A central goal in molecular evolution is to understand the ways in which genes and proteins
evolve in response to changing environments. In the absence of intact DNA from fossils …

Throughout the history of life, enzymes have served as the primary molecular mediators of
biogeochemical cycles by catalyzing the metabolic pathways that interact with geochemical …

The emergence of catalysis in a noncatalytic protein scaffold is a rare, unexplored event.
Chalcone isomerase (CHI), a key enzyme in plant flavonoid biosynthesis, is presumed to …

Steroids are components of the eukaryotic cellular membrane and have indispensable roles
in the process of eukaryotic endocytosis by regulating membrane fluidity and permeability. In …

Improving the efficiency of enzymes towards decomposing substrates has been one of the
central goals in the biotechnology industry. However, the modification of enzymes for …

Photosynthetic organisms, fungi, and animals comprise distinct pathways for vitamin C
biosynthesis. Besides this diversity, the final biosynthetic step consistently involves an …

Conformational flexibility plays a critical role in enzyme function and regulation.
Conformational changes, which can occur on multiple length and time scales, facilitate, for …

Accurate reconstruction of ancestral states is a critical evolutionary analysis when studying
ancient proteins and comparing biochemical properties between parental or extinct species …

As a first step in innate immunity, pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) recognize the distinct
pathogen and herbivore-associated molecular patterns and mediate activation of immune …

Carboxylic acid reductases (CARs) are biocatalysts of industrial importance. Their
properties, especially their poor stability, render them sub-optimal for use in a bioindustrial …