Accurate
modeling of structural dynamics of proteins and their
differentiation across different species can help us understand generic
mechanisms of function shared by family members and the molecular
basis of the specificity of individual members. We focused here on
the family of lipoxygenases, enzymes that catalyze lipid oxidation,
the mammalian and bacterial structures of which have been elucidated.
We present a systematic method of approach for characterizing the
sequence, structure, dynamics, and allosteric signaling properties
of these enzymes using a combination of structure-based models and
methods and bioinformatics tools applied to a data set of 88 structures.
The analysis elucidates the signature dynamics of the lipoxygenase
family and its differentiation among members, as well as key sites
that enable its adaptation to specific substrate binding and allosteric
activity.