PUBLICATION

The evolution of compositionally and functionally distinct actin filaments

Authors
Gunning, P.W., Ghoshdastider, U., Whitaker, S., Popp, D., Robinson, R.C.
ID
ZDB-PUB-181024-13
Date
2015
Source
Journal of Cell Science   128: 2009-19 (Journal)
Registered Authors
Keywords
Actin, Evolution, Filament, Tropomyosin
MeSH Terms
  • Actin Cytoskeleton/metabolism*
  • Actins/metabolism*
  • Animals
  • Bacteria/metabolism
  • Biological Evolution
  • Phylogeny
  • Plants/metabolism
PubMed
25788699 Full text @ J. Cell Sci.
Abstract
The actin filament is astonishingly well conserved across a diverse set of eukaryotic species. It has essentially remained unchanged in the billion years that separate yeast, Arabidopsis and man. In contrast, bacterial actin-like proteins have diverged to the extreme, and many of them are not readily identified from sequence-based homology searches. Here, we present phylogenetic analyses that point to an evolutionary drive to diversify actin filament composition across kingdoms. Bacteria use a one-filament-one-function system to create distinct filament systems within a single cell. In contrast, eukaryotic actin is a universal force provider in a wide range of processes. In plants, there has been an expansion of the number of closely related actin genes, whereas in fungi and metazoa diversification in tropomyosins has increased the compositional variety in actin filament systems. Both mechanisms dictate the subset of actin-binding proteins that interact with each filament type, leading to specialization in function. In this Hypothesis, we thus propose that different mechanisms were selected in bacteria, plants and metazoa, which achieved actin filament compositional variation leading to the expansion of their functional diversity.
Genes / Markers
Figures
Expression
Phenotype
Mutations / Transgenics
Human Disease / Model
Sequence Targeting Reagents
Fish
Antibodies
Orthology
Engineered Foreign Genes
Mapping