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The pivotal role of cyanobacteria in the evolution of cellulose synthases and cellulose synthase-like proteins

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Abstract

Cellulose synthase and other members of the family 2 glycosyltransferases are ubiquitous in all kingdoms of life. To date, no attempt has been made to construct a phylogeny that positions cellulose synthases in relation to other members of this family or to elucidate relationships within the cellulose synthase group. In this study, a sequence from the unicellular, marine cyanobacterium Synechococcus sp. PCC 7002 is shown to share a unique common ancestor of a clade consisting of cellulose synthases from Dictyostelium discoideum and Nostoc, as well as a plant grouping that includes CesA proteins and cellulose synthase-like (Csl) proteins G, E, B, D, and F. A branching order is established for Csl proteins that places CslG as ancestral to other members of the Csl/CesA clade. Sequences from Ciona intestinalis and Aspergillis fumigatus are shown to branch at the base of the Eukaryota/Cyanobacteria clade. These data suggest multiple independent transfers of cellulose synthases. The implications of these findings in relation to the evolutionary history of cellulose synthase are discussed.

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  1. Section of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, The University of Texas at Austin, TX, USA

    David R. Nobles & R. Malcolm Brown

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  1. David R. Nobles
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Nobles, D.R., Brown, R.M. The pivotal role of cyanobacteria in the evolution of cellulose synthases and cellulose synthase-like proteins. Cellulose 11, 437–448 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1023/B:CELL.0000046339.48003.0e

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