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The third pillar of bacterial signal transduction: classification of the extracytoplasmic function (ECF) σ factor protein family
Author(s) -
Staroń Anna,
Sofia Heidi J.,
Dietrich Sascha,
Ulrich Luke E.,
Liesegang Heiko,
Mascher Thorsten
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
molecular microbiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.857
H-Index - 247
eISSN - 1365-2958
pISSN - 0950-382X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2958.2009.06870.x
Subject(s) - biology , sigma factor , signal transduction , genetics , context (archaeology) , computational biology , function (biology) , gene , microbiology and biotechnology , gene expression , promoter , paleontology
Summary The ability of a bacterial cell to monitor and adaptively respond to its environment is crucial for survival. After one‐ and two‐component systems, extracytoplasmic function (ECF) σ factors – the largest group of alternative σ factors – represent the third fundamental mechanism of bacterial signal transduction, with about six such regulators on average per bacterial genome. Together with their cognate anti‐σ factors, they represent a highly modular design that primarily facilitates transmembrane signal transduction. A comprehensive analysis of the ECF σ factor protein family identified more than 40 distinct major groups of ECF σ factors. The functional relevance of this classification is supported by the sequence similarity and domain architecture of cognate anti‐σ factors, genomic context conservation, and potential target promoter motifs. Moreover, this phylogenetic analysis revealed unique features indicating novel mechanisms of ECF‐mediated signal transduction. This classification, together with the web tool ECF finder and the information stored in the Microbial Signal Transduction (MiST) database, provides a comprehensive resource for the analysis of ECF σ factor‐dependent gene regulation.