Warning: file_get_contents(https://eutils.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/eutils/elink.fcgi?dbfrom=pubmed&id=41342454
&cmd=llinks): Failed to open stream: HTTP request failed! HTTP/1.1 429 Too Many Requests
in C:\Inetpub\vhosts\kidney.de\httpdocs\pget.php on line 215
Elife
2025 ; 13
(?): ? Nephropedia Template TP
gab.com Text
Twit Text FOAVip
Twit Text #
English Wikipedia
Coenzyme-protein interactions since early life
#MMPMID41342454
Sanchez Rocha AC
; Makarov M
; Pravda L
; Novotný M
; Hlouchová K
Elife
2025[Dec]; 13
(?): ? PMID41342454
show ga
Recent findings in protein evolution and peptide prebiotic plausibility have been
setting the stage for reconsidering the role of peptides in the early stages of
life's origin. Ancient protein families have been found to share common themes
and proteins reduced in composition to prebiotically plausible amino acids have
been reported capable of structure formation and key functions, such as binding
to RNA. While this may suggest peptide relevance in early life, their functional
repertoire, when composed of a limited number of early residues (missing some of
the most sophisticated functional groups of today's alphabet) has been debated.
Cofactors enrich the functional scope of about half of extant enzymes, but
whether they could also bind to peptides lacking the evolutionary late amino
acids remains speculative. The aim of this study was to resolve the early peptide
propensity to bind organic cofactors by analysis of protein-coenzyme interactions
across the Protein Data Bank (PDB). We find that the prebiotically plausible
amino acids are more abundant in the binding sites of the most ancient coenzymes
and that such interactions rely more frequently on the involvement of the protein
backbone atoms and metal ion cofactors. Moreover, we have identified a few select
examples in today's enzymes where coenzyme binding is supported solely by
prebiotically available amino acids. These results imply the plausibility of a
coenzyme-peptide functional collaboration preceding the establishment of the
Central Dogma and full protein alphabet evolution.
free
free
free
