Co-option of an ancestral peptidase controls developmental patterning in multicellular cyanobacteria
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: module found only in filamentous clades. We therefore propose that this ancient peptidase was co-opted to process a new ligand, transforming a proteolytic event into a spatial patterning mechanism. This repurposing parallels eukaryotic signaling, underscoring a universal principle in the emergence of multicellular organization and providing a model for how complex patterns evolve from "simple" components.
Source: iScience
Authors: Xiaomei Xu, Anaïs Scholivet, Stéphanie Champ, Matthieu Bergé, Zulihumaer Yeerkenjiang, Jonas Desjardins, Yann Denis, Badreddine Douzi, Deborah Byrne, Emmanuel Talla, Amel Latifi
Institutions: Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Aix-Marseille Université, Laboratoire de Chimie Bactérienne, Institut de Microbiologie de la Méditerranée, Institut National de Recherche pour l'Agriculture, l'Alimentation et l'Environnement, Dynamique des Génomes et Adaptation Microbienne, Université de Lorraine
Language: English
Subfield: Molecular Biology
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $3,240
OpenAlex ID: W7107878381