Hingorani M M, O'Donnell M
The Rockefeller University, 1230 York Avenue, New York, New York 10021, USA.
Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol. 2000 Oct;1(1):22-30. doi: 10.1038/35036044.
A strikingly large number of the proteins involved in DNA metabolism adopt a toroidal -- or ring-shaped -- quaternary structure, even though they have completely unrelated functions. Given that these proteins all use DNA as a substrate, their convergence to one shape is probably not a coincidence. Ring-forming proteins may have been selected during evolution for advantages conferred by the toroidal shape on their interactions with DNA.
大量参与DNA代谢的蛋白质呈现出环形——即环状——四级结构，尽管它们的功能完全不相关。鉴于这些蛋白质都以DNA为底物，它们趋同于一种形状可能并非巧合。在进化过程中，形成环的蛋白质可能因其环形结构在与DNA相互作用中所赋予的优势而被选择。
