Centre for Computational Biology & Bioinformatics, Central University of Himachal Pradesh, Kangra, 176206, Himachal Pradesh, India.
Department of Environmental Studies, University of Delhi, 110007 Delhi, India.
J Proteome Res. 2024 Sep 6;23(9):4014-4026. doi: 10.1021/acs.jproteome.4c00358. Epub 2024 Aug 12.
Metalloproteins are fundamental to diverse biological processes but still lack extensive investigation in viral contexts. This study reveals the prevalence and functional diversity of metal-binding proteins in DNA viruses. Among a subset of 1432 metalloproteins, zinc and magnesium-binding proteins are notably abundant, indicating their importance in viral biology. Furthermore, significant numbers of proteins binding to iron, manganese, copper, nickel, mercury, and cadmium were also detected. Human-infecting viral proteins displayed a rich landscape of metalloproteins, with MeBiPred (964 proteins) and Pfam (666) yielding the highest numbers. Interestingly, many essential viral proteins exhibited metal-binding capabilities, including polymerases, DNA binding proteins, helicases, dUPTase, thymidine kinase, and various structural and accessory proteins. This study sheds light on the ubiquitous presence of metalloproteins, their functional signatures, subcellular placements, and metal-utilization patterns, providing valuable insights into viral biology. A similar metal utilization pattern was observed in similar functional proteins across the various DNA viruses. Furthermore, these findings provide a foundation for identifying potential drug targets for combating viral infections.
金属蛋白在多种生物过程中起着基础作用，但在病毒领域的研究仍不够广泛。本研究揭示了 DNA 病毒中金属结合蛋白的普遍性和功能多样性。在 1432 种金属蛋白中，锌和镁结合蛋白的数量明显较多，表明它们在病毒生物学中很重要。此外，还检测到大量与铁、锰、铜、镍、汞和镉结合的蛋白质。感染人类的病毒蛋白显示出丰富的金属蛋白景观，MeBiPred（964 种蛋白）和 Pfam（666 种蛋白）产生的数量最多。有趣的是，许多必需的病毒蛋白具有金属结合能力，包括聚合酶、DNA 结合蛋白、解旋酶、dUPTase、胸苷激酶以及各种结构和辅助蛋白。本研究揭示了金属蛋白的普遍存在、它们的功能特征、亚细胞定位和金属利用模式，为病毒生物学提供了有价值的见解。在各种 DNA 病毒中，类似的功能蛋白也观察到了类似的金属利用模式。此外，这些发现为识别潜在的药物靶点以对抗病毒感染提供了基础。
