Diversity and Evolution of (pp)pGpp Targets in Bacteria

Bacteria rely on timely and flexible regulation of their physiological processes to cope with varying internal and external changes. pppGpp and ppGpp are important signaling nucleotide responsible for regulating multiple processes, yet the mechanistic and evolutionary basis underlying (p)ppGpo-protein interactions remains incompletely understood. In this talk, I will present characterization between (p)ppGpp and three (p)ppGpp-interacting proteins in Gram positive bacteria, and discuss how the evolution of the ligand-binding proteins and the underlying cellular network allows bacteria to utilize (p)ppGpp in both stress response and homeostatic control.