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Evolutionary connections between bacterial and eukaryotic signaling systems: a genomic perspective
L Aravind1, Vivek Anantharaman, Lakshminaryan M Iyer
1National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20894, USA. aravind@ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Current Opinion in Microbiology
|October 24, 2003
Summary
Bacterial and eukaryotic cells share common protein domains involved in gene regulation and signaling pathways. These shared modules, particularly those transferred from bacteria, influenced the evolution of eukaryotic sensory and developmental systems.
Area of Science:
- Microbial Genomics
- Molecular Biology
- Evolutionary Biology
Background:
- Advances in microbial genomics reveal shared protein domains between bacterial and eukaryotic regulatory proteins.
- Complex prokaryotes exhibit signaling modules analogous to those found in eukaryotes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate shared mechanistic themes in bacterial and eukaryotic signaling proteins.
- To explore the evolutionary contribution of laterally transferred protein domains to eukaryotic pathways.
Main Methods:
- Comparative analysis of microbial genomics data.
- Examination of protein domain architectures.
- Review of experimental studies on signaling pathways.
Main Results:
- Several protein domains are conserved across bacterial and eukaryotic regulatory proteins.
- Laterally transferred bacterial domains are implicated in eukaryotic light, redox, and nitric oxide signaling.
- These domains also contributed to the evolution of eukaryotic developmental pathways like Notch, cytokine, and cytokinin signaling.
Conclusions:
- Bacterial protein domains have played a significant role in shaping eukaryotic signaling and developmental pathways.
- Understanding these shared modules provides insights into the co-evolution of prokaryotic and eukaryotic life.
- Genomic and experimental data underscore the importance of horizontal gene transfer in evolutionary innovation.