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The complete amino acid sequence of R-phycocyanin-I alpha and beta subunits from the red alga Porphyridium cruentum. Structural and phylogenetic relationships of the phycocyanins within the phycobiliprotein families.

We present here the complete primary structure of R-phycocyanin-I alpha and beta subunits from the red alga Porphyridium cruentum. The alpha chain is composed of 162 amino acid residues (18049 Da, calculated from sequence, including chromophore) and carries a phycocyanobilin pigment covalently linked to Cys84. The beta chain contains 172 amino acids (19344Da, calculated from sequence, including chromophores) and carries a phycocyanobilin pigment covalently linked at Cys82 and a phycoerythrobilin pigment at Cys153. A gamma-N-methyl asparagine residue was also characterised at position beta 72 similar to other phycobiliprotein beta subunits. R-phycocyanin-I from Porphyridium cruentum shares high sequence identity with C-phycocyanins (69-83%), R-phycocyanins (66-70%) and in a less extent with phycoerythrocyanins (57-65%) from various sources. The presented phylogenetic trees are based on a comparison of all phycobiliprotein amino acid sequences known so far and confirm the clear affiliation of the R-phycocyanins in the phycocyanin family. In spite of their particular phycobilin pattern, they do not represent intermediate forms between the phycocyanin and the phycoerythrin family. Phycoerythrocyanin, a phycocyanin-related phycobiliprotein adapted to green light harvesting, is also shown to belong to the phycocyanin family. However, the phycoerythrocyanins diverge from phycocyanins in their different function and it is suggested that they should be assigned to a separate group within the phycocyanin family.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Structure-based phylogenetic analysis of short-chain alcohol dehydrogenases and reclassification of the 17beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase family.

Short-chain alcohol dehydrogenases (SCAD) constitute a large and diverse family of ancient origin. Several of its members play an important role in human physiology and disease, especially in the metabolism of steroid substrates (e.g., prostaglandins, estrogens, androgens, and corticosteroids). Their involvement in common human disorders such as endocrine-related cancer, osteoporosis, and Alzheimer disease makes them an important candidate for drug targets. Recent phylogenetic analysis of SCAD is incomplete and does not allow any conclusions on very ancient divergences or on a functional characterization of novel proteins within this complex family. We have developed a 3D structure-based approach to establish the deep-branching pattern within the SCAD family. In this approach, pairwise superpositions of X-ray structures were used to calculate similarity scores as an input for a tree-building algorithm. The resulting phylogeny was validated by comparison with the results of sequence-based algorithms and biochemical data. It was possible to use the 3D data as a template for the reliable determination of the phylogenetic position of novel proteins as a first step toward functional predictions. We were able to discern new patterns in the phylogenetic relationships of the SCAD family, including a basal dichotomy of the 17beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenases (17beta-HSDs). These data provide an important contribution toward the development of type-specific inhibitors for 17beta-HSDs for the treatment and prevention of disease. Our structure-based phylogenetic approach can also be applied to increase the reliability of evolutionary reconstructions in other large protein families.

17-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenases↗

[Evoked motor activity and maturation sequence of striate complex structures during chick embryogenesis].

Morphological and functional maturation of different structures of the striatal complex takes place heterochronously, as revealed in studies on motor activity of 17--21-day chick embryos evoked by electrical stimulation of these structures. Phylogenetically more ancient structures, i. e. archi- and paleostriatum, are the first to be involved into regulation of the motor activity. These structures together with the structures of the midbrain and cerebellum are considered as "the primary" step of regulatory mechanisms which develop during functional maturation of the motor analyser. Neostriatal mechanisms operate from the 19th day of incubation, whereas hyperstriatal ones--only to the day of hatching.

Animals↗

Phylogenetic and structural analysis of centromeric DNA and kinetochore proteins.

BACKGROUND: Kinetochores are large multi-protein structures that assemble on centromeric DNA (CEN DNA) and mediate the binding of chromosomes to microtubules. Comprising 125 base-pairs of CEN DNA and 70 or more protein components, Saccharomyces cerevisiae kinetochores are among the best understood. In contrast, most fungal, plant and animal cells assemble kinetochores on CENs that are longer and more complex, raising the question of whether kinetochore architecture has been conserved through evolution, despite considerable divergence in CEN sequence. RESULTS: Using computational approaches, ranging from sequence similarity searches to hidden Markov model-based modeling, we show that organisms with CENs resembling those in S. cerevisiae (point CENs) are very closely related and that all contain a set of 11 kinetochore proteins not found in organisms with complex CENs. Conversely, organisms with complex CENs (regional CENs) contain proteins seemingly absent from point-CEN organisms. However, at least three quarters of known kinetochore proteins are present in all fungi regardless of CEN organization. At least six of these proteins have previously unidentified human orthologs. When fungi and metazoa are compared, almost all have kinetochores constructed around Spc105 and three conserved multi-protein linker complexes (MIND, COMA, and the NDC80 complex). CONCLUSION: Our data suggest that critical structural features of kinetochores have been well conserved from yeast to man. Surprisingly, phylogenetic analysis reveals that human kinetochore proteins are as similar in sequence to their yeast counterparts as to presumptive Drosophila melanogaster or Caenorhabditis elegans orthologs. This finding is consistent with evidence that kinetochore proteins have evolved very rapidly relative to components of other complex cellular structures.

Centromere↗

Small-subunit ribosomal DNA of an ectomycorrhizal fungus tricholoma matsutake: sequence, structure and phylogenetic analysis.

A 2861 bp nucleotide sequence containing Tricholoma matsutake SSU rRNA gene and its flanking regions was determined and analyzed. Comparison with known SSU rDNA sequences and primer extension analysis revealed that the SSU rRNA coding region and intergenic spacer 2 (IGS2) are 1805 bp and 1043 bp in length, respectively. The IGS2 has an imperfect direct repeat (type 1) homologous to the region downstream to the 5S rRNA gene and the three imperfect tandem direct repeats (type 2) upstream to the SSU rRNA-encoding sequence. Structural analysis by a comparative method showed that the overall secondary structure of the SSU rRNA is generally similar to that of S. cerevisiae, whereas the secondary structures of the V4 regions predicted by the thermodynamics-based method showed different configurations between distantly related taxa, implying that these structural differences can provide phylogenetically informative features. Phylogenetic trees based on both the aligned SSU rRNA sequences with almost full-length sequences and V4 sequences revealed that T. matsutake is very closely related to other basidiomycetes belonging to Agaricales. Thus we propose that the V4 region is also a good source for the inference of phylogeny to support the SSU rRNA phylogeny.

Base Sequence↗

Phylogenetic and structural analyses of the mating-type loci in Clavicipitaceae.

Entomopathogens and other econutritional fungi belonging to Clavicipitaceae were phylogenetically analyzed on the basis of the 18S rRNA gene and mating-type genes (MAT1-1-1 and MAT1-2-1). The phylogenies of the mating-type genes yielded better resolutions than that of 18S rRNA gene. Entomopathogens (Cordyceps bassiana, Cordyceps brongniartii, Cordyceps militaris, Cordyceps sinclairii, Cordyceps takaomontana, Isaria cateniannulata, Isaria farinosa, Isaria fumosorosea, Isaria javanica, Lecanicillium muscarium and Torrubiella flava) were considered as a phylogenetically defined group, and were closely related to mycopathogens (Lecanicillium psalliotae and Verticillium fungicola). They located at more descendant positions in the mating-type trees than other fungi, and lacked the mating-type gene MAT1-1-3. The deletion of MAT1-1-3 was supposed to have occurred once in Clavicipitaceae, and a good indication for the evolution of Clavicipitaceae. Other entomopathogens (Cordyceps cylindrica, Cordyceps subsessilis, Metarhizium anisopliae and Nomuraea rileyi) and pathogens of plants, nematodes and slime molds, were relatively related to each other, and possessed MAT1-1-3, but were supposed to be heterogeneous. Root-associated fungi did not form any clade with other species.

DNA, Fungal↗

Characterization of mitochondrial ribosomal RNA genes in gadiformes: sequence variations, secondary structural features, and phylogenetic implications.

Secondary structure features of mitochondrial ribosomal RNAs (mt-rRNAs) of bony fishes were investigated by a DNA sequence alignment approach. The small subunit (SSU) and large subunit (LSU) mt-rRNA genes were found to contain several additional variable regions compared to their mammalian counterparts. Fish mt-LSU rRNA genes were found to be longer than the mammalians due to increased length of some of the variable regions. The 5' and 3' ends of Atlantic cod mt-rRNAs were precisely mapped. The 3' ends of mt-SSU rRNAs were found to be homogenous and mono-adenylated, whereas that of the mt-LSU rRNAs were heterogenous and oligo-adenylated. The 5' ends of mt-SSU rRNAs appeared to be heterogenous, corresponding to the presumed first and second positions of the gene. Sequences of the central domain and the D-domain of the mt-SSU and mt-LSU rRNA genes, respectively, were determined and characterized for 11 gadiform species (representing the families Gadidae, Lotidae, Ranicipitidae, Merlucciidae, Phycidae, and Macrouridae) and one Lophiidae species. Detailed secondary structure models of the RNA regions are presented for the Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) and Roundnose grenadier (Coryphaeonides rupestris). Saturation plots revealed that DNA nucleotide positions corresponding to unpaired RNA regions become saturated with transitions at sequence divergence levels about 0.15. Phylogenetic analyses revealed some aspects of gadiform relationships. Gadidae was identified as the most derived of the gadiform families. Lotidae was found to be the family closest related to Gadidae, and Ranicipitidae was also recognized as a derived gadiform taxon.

Animals↗

Use of rRNA secondary structure in phylogenetic studies to identify homologous positions: an example of alignment and data presentation from the frogs.

The alignment of ribosomal RNA (rRNA) by computer requires assumptions about the evolutionary costs for gaps in the alignment that are undefinable when uniformly applied across the entire molecule. The conservation of rRNA secondary structures exceeds that of its nucleotides, and therefore it is recommended that secondary structures guide decisions about the assignment of homologous positions for phylogenetic studies. Suggestions for alignment, data presentation, and character description are made in the context of an example from frog large subunit nuclear rRNA. Realignment improved congruence with previously published morphological conclusions and the format used in data presentation facilitated the description of character-based conclusions at each node in the cladogram. The data presented allow a discrimination between the fully resolved shortest tree and conclusions that the data actually support with any reasonable confidence: a monophyletic Pipanura, Neobatrachia, and Ranoidea without further resolution within the Neobatrachia.

Animals↗

In vivo analysis of plant RNA structure: soybean 18S ribosomal and ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase small subunit RNAs.

A method to investigate the structure of RNA molecules within intact plant tissues has been developed. The RNA structures are analyzed using dimethyl sulfate (DMS), which modifies substituents of adenine and cytosine residues within single-stranded regions of RNA molecules. Reactive sites are identified by primer extension analysis. Using this procedure, an analysis of the secondary structure of the cytoplasmic 18S ribosomal RNA in soybean seedling leaves has been completed. DMS modification data are in good agreement with the phylogenetic structure predicted for soybean 18S rRNA. However, there are a few notable exceptions where residues thought to be involved in double-stranded regions in all 18S rRNAs are strongly modified in soybean leaf samples. These data taken together with the phylogenetic structure suggest that alternate structures may exist in vivo. The further applicability of this technique is demonstrated by comparing the modification pattern obtained in vivo to that obtained in vitro for a particular mRNA molecule encoding the small subunit of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase. The results obtained are compared to a predicted minimum energy secondary structure. The data indicate that the conformation of RNA molecules within the cell may not be reflected in a structural analysis of purified mRNA molecules.

Base Composition↗

The kappa-carrageenase of the marine bacterium Cytophaga drobachiensis. Structural and phylogenetic relationships within family-16 glycoside hydrolases.

We report here cloning from the marine gliding bacterium Cytophaga drobachiensis of kappa-carrageenase, a glycoside hydrolase involved in the degradation of kappa-carrageenan. Structural features in the nucleotide sequence are pointed out, including the presence of an octameric omega sequence similar to the ribosome-binding sites of various eukaryotes and prokaryotes. The cgkA gene codes for a protein of 545 aa, with a signal peptide of 35 aa and a 229-aa-long posttranslationaly processed C-terminal domain. The enzyme displays the overall folding and catalytic domain characteristics of family 16 of glycoside hydrolases, which comprises other beta-1,4-alpha-1,3-D/L-galactan hydrolases, beta-1,3-D-glucan hydrolases (laminarinases), beta-1,4-1,3-D-glucan hydrolases (lichenases), and beta-1,4-D-xyloglucan endotransglycosylases. In order to address the origin and evolution of CgkA, a comprehensive phylogenetic tree of family 16 was built using parsimony analysis. Family-16 glycoside hydrolases cluster according to their substrate specificity, regardless of their phylogenetic distribution over eubacteria and eukaryotes. Such a topology suggests that the general homology between laminarinases, agarases, kappa-carrageenases, lichenases, and xyloglucan endotransglycosylases has arisen through gene duplication, likely from an ancestral protein with laminarinase activity.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Structural and phylogenetic characterization of human SLURP-1, the first secreted mammalian member of the Ly-6/uPAR protein superfamily.

Members of the Ly-6/uPAR protein family share one or several repeat units of the Ly-6/uPAR domain that is defined by a distinct disulfide bonding pattern between 8 or 10 cysteine residues. The Ly-6/uPAR protein family can be divided into two subfamilies. One comprises GPI-anchored glycoprotein receptors with 10 cysteine residues. The other subfamily includes the secreted single-domain snake and frog cytotoxins, and differs significantly in that its members generally possess only eight cysteines and no GPI-anchoring signal sequence. We report the purification and structural characterization of human SLURP-1 (secreted mammalian Ly-6/uPAR related protein 1) from blood and urine peptide libraries. SLURP-1 is encoded by the ARS (component B)-81/s locus, and appears to be the first mammalian member of the Ly-6/uPAR family lacking a GPI-anchoring signal sequence. A phylogenetic analysis based on the SLURP-1 primary protein structure revealed a closer relationship to the subfamily of cytotoxins. Since the SLURP-1 gene maps to the same chromosomal region as several members of the Ly-6/uPAR subfamily of glycoprotein receptors, it is suggested that both biologically distinct subfamilies might have co-evolved from local chromosomal duplication events.

Animals↗

Secondary structural and phylogenetic implications of nuclear large subunit ribosomal RNA in the ectomycorrhizal fungus Tricholoma matsutake.

The sequence of large subunit (LSU) and 5.8S rRNA genes has been determined for Tricholoma matsutake. A secondary structure model was predicted for both LSU and 5.8S rRNAs, showing most of the structural features consistent with those of the consensus secondary structure model proposed for the eukaryotic cytoplasmic LSU rRNAs. With a reconstructed eukaryotic phylogeny based on full-length LSU rDNA sequences, T. matsutake was placed on the same branch with Cryptococcus neoformans as its closest neighbor. We proposed that T. matsutake be considered as one of the representative members of the division Basidiomycota. Here we report for the first time the complete LSU rRNA gene sequence in T. matsutake, a member of Homobasidiomycetes.

Base Sequence↗

Genetic variation, population structure, and phylogenetic relationships of Triatoma rubida and T. recurva (Hemiptera: Reduviidae: Triatominae) from the Sonoran Desert, insect vectors of the Chagas' disease parasite Trypanosoma cruzi.

Nucleotide and amino acid sequence data from the mitochondrial cytochrome b (Cytb) and cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) gene segments were used to gain insights into the population biology and phylogenetic relationships of two species of hematophagous kissing bugs (Hemiptera: Reduviidae: Triatominae) from the Sonoran Desert of northwestern Mexico and southern Arizona, USA, Triatoma rubida (Uhler, 1894) and T. recurva (Stål, 1868), both of which are vectors of the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi responsible for Chagas' disease. Analysis of molecular variance of gene sequences indicated significant structure among populations of both species from widely separated geographic localities. Phylogenetic analyses of gene and amino acid sequences employing both Bayesian and parsimony methods showed that T. recurva clustered within the phyllosoma complex of Triatoma species from central and southern Mexico with high statistical support, and that it was closely related to T. longipennis. Triatoma dimidiata also was shown to be closely related to the phyllosoma complex, as was T. sanguisuga which has historically been assigned to the lecticularia complex. Analyses of gene sequences were unable to confidently resolve relationships of T. rubida, although weak support for a T. nitida+T. rubida clade was seen under certain conditions. A provisional calibration of a mitochondrial DNA molecular clock for T. rubida, based on geological dates for the vicariant separation of the Baja California peninsula from mainland Mexico, suggested that pairwise sequence divergences for the Cytb and COI genes were 1.1-1.8% and 0.6-1.0% per million years, respectively. Two highly supported sympatric lineages of T. rubida uhleri from southern Arizona, which are hypothesized to have diverged approximately 550,000-900,000 years ago, were detected in the Cytb gene trees.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

The Drosophila Lsp-1 beta gene. A structural and phylogenetic analysis.

In Drosophila melanogaster, metamorphosis and reproduction are thought to be supported in large by two immunologically distinct hexameric storage proteins (hexamerins), larval serum protein 1 (LSP-1), a mixed hexamer of three closely related subunits, Lsp-1 (alpha, beta and gamma) and larval serum protein 2 (LSP-2), a homohexamer of Lsp-2 subunits. To understand the structural and functional differences between these two storage hexamers, the nucleotide sequence of the coding region of the Lsp-1 beta gene was determined for comparison with LSP-2 and a number of other arthropod hexamerins. The G + C content of the coding sequence is 55%, with 92.8% of the codons containing G or C in the third position. Conceptual translation of the Lsp-1 beta open reading frame revealed a 789-amino-acid polypeptide of 94465 Da. The amino acid sequence of Lsp-1 beta is 65.8% identical to that of calliphorin, the major hexamerin of the blowfly, Calliphora vicina, and only 35.2% identical to Drosophila Lsp-2. This greater similarity to calliphorin is also reflected in high aromatic amino acid and methionine contents, in contrast to LSP-2 which is enriched to a lesser extent only in aromatic amino acids. Lsp-1 beta is also more closely related to calliphorin with respect to the protein domain structure, the presence of a single intron in its gene, and the absence of glycosylation sites. However, phylogenetic analysis based on multiple alignments revealed that LSP-1 calliphorin and LSP-2 form a distinct dipteran clade whose members are more similar to each other than to any previously sequenced lepidopteran hexamerin or arthropod hemocyanin.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Complete nucleotide sequences of seven eubacterial genes coding for the elongation factor Tu: functional, structural and phylogenetic evaluations.

The nucleotide sequences of cloned genes coding for the elongation factor Tu of seven eubacteria have been determined. These genes were from Anacystis nidulans, Bacillus subtilis, Bacteroides fragilis, "Deinonema" spec., Pseudomonas cepacia, Shewanella putrefaciens and Streptococcus oralis. The primary structures of the genes were compared to the available sequences of prokaryotic elongation factors Tu and eukaryotic elongation factors 1 alpha. A conservation profile was determined for homologous amino acid residues. Sites of known or putative functions are usually located at highly conserved positions or within highly conserved sequence stretches. The aligned 24 amino acid sequences were used as basis for a phylogenetic analysis. The phylogenetic tree corroborates the kingdom as well as phylum concept deduced from 16S rRNA data.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Structural and phylogenetic analysis of the actin gene from the yeast Phaffia rhodozyma.

The gene coding for actin from Phaffia rhodozyma was cloned and sequenced. The Phaffia actin gene contains four intervening sequences and the predicted protein consists of 375 amino acids. The structural features of the Phaffia actin introns were studied and compared with actin introns from seven fungi and yeasts with ascomycetous and basidiomycetous affinity. It was shown that the architecture of the Phaffia introns most resembles that of the basidiomycete Filobasidiella neoformans (perfect stage of Cryptococcus neoformans), whereas least resemblance occurs with the ascomycetous yeasts. Based on the intron structure, the ascomycetous yeasts can be accommodated in one group in that their splice site sequences are very similar and show less homology with the other fungi investigated, including Phaffia. It was demonstrated that the Phaffia actin introns cannot be spliced in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, which shows that the differences found in intron structure are significant. Alignment of the Phaffia actin gene with the actin sequences from the yeasts and fungi investigated showed a high level of homology both on the DNA level and on the protein level. Based on these alignments Phaffia showed highest homology with F. neoformans and both organisms were accommodated in the same cluster. In addition, the actin gene comparisons also supported the distant relationship of Phaffia with the ascomycetous yeasts. These results supported the usefulness of actin sequences for phylogenetic studies.

Actins↗

Phylogenetic and structural analysis of the Drosophila melanogaster p21-activated kinase DmPAK3.

P21-activated kinases (PAKs) are a family of serine/threonine kinases whose diverse cellular functions in cytoskeletal reorganisation, cell motility, transformation and cell death are regulated both by the binding of the small RhoGTPases RAC and CDC42 and by RhoGTPase independent mechanisms. The genome of Drosophila melanogaster encodes three different PAK proteins: DmPAK1, DmMBT (DmPAK2) and DmPAK3. Although structurally related, DmPAK and DmMBT control different developmental processes and also differ in the regulation of their kinase activity through binding of RAC or CDC42. Here, we report the characterisation of DmPAK3. The phylogenetic analysis provides evidence that DmPAK3 and the related proteins from Drosophila pseudoobscura, Anopheles gambiae and Apis mellifera make up a distinct subgroup within the PAK protein family, which might be confined to insects. The structural differences of this PAK subgroup are also reflected by the selective binding of DmPAK3 to RAC-like RhoGTPases. Our biochemical analysis supports a model in which DmPAK3 can form homodimers where the N-terminal regulatory domain of one DmPAK3 protein can bind to and thereby inhibit the catalytic domain of the other DmPAK3 protein. Binding of activated RAC to the regulatory domain or mutation of the RAC-binding site in DmPAK3 relieves the inhibitory effect on kinase activity. Furthermore, our data indicate a function of DmPAK3 in reorganisation of the actin cytoskeleton.

Actins↗

DNA sequence, structure, and phylogenetic relationship of the mitochondrial small-subunit rRNA from the red alga Chondrus crispus (Gigartinales rhodophytes).

The entire nucleotide sequence containing the small-subunit ribosomal RNA gene (SSU rRNA) from the mitochondrial genome of Chondrus crispus was determined. To our knowledge, this is the first sequence of a mitochondrial 16S-like rRNA from a red alga. The length of this gene is 1,376 nucleotides. Its secondary structure was constructed and compared with other known secondary structures from eubacteria and from mitochondria of land plants, green and brown algae, and fungi. Phylogenetic trees were built upon SSU rRNA sequence alignment from mitochondria and eubacteria. The results show that rhodophytes and chromophytes provide additional links in the evolution of mitochondria between the green plant lineage and the "nonplant" lineages.

Base Sequence↗