Lateral gene transfer allows bacteria to acquire new genetic material and respond to fluid environmental pressures, with a degree of evolutionary change not possible through gradual mutation alone. Integrons have emerged as key players in microbial lateral gene transfer and are one of the most efficient genetic elements for the capture and expression of foreign genes. Mobile gene cassettes captured within integron arrays encompass a vast and diverse pool of genetic novelty1. So the question is, do they also harbour novel fold space for proteins? X-ray crystallography shows proteins recovered from integron arrays, often as oligomers, to include all fold classes and to be novel in fold. In order to provide the first biophysical parameters for these uncharacterized protein architectures, my goal is to (a) test biophysical properties and investigate fold stability, (b) probe possible ligand chemistries, and (c) engineer mutant forms to establish structural impact on overall tertiary structure.
1 Sureshan V, Deshpande CN, Boucher Y, Koenig JE, Midwest Center for Structural G, Stokes HW, et al. Integron gene cassettes: a repository of novel protein folds with distinct interaction sites. PLoS One. 2013;8:e52934.