Aldolase-Distinctive Characters in Archaeal Enzymes

Abstract

Aldolases catalyze reversively the aldol condensation reaction in living organisms. Among them fructose 1,6-bisphosphate aldolase (FBPA) is most widely distributed. FBPA is classically divided into two classes. Recently re-investigation of FBPA in archaea and hyperthemophiles, which represent primitive form of life growing chemoautotorphically utilizing gluconeogenesis pathway, revealed successively new types of FBPAs. Especially discovery of a novel bifunctional FBPA/P functioning through micro-conformational change made a break-through of a “one enzyme one reaction” dogma. This review summarizes briefly the enzymology of FBPA from the classical view to the latest.