RESEARCH: Β-GALACTOSIDASE
FOLDING PROJECT #14188 PROFILE

This project studies a cold-loving bacteria from Antarctica. Scientists are looking at how tiny changes in its DNA affect the way it breaks down sugar. By understanding these changes, we can learn how to design better enzymes for various uses.

Note: This TLDR is a simplication and may not be 100% accurate.

Halorubrum lacusprofundi is a microorganism found in the extremely cold and hypersaline Deep Lake, Antarctica.

This microorganism has a polyextremophilic β-galactosidase that works to break down carbohydrates.

Recent work from the DasSarma group identified six key amino acid residues in β-galactosidase which, when mutated with amino acids conserved in homologs from mesophilic haloarchaea, induced significant changes to the catalytic efficiency of the enzyme and its temperature dependence (1).

We are running molecular simulations of β-galactosidase and its mutated variants to explore how these subtle sequence changes affect the behavior of this enzyme at various temperatures.

We will analyze the trajectory data to formulate explanations for the mechanisms that cause differences in catalytic efficiencies.

In the future, a better understanding of how evolved mutations help optimize enzyme efficiency may lead to improved methods for computational enzyme design. References

1. Laye, V.

   J., Karan, R., Kim, J.-M., Pecher, W.

   T., DasSarma, P., & DasSarma, S.

   (2017).

   Key amino acid residues conferring enhanced enzyme activity at cold temperatures in an Antarctic polyextremophilic β-galactosidase.

   Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 114(47), 12530–12535.

   http://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1711542114

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Halorubrum lacusprofundi

A species of haloarchaea found in Antarctic Lake

Halorubrum lacusprofundi is a type of microorganism that thrives in extremely cold and salty environments. It's known for its ability to survive in conditions that would be deadly to most other organisms.

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β-galactosidase

An enzyme that breaks down lactose into glucose and galactose.

β-galactosidase is a crucial enzyme that helps break down lactose, a sugar found in milk. It plays a vital role in the digestive process of many organisms.

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amino acid

The building blocks of proteins.

Amino acids are the fundamental units that make up proteins. They link together in chains to form complex structures essential for many biological functions.

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homologs

Genes or proteins that have a similar sequence and function.

Homologs are genes or proteins that share similarities in their structure and function due to common ancestry. They provide insights into evolutionary relationships between organisms.

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mesophilic haloarchaea

Haloarchaea that thrive at moderate temperatures.

Mesophilic haloarchaea are a group of microorganisms that live in environments with relatively moderate temperatures and high salt concentrations.