title: The phylogenomic analysis of the anaphase promoting complex and its targets points to complex and modern-like control of the cell cycle in the last common ancestor of eukaryotes.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The Anaphase Promoting Complex or Cyclosome (APC/C) is the largest member of the ubiquitin ligase [E3] family. It plays a crucial role in the control of the cell cycle and cell proliferation by mediating the proteolysis of key components by the proteasome. APC/C is made of a dozen subunits that assemble into a large complex of ~1.5 MDa, which interacts with various cofactors and targets.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Using comparative genomic and phylogenetic approaches, we showed that 24 out of 37 known APC/C subunits, adaptors/co-activators and main targets, were already present in the Last Eukaryotic Common Ancestor (LECA) and were well conserved to a few exceptions in all present-day eukaryotic lineages. The phylogenetic analysis of the 24 components inferred to be present in LECA showed that they contain a reliable phylogenetic signal to reconstruct the phylogeny of the domain Eucarya.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Taken together our analyses indicated that LECA had a complex and highly controlled modern-like cell cycle. Moreover, we showed that, despite what is generally assumed, proteins involved in housekeeping cellular functions may be a good complement to informational genes to study the phylogeny of eukaryotes.
authors.affiliation: Aix-Marseille Université, Laboratoire de Chimie Bactérienne, UPR CNRS, Marseille, France.
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Eme
authors.forename: Aurélie
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Trilles
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Moreira
authors.forename: Céline
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Brochier-Armanet
mesh_terms: D064173:Anaphase-Promoting Complex-Cyclosome; D001499:Bayes Theorem; D019295:Computational Biology; D056890:Eukaryota / Q000235:genetics*; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D023281:Genomics / Q000379:methods*; D016013:Likelihood Functions; D008957:Models, Genetic; D010802:Phylogeny; D021122:Protein Subunits / Q000235:genetics; D043743:Ubiquitin-Protein Ligase Complexes / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D021122:Protein Subunits; D043743:Ubiquitin-Protein Ligase Complexes; D064173:Anaphase-Promoting Complex-Cyclosome