Seminar

How Proteins Evolve and Improve their Reaction Mechanism

Prof. Miguel Ángel de la Rosa

It may seem obvious to say that proteins need time to evolve or that protein evolution is a long time-consuming process, but proteins do have to learn how to work. Actually, the proteins have to adapt and modify their structural conformations in coordination with their molecular partners, so that they can recognize each other to play some specific function inside the cells. In the particular case of redox proteins, the transfer of electrons from one another involves specific transient protein-protein interactions.

The presentation will review and summarize, from an evolutionary point of view, the most recent experimental data on the structural and functional features of plastocyanin and cytochrome c6 during the interaction with their two membrane-embedded partners, namely the cytochrome b6-f and photosystem I complexes.