Genome analysis of the unicellular green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii indicates an ancient evolutionary origin for key pattern recognition and cell-signaling protein families

Glen L. Wheeler, Diego Miranda-Saavedra, Geoffrey J. Barton

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    38 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    The evolution of specific cell signaling and adhesion domains may have played an important role in the transition to a multicellular existence in the metazoans. Genomic analysis indicates that several signaling domains predominately found in animals are also present in the unicellular green alga, Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. A large group of proteins is present, containing scavenger receptor cysteine-rich (SRCR) and C-type lectin domains, which function in ligand binding and play key roles in the innate immune system of animals. Chlamydomonas also contains a large family of putative tyrosine kinases, suggesting an important role for phosphotyrosine signaling in the green algae. These important signaling domains may therefore be widespread among eukaryotes and most probably evolved in ancestral eukaryotes before the divergence of the Opisthokonts (the animal and fungal lineage).

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)193-197
    Number of pages5
    JournalGenetics
    Volume179
    Issue number1
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - May 2008

    Keywords

    • SEA-URCHIN
    • TYROSINE KINASE
    • EUKARYOTES
    • RECEPTORS
    • ADHESION
    • DOMAINS
    • PLANT
    • SUPERFAMILY
    • DEPHOSPHORYLATION
    • CLASSIFICATION

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