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Evolution of the cytoskeleton.

Harold P Erickson1

  • 1Department of Cell Biology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710-3709, USA. h.erickson@cellbio.duke.edu

Bioessays : News and Reviews in Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology
|June 15, 2007
PubMed
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The eukaryotic cytoskeleton evolved from prokaryotic ancestors FtsZ and MreB. Tubulin and actin evolved distinct functions, explaining their divergence while retaining conserved GTP-binding sites for assembly dynamics.

Area of Science:

  • Cell Biology
  • Evolutionary Biology
  • Biochemistry

Background:

  • The eukaryotic cytoskeleton, comprising tubulin and actin, shares evolutionary origins with prokaryotic proteins FtsZ and MreB.
  • FtsZ and MreB exhibit significant sequence identity (40-50%) across prokaryotes, suggesting a functional constraint on divergence.
  • Tubulin and actin are highly conserved in eukaryotes but significantly divergent from their prokaryotic homologs.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the evolutionary divergence of eukaryotic cytoskeletal proteins from their prokaryotic ancestors.
  • To explore the reasons behind the extreme sequence divergence of tubulin and actin.
  • To identify conserved structural and functional elements between FtsZ and tubulins.

Main Methods:

  • Comparative sequence analysis of FtsZ, MreB, tubulin, and actin.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Structure-based sequence alignment to identify conserved amino acids.
  • Functional and evolutionary pathway speculation.

    • Main Results:

    • Proposes that the observed divergence limit in FtsZ/MreB reflects functional constraints for cytokinesis and cell shape.
    • Suggests that the extreme divergence of tubulin and actin is linked to their acquisition of novel eukaryotic functions.
    • Identifies conserved amino acids between FtsZ and tubulins, particularly those involved in GTP binding and hydrolysis, not core structural interfaces.

    Conclusions:

    • The evolution of distinct functions drove the divergence of tubulin and actin from FtsZ/MreB.
    • The conservation of tubulin and actin in eukaryotes is maintained by complex assembly dynamics and protein interactions, not lack of variability.
    • Conserved GTP-binding residues are critical for the conserved functions of these cytoskeletal proteins across evolution.