Looking for enzymes under ice of the Antarctic

CLARA SMAL; MARIANA GALLO; DANIEL O. CICERO

Salta, Argentina

Congreso; Latin American Protein Society Meeting; 2010

The genome of the bacteria Bizionia argentinensis, isolated in the National Antartic Territory, was recently decode1 and constitutes a relevant source for the discovery of new proteins showing biological activity in the extreme conditions of low temperatures. These biomolecules can help the understanding of the general mechanisms thet allow biological systems to adapt themselves to particular life confitions. In addition, they can be used in biotechnological applications that can benefit from the use of enzymes showing activity at low temperatures. As a part of the “White Genome” project in collaboration with Bio Sidus and Argentine Antartic Institute , we will use Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy with a double puporse: i) to select a number of proteins with sequences that do not allow their functional classification, but that present characteristics of solubility and folding that make them good targets for structure determination, and ii) to determine the structure in solution of some of the targets previously selected. To this purpose we will use a solid protocol already proved in a similar project dealing with proteins of Xantholomonas axonopodis pv. citri2. In addition, comparison of proteins from this bacteria that lives in extreme conditions, with corresponding analogs that work at higher temperature, could shed light on the way proteins adapt their structure to very low temperature. As it is now recognized3, this reason NMR represents, the technique of choice to study these characteristics at atomic resolution. 1.Bercovich A. et al., International Journal of Sistematic and Evolutionary Microbiology, 58, 2363-2367 (2008) 2. Galvao-Botton, L.M.P., Katsuyama, A.M., Guzzo, C.R., Almeida, F.C.L., Farah, C.S. and Valente, A.P. FEBS letters, 552, 207-213 (2003). 3. Siddiqui K.S. and Cavicchili R., Annu. Rev. Biochem. 75, 403-433 (2006)