Dataset Information

Comparative proteome analysis of psychrophilic versus mesophilic bacterial species: Insights into the molecular basis of cold adaptation of proteins.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Cold adapted or psychrophilic organisms grow at low temperatures, where most of other organisms cannot grow. This adaptation requires a vast array of sequence, structural and physiological adjustments. To understand the molecular basis of cold adaptation of proteins, we analyzed proteomes of psychrophilic and mesophilic bacterial species and compared the differences in amino acid composition and substitution patterns to investigate their likely association with growth temperatures.

Results

In psychrophilic bacteria, serine, aspartic acid, threonine and alanine are overrepresented in the coil regions of secondary structures, whilst glutamic acid and leucine are underrepresented in the helical regions. Compared to mesophiles, psychrophiles comprise a significantly higher proportion of amino acids that contribute to higher protein flexibility in the coil regions of proteins, such as those with tiny/small or neutral side chains. Amino acids with aliphatic, basic, aromatic and hydrophilic side chains are underrepresented in the helical regions of proteins of psychrophiles. The patterns of amino acid substitutions between the orthologous proteins of psychrophiles versus mesophiles are significantly different for several amino acids when compared to their substitutions in orthologous proteins of within the mesophiles or psychrophiles.

Conclusion

Current results provide quantitative substitution preferences (or avoidance) of amino acids that lead to the adaptation of proteins to cold temperatures. These finding would help future efforts in selecting mutations for rational design of proteins with enhanced psychrophilic properties.

SUBMITTER: Metpally RP

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2653534 | biostudies-literature | 2009 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

Comparative proteome analysis of psychrophilic versus mesophilic bacterial species: Insights into the molecular basis of cold adaptation of proteins.

Metpally Raghu Prasad Rao RP Reddy Boojala Vijay B BV

BMC genomics 20090108

<h4>Background</h4>Cold adapted or psychrophilic organisms grow at low temperatures, where most of other organisms cannot grow. This adaptation requires a vast array of sequence, structural and physiological adjustments. To understand the molecular basis of cold adaptation of proteins, we analyzed proteomes of psychrophilic and mesophilic bacterial species and compared the differences in amino acid composition and substitution patterns to investigate their likely association with growth temperat ...[more]

PMID: 19133128

Similar Datasets

Project description:Extremely cold environments are a challenge for all organisms. They are mostly inhabited by psychrophilic and psychrotolerant bacteria, which employ various strategies to cope with the cold. Such harsh environments are often highly vulnerable to the influence of external factors and may undergo frequent dynamic changes. The rapid adjustment of bacteria to changing environmental conditions is crucial for their survival. Such "short-term" evolution is often enabled by plasmids-extrachromosomal replicons that represent major players in horizontal gene transfer. The genomic sequences of thousands of microorganisms, including those of many cold-active bacteria have been obtained over the last decade, but the collected data have yet to be thoroughly analyzed. This report describes the results of a meta-analysis of the NCBI sequence databases to identify and characterize plasmids of psychrophilic and psychrotolerant bacteria. We have performed in-depth analyses of 66 plasmids, almost half of which are cryptic replicons not exceeding 10 kb in size. Our analyses of the larger plasmids revealed the presence of numerous genes, which may increase the phenotypic flexibility of their host strains. These genes encode enzymes possibly involved in (i) protection against cold and ultraviolet radiation, (ii) scavenging of reactive oxygen species, (iii) metabolism of amino acids, carbohydrates, nucleotides and lipids, (iv) energy production and conversion, (v) utilization of toxic organic compounds (e.g., naphthalene), and (vi) resistance to heavy metals, metalloids and antibiotics. Some of the plasmids also contain type II restriction-modification systems, which are involved in both plasmid stabilization and protection against foreign DNA. Moreover, approx. 50% of the analyzed plasmids carry genetic modules responsible for conjugal transfer or mobilization for transfer, which may facilitate the spread of these replicons among various bacteria, including across species boundaries.

Dataset Information

Comparative proteome analysis of psychrophilic versus mesophilic bacterial species: Insights into the molecular basis of cold adaptation of proteins.

Background

Results

Conclusion

Publications

Comparative proteome analysis of psychrophilic versus mesophilic bacterial species: Insights into the molecular basis of cold adaptation of proteins.

Similar Datasets

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