| Rebekka M. Wachter Research |
Structural basis of fluorescent protein evolution
The phylogenetic analysis of fluorescent protein gene sequences (classes Anthozoa, Hydrozoa
and Crustacea) suggests pervasive parallel evolution of several distinct color classes: cyan,
green, yellow, and red. In particular, red and cyan fluorescent proteins appear to have arisen
numerous times along different lineages from common green ancestors. Recent analysis of
extant proteins has demonstrated that Nature has provided several chemically distinct solutions
for the generation of red color along different branches of the family tree. In collaboration with
Dr. Mikhail Matz at the University of Texas at Austin, we are investigating the process of protein
evolution from a structural point of view. We are utilizing fluorescent proteins as a model system
to study natural evolutionary processes, taking advantage of optical read-out methods to identify
phenotypic change. In this work, ancestral gene reconstruction technologies are combined with
crystallographic analysis of protein intermediates along different evolutionary lineages that entail
major color transitions.
The phylogenetic analysis of fluorescent protein gene sequences (classes Anthozoa, Hydrozoa
and Crustacea) suggests pervasive parallel evolution of several distinct color classes: cyan,
green, yellow, and red. In particular, red and cyan fluorescent proteins appear to have arisen
numerous times along different lineages from common green ancestors. Recent analysis of
extant proteins has demonstrated that Nature has provided several chemically distinct solutions
for the generation of red color along different branches of the family tree. In collaboration with
Dr. Mikhail Matz at the University of Texas at Austin, we are investigating the process of protein
evolution from a structural point of view. We are utilizing fluorescent proteins as a model system
to study natural evolutionary processes, taking advantage of optical read-out methods to identify
phenotypic change. In this work, ancestral gene reconstruction technologies are combined with
crystallographic analysis of protein intermediates along different evolutionary lineages that entail
major color transitions.
Protein Evolution
Phylogenetic tree for the superfamily of GFP-like
proteins, constructed by Dr. Mikhail Matz.
proteins, constructed by Dr. Mikhail Matz.
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
Center for Bioenergy and Photosynthesis
Center for Bioenergy and Photosynthesis
