Evolutionary biochemistry: revealing the historical and physical causes of protein properties

In this article, the authors present a synthesis of the emerging field of evolutionary biochemistry. This field has profited from the development of experimental techniques that allow the study of the physical mechanisms and evolutionary processes that have constrained and shaped biological molecules. The repertoire of proteins and nucleic acids in the living world is determined by evolution; their properties are determined by the laws of physics and chemistry. Explanations of these two kinds of causality — the purviews of evolutionary biology and biochemistry, respectively — are typically pursued in isolation, but many fundamental questions fall squarely at the interface of fields. Here we articulate the paradigm of evolutionary biochemistry, which aims to dissect the physical mechanisms and evolutionary processes by which biological molecules diversified and to reveal how their physical architecture facilitates and constrains their evolution. We show how an integration of evolution with biochemistry moves us towards a more complete understanding of why biological molecules have the properties that they do.