Uncovering the Evolutionary Journey of Key Proteins
Researchers at the University of Wisconsin–Madison have decoded the evolutionary pathway of regulatory proteins, shedding light on how these molecules gain and lose functions over time. Unlike enzymes, which evolve incrementally, regulatory proteins, such as transcriptional regulators, rapidly gain or lose function when they acquire mutations. This rapid change helps them maintain their singular role, preventing them from performing multiple roles simultaneously. The findings could have implications for designing new regulators to control gene circuits, sense molecules, engineer biosynthetic pathways, and monitor cellular metabolites, leading to new biomedical and biotechnological discoveries.