RESEARCH: MICROORGANISM
FOLDING PROJECT #14311 PROFILE

This project relates to studying how tiny changes in a cold-loving bacteria's enzyme can make it work better at freezing temperatures. Scientists are using computer simulations to see how these tiny changes affect the enzyme, hoping to one day 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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microorganism

A microscopic living being.

Microorganisms are tiny organisms that can only be seen with a microscope. They include bacteria, fungi, and viruses. Microorganisms play important roles in many ecosystems and have various applications in biotechnology.

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β-galactosidase

An enzyme that breaks down lactose into glucose and galactose.

β-galactosidase is an enzyme that helps break down the sugar lactose. It's found in many organisms, including bacteria and humans. In biotechnology, it's used to produce lactose-free milk and other dairy products.

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amino acid

Building blocks of proteins.

Amino acids are the basic units that make up proteins. There are 20 different amino acids that can be linked together in various sequences to form proteins with diverse functions.

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mutation

A change in the DNA sequence.

Mutations are changes in the genetic code (DNA). They can be caused by various factors like errors during DNA replication or exposure to radiation. Mutations can have different effects, ranging from being harmless to causing diseases.

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enzyme

A protein that catalyzes (speeds up) chemical reactions.

Enzymes are biological catalysts that speed up chemical reactions in living organisms. They are crucial for a wide range of processes, from digestion to DNA replication.

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catalytic efficiency

A measure of how efficiently an enzyme catalyzes a reaction.

Catalytic efficiency refers to how effectively an enzyme speeds up a chemical reaction. It's often measured by the rate at which the enzyme converts substrate into product.