Rho GTPases: Deciphering the Evolutionary History of a Complex Protein Family

摘要: Rho GTPases constitute a significant subgroup of the eukaryotic Ras superfamily small implicated in regulation diverse cellular processes, such as dynamics actin cytoskeleton, establishment, and maintenance cell polarity membrane trafficking. Whereas few eukaryotes lack genes, majority species typically bear multiple paralogs, raising question about origin family paths its diversification individual lineages. In this chapter, we ruminate on several aspects evolutionary history methodological challenges reconstruction. First, provide an updated survey branches, demonstrating almost ubiquitous occurrence genes across phylogeny most consistent with presence at least one gene already last common ancestor. Second, discuss obstacles reconstructing duplications giving rise to extant diversity paralogs different species, point numerous limitations posed by current phylogenetic methodology. Third, case study various issues data collection, analyses interpretations trees, present analysis fungal kingdom, revealing existence four separate (Cdc42, Rac, Rho1, Rho4) early fungi subsequent potentially independent expansions subgroups. We conclude warning that currently dominating perception is biased metazoan (and especially vertebrate) perspective, new, more global view be worked out when better genome sampling adequate methods inference are employed.