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The major facilitator superfamily.
M H Saier1, J T Beatty, A Goffeau
1Department of Biology, University of California at San Diego, La Jolla 92093-0116, USA. saier@ucsd.edu
Journal of Molecular Microbiology and Biotechnology
|August 16, 2000
Summary
The major facilitator superfamily (MFS) of transport proteins has expanded to include 34 new families, totaling 29 established and 5 probable families. This update details their structures, functions, and evolutionary relationships.
Area of Science:
- Biochemistry
- Molecular Biology
- Genetics
Background:
- The major facilitator superfamily (MFS) is the largest known family of secondary active transporters in living organisms.
- Previous updates in 1998 described 17 families within the MFS.
Purpose of the Study:
- To report an expansion of the MFS, including newly identified families.
- To describe the structural, functional, and mechanistic characteristics of MFS permeases.
- To define the evolutionary relationships and conserved motifs within the MFS.
Main Methods:
- Phylogenetic analyses were employed to determine evolutionary relationships among MFS members.
- Multiple sequence alignments were used to identify family-specific signature sequences and conserved motifs.
- Structural and functional data were compiled and analyzed for constituent permeases.
Main Results:
- The MFS has been expanded to encompass 29 established and 5 probable families.
- Each newly identified family demonstrates specificity for a single substrate class.
- Family-specific signature sequences and conserved motifs were defined through multiple alignments.
Conclusions:
- This comprehensive update expands the known diversity of the MFS.
- Understanding MFS family relationships aids in extrapolating functional and structural information across members.
- The study provides a foundation for further research into transporter mechanisms and evolution.