Cipollone Rita, Ascenzi Paolo, Visca Paolo
Dipartimento di Biologia, Università Roma Tre, Roma, Italy.
IUBMB Life. 2007 Feb;59(2):51-9. doi: 10.1080/15216540701206859.
The rhodanese homology domain is a ubiquitous fold found in several phylogenetically related proteins encoded by eubacterial, archeal, and eukaryotic genomes. Although rhodanese-like proteins share evolutionary relationships, analysis of their sequences highlights that they are so heterogeneous to form the rhodanese superfamily. The variability occurs at different levels including sequence, active site loop length, presence of a critical catalytic Cys residue, and domain arrangement. Even within the same genome, multiple genes encode rhodanese-like proteins presenting with variably arranged rhodanese domain(s): as single or tandem domain(s), or combined with other protein domain(s). Given the highly variable organization of the rhodanese domain(s) and the context where it is found, here we review the structural organization and function of the rhodanese-like proteins. The overview of the most recent findings about rhodanese allow us to depict a superfamily of versatile proteins relying on persulfide chemistry to accomplish cellular functions spanning from resistance to environmental threats, such as cyanide, and key cellular reactions related to sulfur metabolism and progression of cell cycle.
硫氰酸酶同源结构域是一种普遍存在的折叠结构，存在于由真细菌、古细菌和真核生物基因组编码的多种系统发育相关蛋白质中。尽管类硫氰酸酶蛋白具有进化关系，但对其序列的分析表明，它们非常异质，从而形成了硫氰酸酶超家族。这种变异性出现在不同层面，包括序列、活性位点环长度、关键催化半胱氨酸残基的存在以及结构域排列。即使在同一基因组中，多个基因也编码具有不同排列方式硫氰酸酶结构域的类硫氰酸酶蛋白：作为单个或串联结构域，或与其他蛋白质结构域结合。鉴于硫氰酸酶结构域的高度可变组织及其所处的环境，我们在此综述类硫氰酸酶蛋白的结构组织和功能。对硫氰酸酶最新研究结果的概述使我们能够描绘出一个多功能蛋白质超家族，该超家族依靠过硫化物化学来完成从抵抗环境威胁（如氰化物）到与硫代谢和细胞周期进程相关的关键细胞反应等多种细胞功能。
