Journal Article

Ancient nitrogenases are ATP dependent

Kaçar, Betül, Harris, Derek F., Garcia, Amanda K., Feinsilber, Hannah, Rucker, Holly R., Chang, Scott D., Seefeldt, Lance C., Yang, Zhi-Yong

2024

Overview

Life depends on energy-carrying molecules to power many sustaining processes. There is evidence that these molecules may predate the rise of life on Earth, but how and when these dependencies formed is unknown. The resurrection of ancient enzymes provides a unique tool to probe the enzyme’s function and usage of energy-carrying molecules, shedding light on their biochemical origins. Through experimental reconstruction, this research investigates the ancestral dependence of a nitrogen-fixing enzyme on the energy carrier ATP, a requirement for function in the modern enzyme. We show that the resurrected ancestor does not have generalist nucleotide specificity. Rather, the ancestor has a strict requirement for ATP, like the modern enzyme, with similar function and efficiency. The findings elucidate the early-evolved necessity of energy-yielding molecules, delineating their role in ancient biochemical processes. Ultimately, these insights contribute to unraveling the intricate tapestry of evolutionary biology and the origins of life-sustaining dependencies.

• Publisher: American Society for Microbiology
• Subject: Adenosine Triphosphate - metabolism / Amino acids / ancestral sequence reconstruction / Azotobacter vinelandii - enzymology / Azotobacter vinelandii - genetics / Azotobacter vinelandii - metabolism / Biochemistry / Carbon dioxide / Cobalt / Developmental biology / Electron transfer / Energy / Environmental Microbiology / Enzymes / Evolution, Molecular / Genomes / Hydrolysis / Magnesium / Metabolism / Metal ions / Nitrogen / Nitrogen fixation / Nitrogen Fixation - genetics / Nitrogenase / Nitrogenase - chemistry / Nitrogenase - genetics / Nitrogenase - metabolism / Nucleotide analogs / Oxidation-Reduction / Phylogenetics / Plasmids / Proteins / Research Article