Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 4, 2026

Photoactivated Localization Microscopy with Bimolecular Fluorescence Complementation (BiFC-PALM)
Published on: December 22, 2015
cpRAS: a novel circularly permuted RAS-like GTPase domain with a highly scattered phylogenetic distribution
1Charles University in Prague, Faculty of Science, Department of Botany, Benatska 2, 128 01 Prague 2, Czech Republic. melias@natur.cuni.cz
Abstract:
A recent systematic survey suggested that the YRG (or YawG/YlqF) family with the G4-G5-G1-G2-G3 order of the conserved GTPase motifs represents the only possible circularly permuted variation of the canonical GTPase structure. Here we show that a different circularly permuted GTPase domain actually does exist, conforming to the pattern G3-G4-G5-G1-G2. The domain, dubbed cpRAS, is a variant of RAS family GTPases and occurs in two types of larger proteins, either inserted into a region homologous to a bacterial group of proteins classified as COG2373 and potentially related to the alpha-2-macroglobulin family (so far a single protein in Dictyostelium) or in combination with a von Willebrand factor type A (VWA) domain. For the latter protein type, which was found in a few metazoans and several distantly related protists, existence in the common ancestor of opisthokonts, Amoebozoa and excavates followed by at least eight independent losses may be inferred. Our findings thus bring further evidence for the importance of parallel reduction of ancestral complexity in the eukaryotic evolution.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
The Ras Gene
Ras is a superfamily...
Rab Cascades
Small GTPases - Ras and Rho
Three regulatory proteins control their activity:
Rab Proteins
Rab proteins switch between a cytosolic, GDP-bound inactive state and a membrane-anchored, GTP-bound active state. By themselves, Rabs show slow rates of GDP/GTP exchange and GTP hydrolysis. Thus, Rab proteins are considered...
GTPases and their Regulation
Large G-proteins, also known...
GTPases and their Regulation
Large G-proteins, also known...

