Linked Life Data

12411597

Source:http://linkedlifedata.com/resource/pubmed/id/12411597

Statements in which the resource exists as a subject.
PredicateObject
rdf:type
lifeskim:mentions
pubmed:issue
11
pubmed:dateCreated
2002-11-4
pubmed:abstractText
Members of the serpin (serine proteinase inhibitor) superfamily have been identified in higher multicellular eukaryotes (plants and animals) and viruses but not in bacteria, archaea, or fungi. Thus, the ancestral serpin and the origin of the serpin inhibitory mechanism remain obscure. In this study we characterize 12 serpin-like sequences in the genomes of prokaryotic organisms, extending this protein family to all major branches of life. Notably, these organisms live in dramatically different environments and some are evolutionarily distantly related. A sequence-based analysis suggests that all 12 serpins are inhibitory. Despite considerable sequence divergence between the proteins, in four of the 12 sequences the region of the serpin that determines proteinase specificity is highly conserved, indicating that these inhibitors are likely to share a common target. Inhibitory serpins are typically prone to polymerization upon heating; thus, the existence of serpins in the moderate thermophilic bacterium Thermobifida fusca, the thermophilic bacterium Thermoanaerobacter tengcongensis, and the hyperthermophilic archaeon Pyrobaculum aerophilum is of particular interest. Using molecular modeling, we predict the means by which heat stability in the latter protein may be achieved without compromising inhibitory activity.
pubmed:language
eng
pubmed:journal
pubmed:citationSubset
IM
pubmed:chemical
pubmed:status
MEDLINE
pubmed:month
Nov
pubmed:issn
0737-4038
pubmed:author
pubmed:issnType
Print
pubmed:volume
19
pubmed:owner
NLM
pubmed:authorsComplete
Y
pubmed:pagination
1881-90
pubmed:dateRevised
2006-11-15
pubmed:meshHeading
pubmed:year
2002
pubmed:articleTitle
Serpins in prokaryotes.
pubmed:affiliation
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
pubmed:publicationType
Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't