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Evolution of Biosynthetic Pathways

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Microbial Biochemistry
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Abstract

The main goal of the student of evolution is to reconstruct past events leading to the structure of contemporary proteins, from which the relationships which they share with a common ancestor can be defined. A single sequence can give rise to different sequences by speciation and divergence or by gene duplication within a single organism followed by divergence. We shall see examples of these two cases in our survey of the evolution of biosynthetic pathways.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Remember that the β2 dimer of tryptophan synthase catalyzes the deamination of serine producing pyruvate and ammonia, from enzyme-bound PLP and L-serine, with the formation of an α-aminoacrylate Schiff base intermediate. It can also catalyze the conversion of 2-amino-3-butenoic acid (vinylglycine) to α-ketobutyrate and ammonia via the formation of the α-aminocrotonate Schiff base intermediate. From C. Parsot, with permission of The EMBO Journal.

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Correspondence to G. N. Cohen .

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Cohen, G.N. (2010). Evolution of Biosynthetic Pathways. In: Microbial Biochemistry. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-9437-7_40

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