Partial Similarities Between Yeast and Liver Alcohol Dehydrogenases

The primary structure of about half of the protein chain of yeast alcohol dehydrogenase has been determined and compared with the amino-acid sequences of other dehydrogenases. The enzyme is found to be distantly related to horse-liver alcohol dehydrogenase, although these two proteins have different quaternary structures and subunit sizes. Some regions show no significant similarities, but long segments within the N-terminal parts of the molecules are homologous, suggesting a common and important function for these segments. Ancestral connections between some different dehydrogenases can be concluded and the degree of evolutionary changes may be estimated.