Evolution of protein domain promiscuity in eukaryotes
Malay Kumar Basu1, Liran Carmel, Igor B Rogozin
1National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20894, USA.
Genome Research
|January 31, 2008
Summary
Promiscuous protein domains, crucial for eukaryotic signaling, are not static but evolve rapidly. A study identified 215 promiscuous domains, with animals having more than fungi or plants.
Area of Science:
- Genomics
- Molecular Biology
- Evolutionary Biology
Background:
- Eukaryotic proteins often feature multiple domains, with some domains appearing in diverse architectures.
- These 'promiscuous' domains frequently mediate protein-protein interactions, vital for cellular signaling networks.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically analyze promiscuous domains across eukaryotic genomes.
- To quantify domain promiscuity and investigate its evolutionary dynamics.
Main Methods:
- Comparative-genomic analysis of 28 diverse eukaryotic genomes.
- Introduction and application of two quantitative measures for domain promiscuity.
Main Results:
- Identification of 215 strongly promiscuous domains.
- Animals exhibit a significantly higher fraction of promiscuous domains compared to fungi and plants.
- Domain promiscuity is a dynamic trait, evolving rapidly and sometimes independently in different lineages.
Conclusions:
- Promiscuous domains are key drivers of proteome and signaling network diversity and evolvability in eukaryotes.
- Their evolution is influenced by interaction partner diversity and selection pressures.
- A conserved set of promiscuous domains likely forms the basis for novel protein architectures.
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