Eukaryotic-like protein serine/threonine kinases in Myxococcus xanthus, a developmental bacterium exhibiting social behavior.
Myxococcus xanthus, a gram-negative bacterium exhibits a spectacular life cycle and social behavior. Its developmental cycle and multicellular morphogenesis resemble those of eukaryotic slime molds such as Dictyostelium discoideum. On the basis of this resemblance, we explored the existence of eukaryotic-like protein serine/threonine kinases which are known to play important roles in signal transduction during development of D. discoideum. It was indeed found that M. xanthus contains a large family of protein serine/threonine kinases related to the eukaryotic enzymes. This is the first unambiguous demonstration of eukaryotic-like serine/threonine kinases in the prokaryotes.
Munoz-Dorado
J
J
Department of Biochemistry, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Rutgers, Piscataway 08854.
Inouye
S
S
Inouye
M
M
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D001483:Base Sequence; D016384:Consensus Sequence; D005057:Eukaryotic Cells / Q000201:enzymology; D015964:Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial; D005798:Genes, Bacterial; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009024:Morphogenesis; D005810:Multigene Family; D016941:Myxococcus xanthus / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development; D010766:Phosphorylation; D011499:Protein Processing, Post-Translational; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D015398:Signal Transduction
D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases