Gradual neofunctionalization in the convergent evolution of trichomonad lactate and malate dehydrogenases

Lactate and malate dehydrogenases (LDH and MDH) are homologous, core metabolic enzymes common to nearly all living organisms. LDHs have evolved convergently from MDHs at least four times, achieving altered substrate specificity by a different mechanism each time. For instance, the LDH of anaerobic trichomonad parasites recently evolved independently from an ancestral trichomonad MDH by gene duplication. LDH plays a central role in trichomonad...