- that structure is as/more important than sequence ?
- that "reaction centers" are what matter, and the rest is just "protection" ?
What do you mean by "reaction center" - surely not physically central within the folded structure (isn't it the surface shape that determines reactivity) ?
that structure is as/more important than sequence?
Structure is determined by sequence, so they are equally important. Structure is more conserved than sequence, mainly due to the physicochemical constraints that govern protein folding.
that "reaction centers" are what matter, and the rest is just "protection"?
Sometimes not even protection. Many enzymes can have plenty of its sequence/structure removed and still be functional. Natural proteins carry lots of evolutionary cruft.
What do you mean by "reaction center" - surely not physically central within the folded structure
I think they borrowed the term from photosystems/photosynthesis. But, to be more precise, what they actually meant is the active site of an enzyme; the location where the catalyzed reaction takes place.
(isn't it the surface shape that determines reactivity) ?
Shape is not enough, the chemical nature of the amino acid residues involved is also important. A single mutation in a key catalytic residue will shut down the enzyme even if the shape stays the same.
Comments
So what are the lessons here?
- that structure is as/more important than sequence ?
- that "reaction centers" are what matter, and the rest is just "protection" ?
What do you mean by "reaction center" - surely not physically central within the folded structure (isn't it the surface shape that determines reactivity) ?
Structure is determined by sequence, so they are equally important. Structure is more conserved than sequence, mainly due to the physicochemical constraints that govern protein folding.
Sometimes not even protection. Many enzymes can have plenty of its sequence/structure removed and still be functional. Natural proteins carry lots of evolutionary cruft.
I think they borrowed the term from photosystems/photosynthesis. But, to be more precise, what they actually meant is the active site of an enzyme; the location where the catalyzed reaction takes place.
Shape is not enough, the chemical nature of the amino acid residues involved is also important. A single mutation in a key catalytic residue will shut down the enzyme even if the shape stays the same.
An enzymatic reaction center is also known as an "active size". It's the location within an enzyme's 3D structure where catalysis happens.
The only lesson is that, to a biochemist, the result is not surprising.