Emergence of fractal geometries in the evolution of a metabolic enzyme

Fractals are patterns that are self-similar across multiple length-scales1. Macroscopic fractals are common in nature2,3,4; however, so far, molecular assembly into fractals is restricted to synthetic systems5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12. Here we report the discovery of a natural protein, citrate synthase from...

Ausführliche Beschreibung

Gespeichert in:
Bibliographische Detailangaben
Hauptverfasser: Sendker, Franziska L, Lo, Yat Kei, Heimerl, Thomas, Bohn, Stefan, Persson, Louise J, Mais, Christopher-Nils, Sadowska, Wiktoria, Paczia, Nicole, Nußbaum, Eva, Del Carmen Sánchez Olmos, María, Forchhammer, Karl, Schindler, Daniel, Erb, Tobias J, Benesch, Justin L. P, Marklund, Erik G, Bange, Gert, Schuller, Jan M, Hochberg, Georg K. A
Format: Artikel
Sprache:eng
Schlagworte:
Online-Zugang:Volltext bestellen
Tags: Tag hinzufügen
Keine Tags, Fügen Sie den ersten Tag hinzu!
Beschreibung
Zusammenfassung:Fractals are patterns that are self-similar across multiple length-scales1. Macroscopic fractals are common in nature2,3,4; however, so far, molecular assembly into fractals is restricted to synthetic systems5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12. Here we report the discovery of a natural protein, citrate synthase from the cyanobacterium Synechococcus elongatus, which self-assembles into Sierpiński triangles. Using cryo-electron microscopy, we reveal how the fractal assembles from a hexameric building block. Although different stimuli modulate the formation of fractal complexes and these complexes can regulate the enzymatic activity of citrate synthase in vitro, the fractal may not serve a physiological function in vivo. We use ancestral sequence reconstruction to retrace how the citrate synthase fractal evolved from non-fractal precursors, and the results suggest it may have emerged as a harmless evolutionary accident. Our findings expand the space of possible protein complexes and demonstrate that intricate and regulatable assemblies can evolve in a single substitution.
DOI:10.1038/s41586-024-07287-2