Pathways of the evolution of hormonal signal realization systems

The problem of the structural-functional organization, and of the origin and evolution of the chemosignal systems which realize the effect of hormones and hormone-like substances in the higher eukaryotes-lower eukaryotes-prokaryotes series, is reviewed on the basis of an analysis of published information and our own data. The notion that the systems of the conduction and transduction of chemical signals are related to universal and evolutionarily ancient structures is formulated. The roots of these systems take their origin in the single-celled eukaryotes, while individual of their functional units take their origin even in the prokaryotes. The hypothesis is advanced that the progressive evolution of chemosignal systems has traveled common pathways, and has consisted in the linking up and the functional combination of originally general and conservative units in the direction of the ever-increasing specialization of these systems and augmentation of their efficiency.