Recent Advances in Understanding the Structural and Functional Evolution of FtsH Proteases

Lanbo Yi; Bin Liu; Peter J Nixon; Jianfeng Yu; Feng Chen

doi:10.3389/fpls.2022.837528

Recent Advances in Understanding the Structural and Functional Evolution of FtsH Proteases

Front Plant Sci. 2022 Apr 6:13:837528. doi: 10.3389/fpls.2022.837528. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Lanbo Yi^{1

2

3}, Bin Liu^{2

3}, Peter J Nixon⁴, Jianfeng Yu^{2

4}, Feng Chen^{2

3}

Affiliations

¹ Institute for Food and Bioresource Engineering, College of Engineering, Peking University, Beijing, China.
² Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Marine Microbiome Engineering, Institute for Advanced Study, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China.
³ Institute for Innovative Development of Food Industry, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China.
⁴ Sir Ernst Chain Building-Wolfson Laboratories, Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom.

Abstract

The FtsH family of proteases are membrane-anchored, ATP-dependent, zinc metalloproteases. They are universally present in prokaryotes and the mitochondria and chloroplasts of eukaryotic cells. Most bacteria bear a single ftsH gene that produces hexameric homocomplexes with diverse house-keeping roles. However, in mitochondria, chloroplasts and cyanobacteria, multiple FtsH homologs form homo- and heterocomplexes with specialized functions in maintaining photosynthesis and respiration. The diversification of FtsH homologs combined with selective pairing of FtsH isomers is a versatile strategy to enable functional adaptation. In this article we summarize recent progress in understanding the evolution, structure and function of FtsH proteases with a focus on the role of FtsH in photosynthesis and respiration.

Keywords: FtsH protease; chloroplasts; evolution; functional adaptation; mitochondria; photosystem II repair; protein engineering.

Publication types

Review