Digital dissection of arsenate reductase enzyme from an arsenic hyperccumulating fern Pteris vittata

Abstract

Action of arsenate reductase is crucial for the survival of an organism in arsenic polluted area. Pteris vittata, also known as Chinese ladder brake, was the first identified arsenic hyperaccumulating fern with the capability to convert [As(V)] to arsenite [As(III)]. This study aims at sequence analysis of the most important protein of the arsenic reduction mechanism in this specie. Phosphorylation potential of the protein along with possible interplay of phosphorylation with O-{beta}-GlcNAcylation was predicted using neural network based webservers. Secondary and tertiary structure of arsenate reductase was then analysed. Active site region of the protein comprised a rhodanese-like domain. Cursory dynamics simulation revealed that folds remained conserved in the rhodanese main but variations were observed in the structure in other regions. This information sheds light on the various characteristics of the protein and may be useful to enzymologists working on the improvement of its traits for arsenic reduction.