Stepwise evolution of the Sec machinery in Proteobacteria

• Published in: Trends in microbiology (Regular ed.) Vol. 14; no. 3; pp. 105 - 108
• Main Authors: van der Sluis, Eli O., Driessen, Arnold J.M.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier Ltd 01-03-2006
• Subjects: Adenosine Triphosphatases - genetics; Adenosine Triphosphatases - physiology; Amino Acid Sequence; Bacterial Proteins - genetics; Bacterial Proteins - physiology; Conserved Sequence; Escherichia coli; Escherichia coli Proteins - genetics; Escherichia coli Proteins - physiology; Evolution, Molecular; Membrane Transport Proteins - genetics; Membrane Transport Proteins - physiology; Molecular Sequence Data; Phylogeny; Protein Transport - genetics; Protein Transport - physiology; Proteobacteria; Proteobacteria - genetics; Proteobacteria - physiology; SEC Translocation Channels; Sequence Alignment; Transcription Factors - genetics; Transcription Factors - physiology
• ISSN: 0966-842X; 1878-4380
• DOI: 10.1016/j.tim.2006.01.009

The Sec machinery facilitates the translocation of proteins across and into biological membranes. In several of the Proteobacteria, this machinery contains accessory features that are not present in any other bacterial division. The genomic distribution of these features in the context of bacterial phylogeny suggests that the Sec machinery has evolved in discrete steps. The canonical Sec machinery was initially supplemented with SecB; subsequently, SecE was extended with two transmembrane segments and, finally, SecM was introduced. The Sec machinery of
Escherichia coli and other Enterobacteriales represents the end product of this stepwise evolution.