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One-component systems dominate signal transduction in prokaryotes
Luke E Ulrich1, Eugene V Koonin, Igor B Zhulin
1Center for Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, School of Biology, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA.
Trends in Microbiology
|February 1, 2005
Summary
Most prokaryotic signal transduction relies on one-component systems, not two-component systems. These single-protein systems are older, more widespread, and more diverse across bacteria and archaea.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Molecular Biology
- Evolutionary Biology
Background:
- Two-component systems are traditionally considered the main prokaryotic signal transduction pathway.
- These systems link environmental stimuli to cellular responses.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the prevalence and characteristics of signal transduction systems in prokaryotes.
- To compare one-component and two-component systems.
Main Methods:
- Bioinformatic analysis of 145 prokaryotic genomes.
- Examination of protein domain composition in signal transduction systems.
Main Results:
- The majority of signal transduction systems identified are one-component systems.
- One-component systems possess input and output domains but lack phosphotransfer domains.
- One-component systems are evolutionarily older and more broadly distributed than two-component systems.
- Greater domain diversity was observed in one-component systems.
Conclusions:
- One-component systems represent a primary and evolutionarily significant mode of signal transduction in prokaryotes.
- The prevalence of one-component systems challenges the traditional view emphasizing two-component systems.