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Updated: Oct 29, 2026

Creating and Applying a Reference to Facilitate the Discussion and Classification of Proteins in a Diverse Group
Published on: August 16, 2017
Signature sequences in diverse proteins provide evidence of a close evolutionary relationship between the
1Department of Biochemistry, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada L8N 3Z5.
Abstract:
A number of proteins have been identified that contain prominent sequence signatures that are uniquely shared by the members of the Deinococcus-Thermus genera and the cyanobacterial species but which are not found in any of the other eubacterial or archaebacterial homologs. The proteins containing such sequence signatures include (1) the DnaJ/Hsp40 family of proteins, (2) DNA polymerase I, (3) the protein synthesis elongation factor EF-Tu, and (4) the elongation factor EF-Ts. A strong affinity of the Deinococcus-Thermus species to cyanobacteria is also seen in the phylogenetic trees based on Hsp70 and DnaJ sequences. These results provide strong evidence of a close and specific evolutionary relationship between species belonging to these two eubacterial divisions.
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