Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Hills Road, Cambridge CB2 0QH, UK.
Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol. 2012 Jul 11;13(8):489-98. doi: 10.1038/nrm3392.
Large-scale sequencing of genomes has revealed that most enzyme families include inactive homologues. These pseudoenzymes are often well conserved, implying a selective pressure to retain them during evolution, and therefore that they have significant function. Mechanistic insights and evolutionary lessons are now emerging from the study of a broad range of such 'dead' enzymes. The recently discovered iRhoms - inactive homologues of rhomboid proteases - have joined derlins and other members of the rhomboid-like clan in regulating the fate of proteins as they pass through the secretory pathway. There is a strong case that dead enzymes, which have been rather overlooked, may be a rich source of biological regulators.
大规模的基因组测序揭示，大多数酶家族都包括无活性的同源物。这些假酶通常具有很好的保守性，这意味着在进化过程中存在保留它们的选择压力，因此它们具有重要的功能。从广泛研究这些“死”酶中，现在正在出现关于其机制的深入了解和进化教训。最近发现的 iRhoms（菱形蛋白酶的无活性同源物）与 derlins 和其他菱形样家族成员一起，调节蛋白质在分泌途径中通过时的命运。有充分的理由认为，那些一直被忽视的无活性酶可能是丰富的生物调节剂来源。
