Lotte Sogaard-Andersen
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Bacterial development and differentiation
Two-component signal transduction systems in M. xanthus fruiting body formation
Despite the multitude of cues that bacteria need to monitor and respond to, the signal transduction schemes involved center on just a few types. One of the most important of these schemes is two component systems. Genetic approaches have shown that two component systems have essential function in regulation of fruiting body formation. We have shown that the M. xanthus genome encodes more than 200 proteins of two-component systems. Intriguingly, these genes are unusually organized, with 55% being orphan and 16% in complex gene clusters whereas only 29% display the standard paired gene organization. Our bioinformatic analyses also suggest that two component systems encoded by orphan genes and complex gene clusters are functionally distinct from two component systems encoded by paired genes and that the connectivity of the pathways made up of orphan two component proteins is different from that of pathways involving proteins of two component systems encoded by paired genes. M. xanthus also encodes several structurally highly unusual histidine protein kinases, which challenge the standard view of how two-component signal transduction pathways are organized. A major goal in our research is to understand how proteins of two-component systems are connected. In particular, the large number of orphan proteins is peculiar and it represents a major challenge to understand how they are wired together. Also, we have a strong interest in understanding the mechanism of structurally unusual proteins of two component systems.
Genetic organization of genes of two-component systems