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The PII Superfamily Revised: A Novel Group and Evolutionary Insights

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Abstract

The PII proteins compose a superfamily of signal transducers with fundamental roles in the nitrogen metabolism of prokaryotic organisms. They act at different cellular targets, such as ammonia transporters, enzymes, and transcriptional factors. These proteins are small, highly conserved, and well distributed among prokaryotes. The current PII classification is based on sequence similarity and genetic linkage. Our work reviewed this classification through an extensive analysis of PII homologues deposited in GenBank. We also investigated evolutionary aspects of this ancient protein superfamily and revised its PROSITE signatures. A new group of PII proteins is described in this work. These PII homologues have a peculiar genetic context, as they are associated with metal transporters and do not contain the canonical PROSITE signatures of PII. Our analysis reveals that horizontal gene transfer could have played an important role in PII evolution. Thus, new insights into PII evolution, a new PII group, and more comprehensive PROSITE signatures are proposed.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by grants from the Brazilian National Research Council (CNPq) and the Fundação de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado do Rio Grande do Sul (FAPERGS). F. H. Sant’Anna, D. B. Trentini, S. Weber, and R. Cecagno received scholarships from CAPES. We thank Marcos Oliveira de Carvalho for valuable suggestions.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centro de Biotecnologia, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil

    Fernando Hayashi Sant’Anna, Débora Broch Trentini, Shana de Souto Weber, Ricardo Cecagno & Sérgio Ceroni da Silva

  2. Departamento de Biologia Molecular e Biotecnologia - Centro de Biotecnologia, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Av. Bento Gonçalves 9500, P. 43421, C.P. 15005, CEP 91501-970, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil

    Irene Silveira Schrank

  3. Departamento de Patologia Clínica Veterinária, Faculdade de Veterinária, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil

    Sérgio Ceroni da Silva

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  1. Fernando Hayashi Sant’Anna
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  2. Débora Broch Trentini
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  3. Shana de Souto Weber
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  4. Ricardo Cecagno
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  5. Sérgio Ceroni da Silva
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  6. Irene Silveira Schrank
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Correspondence to Irene Silveira Schrank.

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The authors Fernando Hayashi Sant’Anna and Débora Broch Trentini contributed equally to this work.

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Sant’Anna, F.H., Trentini, D.B., de Souto Weber, S. et al. The PII Superfamily Revised: A Novel Group and Evolutionary Insights. J Mol Evol 68, 322–336 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00239-009-9209-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00239-009-9209-6

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