Procaryotic genesis and evolution of chemosignaling systems of eukaryotes
Pertseva, M.N.; Shpakov, A.O.
Rossiiskii Fiziologicheskii Zhurnal Imeni I.M. Sechenova 94(9): 1029-1047
2008
ISSN/ISBN: 0869-8139 PMID: 18953993 Document Number: 619308
The analysis of own and literature data accumulated in the last two decades allowed to check and confirm the author's hypothesis about the prokaryotic origin and endosymbiotic genesis of chemosignalling systems of higher eukaryotes. The comparison of structural-functional organization of these information systems and their components (receptors, GTP-binding proteins, enzymes with cyclase activity, protein kinases etc.) in bacteria and eukaryotes revealed a number of similar features giving evidence for their evolutionary relationship. The conclusion was made that eukaryotic signaling systems have prokaryotic roots. The systems of signal transduction revealed in unicellular eukaryotes according to their architecture and functional properties represent a transient stage in the evolution of chemosignalling systems from prokaryotes to higher eukaryotes. The spreading of signalling systems among three super kingdoms--Bacteria, Archaea and Eukarya occurred as a result of horizontal transfer of bacterial genes and co-evolution of signalling components.