzyme RNase MRP, focusing on their functions and structural organization.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Olga Esakova
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, USA
| | | |
Collapse
|
35
|
Kurland CG. The RNA dreamtime: modern cells feature proteins that might have supported a prebiotic polypeptide world but nothing indicates that RNA world ever was. Bioessays 2010; 32:866-71. [PMID: 20806270 DOI: 10.1002/bies.201000058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Modern cells present no signs of a putative prebiotic RNA world. However, RNA coding is not a sine qua non for the accumulation of catalytic polypeptides. Thus, cellular proteins spontaneously fold into active structures that are resistant to proteolysis. The law of mass action suggests that binding domains are stabilized by specific interactions with their substrates. Random polypeptide synthesis in a prebiotic world has the potential to initially produce only a very small fraction of polypeptides that can fold spontaneously into catalytic domains. However, that fraction can be enriched by proteolytic activities that destroy the unfolded polypeptides and regenerate amino acids that can be recycled into polypeptides. In this open system scenario the stable domains that accumulate and the chemical environment in which they are accumulated are linked through self coding of polypeptide structure. Such open polypeptide systems may have been the precursors to the cellular ribonucleoprotein (RNP) world that evolved subsequently.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Charles G Kurland
- Department of Microbial Ecology, University of Lund, Sölvegatan, Lund, Sweden.
| |
Collapse
|
36
|
Wang M, Jiang YY, Kim KM, Qu G, Ji HF, Mittenthal JE, Zhang HY, Caetano-Anollés G. A universal molecular clock of protein folds and its power in tracing the early history of aerobic metabolism and planet oxygenation. Mol Biol Evol 2010; 28:567-82. [PMID: 20805191 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msq232] [Citation(s) in RCA: 97] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
The standard molecular clock describes a constant rate of molecular evolution and provides a powerful framework for evolutionary timescales. Here, we describe the existence and implications of a molecular clock of folds, a universal recurrence in the discovery of new structures in the world of proteins. Using a phylogenomic structural census in hundreds of proteomes, we build phylogenies and time lines of domains at fold and fold superfamily levels of structural complexity. These time lines correlate approximately linearly with geological timescales and were here used to date two crucial events in life history, planet oxygenation and organism diversification. We first dissected the structures and functions of enzymes in simulated metabolic networks. The placement of anaerobic and aerobic enzymes in the time line revealed that aerobic metabolism emerged about 2.9 billion years (giga-annum; Ga) ago and expanded during a period of about 400 My, reaching what is known as the Great Oxidation Event. During this period, enzymes recruited old and new folds for oxygen-mediated enzymatic activities. Remarkably, the first fold lost by a superkingdom disappeared in Archaea 2.6 Ga ago, within the span of oxygen rise, suggesting that oxygen also triggered diversification of life. The implications of a molecular clock of folds are many and important for the neutral theory of molecular evolution and for understanding the growth and diversity of the protein world. The clock also extends the standard concept that was specific to molecules and their timescales and turns it into a universal timescale-generating tool.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Minglei Wang
- Evolutionary Bioinformatics Laboratory, Department of Crop Sciences, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, USA
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
37
|
Jarrous N, Gopalan V. Archaeal/eukaryal RNase P: subunits, functions and RNA diversification. Nucleic Acids Res 2010; 38:7885-94. [PMID: 20716516 PMCID: PMC3001073 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkq701] [Citation(s) in RCA: 91] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
RNase P, a catalytic ribonucleoprotein (RNP), is best known for its role in precursor tRNA processing. Recent discoveries have revealed that eukaryal RNase P is also required for transcription and processing of select non-coding RNAs, thus enmeshing RNase P in an intricate network of machineries required for gene expression. Moreover, the RNase P RNA seems to have been subject to gene duplication, selection and divergence to generate two new catalytic RNPs, RNase MRP and MRP-TERT, which perform novel functions encompassing cell cycle control and stem cell biology. We present new evidence and perspectives on the functional diversification of the RNase P RNA to highlight it as a paradigm for the evolutionary plasticity that underlies the extant broad repertoire of catalytic and unexpected regulatory roles played by RNA-driven RNPs.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nayef Jarrous
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, IMRIC, The Hebrew University-Hadassah Medical School, Jerusalem 91120, Israel.
| | | |
Collapse
|