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Imaging G Protein-coupled Receptor-mediated Chemotaxis and its Signaling Events in Neutrophil-like HL60 Cells
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The diverse CheC-type phosphatases: chemotaxis and beyond.
Travis J Muff1, George W Ordal
1Department of Biochemistry, Colleges of Medicine and Liberal Arts and Sciences, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL 61801, USA. tjmuff@scripps.edu
Molecular Microbiology
|November 8, 2008
Summary
A novel class of CheC-type phosphatases, distinct from CheZ, has been identified in bacterial and archaeal chemotaxis. These enzymes share a conserved active site and exhibit diverse roles, including regulation and non-chemotactic functions.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Biochemistry
- Molecular Biology
Background:
- Chemotaxis is crucial for bacterial and archaeal survival, relying on intricate signaling pathways.
- Protein phosphatases play key roles in regulating these pathways, notably dephosphorylating CheY-P.
- The known CheY-P phosphatase, CheZ, is unrelated to a newly discovered class of phosphatases.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify and characterize a new class of protein phosphatases involved in bacterial and archaeal chemotaxis.
- To elucidate the structural and functional diversity within this new phosphatase family.
- To propose an evolutionary model for the CheC-type phosphatases.
Main Methods:
- Bioinformatic analysis to identify conserved sequences and family members.
- Phylogenetic analysis to determine subgroupings and evolutionary relationships.
- Functional characterization of representative enzymes (implied).
Main Results:
- Discovery of the CheC-type protein phosphatase family, distinct from CheZ.
- Identification of a conserved active site motif (D/S-X(3)-E-X(2)-N-X(22)-P).
- Classification into three subgroups: CheC, FliY, and CheX, with further divisions within CheC.
- Evidence for diverse roles, including chemotaxis regulation, non-chemotactic phosphatase activity, and potential extra-chemotactic functions for CheX.
Conclusions:
- CheC-type phosphatases represent a significant, convergent evolutionary development in chemotaxis signaling.
- The family exhibits substantial functional and evolutionary divergence.
- Further research is needed to fully elucidate the roles of these diverse phosphatases.
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