Distribution and phylogenies of enzymes of the Embden-Meyerhof-Parnas pathway from archaea and hyperthermophilic bacteria support a gluconeogenic origin of metabolism

Enzymes of the gluconeogenic/glycolytic pathway (the Embden-Meyerhof-Parnas (EMP) pathway), the reductive tricarboxylic acid cycle, the reductive pentose phosphate cycle and the Entner-Doudoroff pathway are widely distributed and are often considered to be central to the origins of metabolism. In pa...

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Main Authors: Ron S. Ronimus, Hugh W. Morgan
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Hindawi Limited 2003-01-01
Series:Archaea
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2003/162593
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spelling doaj-27e8885dac4f485bae01641f26c293ab2021-07-02T05:26:21ZengHindawi LimitedArchaea1472-36461472-36542003-01-011319922110.1155/2003/162593Distribution and phylogenies of enzymes of the Embden-Meyerhof-Parnas pathway from archaea and hyperthermophilic bacteria support a gluconeogenic origin of metabolismRon S. Ronimus0Hugh W. Morgan1Thermophile Research Unit, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Waikato, Private Bag 3105, Hamilton, New ZealandThermophile Research Unit, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Waikato, Private Bag 3105, Hamilton, New ZealandEnzymes of the gluconeogenic/glycolytic pathway (the Embden-Meyerhof-Parnas (EMP) pathway), the reductive tricarboxylic acid cycle, the reductive pentose phosphate cycle and the Entner-Doudoroff pathway are widely distributed and are often considered to be central to the origins of metabolism. In particular, several enzymes of the lower portion of the EMP pathway (the so-called trunk pathway), including triosephosphate isomerase (TPI; EC 5.3.1.1), glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH; EC 1.2.1.12/13), phosphoglycerate kinase (PGK; EC 2.7.2.3) and enolase (EC 4.2.1.11), are extremely well conserved and universally distributed among the three domains of life. In this paper, the distribution of enzymes of gluconeogenesis/glycolysis in hyperthermophiles—microorganisms that many believe represent the least evolved organisms on the planet—is reviewed. In addition, the phylogenies of the trunk pathway enzymes (TPIs, GAPDHs, PGKs and enolases) are examined. The enzymes catalyzing each of the six-carbon transformations in the upper portion of the EMP pathway, with the possible exception of aldolase, are all derived from multiple gene sequence families. In contrast, single sequence families can account for the archaeal and hyperthermophilic bacterial enzyme activities of the lower portion of the EMP pathway. The universal distribution of the trunk pathway enzymes, in combination with their phylogenies, supports the notion that the EMP pathway evolved in the direction of gluconeogenesis, i.e., from the bottom up.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2003/162593
collection DOAJ
language English
format Article
sources DOAJ
author Ron S. Ronimus
Hugh W. Morgan
spellingShingle Ron S. Ronimus
Hugh W. Morgan
Distribution and phylogenies of enzymes of the Embden-Meyerhof-Parnas pathway from archaea and hyperthermophilic bacteria support a gluconeogenic origin of metabolism
Archaea
author_facet Ron S. Ronimus
Hugh W. Morgan
author_sort Ron S. Ronimus
title Distribution and phylogenies of enzymes of the Embden-Meyerhof-Parnas pathway from archaea and hyperthermophilic bacteria support a gluconeogenic origin of metabolism
title_short Distribution and phylogenies of enzymes of the Embden-Meyerhof-Parnas pathway from archaea and hyperthermophilic bacteria support a gluconeogenic origin of metabolism
title_full Distribution and phylogenies of enzymes of the Embden-Meyerhof-Parnas pathway from archaea and hyperthermophilic bacteria support a gluconeogenic origin of metabolism
title_fullStr Distribution and phylogenies of enzymes of the Embden-Meyerhof-Parnas pathway from archaea and hyperthermophilic bacteria support a gluconeogenic origin of metabolism
title_full_unstemmed Distribution and phylogenies of enzymes of the Embden-Meyerhof-Parnas pathway from archaea and hyperthermophilic bacteria support a gluconeogenic origin of metabolism
title_sort distribution and phylogenies of enzymes of the embden-meyerhof-parnas pathway from archaea and hyperthermophilic bacteria support a gluconeogenic origin of metabolism
publisher Hindawi Limited
series Archaea
issn 1472-3646
1472-3654
publishDate 2003-01-01
description Enzymes of the gluconeogenic/glycolytic pathway (the Embden-Meyerhof-Parnas (EMP) pathway), the reductive tricarboxylic acid cycle, the reductive pentose phosphate cycle and the Entner-Doudoroff pathway are widely distributed and are often considered to be central to the origins of metabolism. In particular, several enzymes of the lower portion of the EMP pathway (the so-called trunk pathway), including triosephosphate isomerase (TPI; EC 5.3.1.1), glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH; EC 1.2.1.12/13), phosphoglycerate kinase (PGK; EC 2.7.2.3) and enolase (EC 4.2.1.11), are extremely well conserved and universally distributed among the three domains of life. In this paper, the distribution of enzymes of gluconeogenesis/glycolysis in hyperthermophiles—microorganisms that many believe represent the least evolved organisms on the planet—is reviewed. In addition, the phylogenies of the trunk pathway enzymes (TPIs, GAPDHs, PGKs and enolases) are examined. The enzymes catalyzing each of the six-carbon transformations in the upper portion of the EMP pathway, with the possible exception of aldolase, are all derived from multiple gene sequence families. In contrast, single sequence families can account for the archaeal and hyperthermophilic bacterial enzyme activities of the lower portion of the EMP pathway. The universal distribution of the trunk pathway enzymes, in combination with their phylogenies, supports the notion that the EMP pathway evolved in the direction of gluconeogenesis, i.e., from the bottom up.
url http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2003/162593
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