Diversity and Potential Multifunctionality of Archaeal CetZ Tubulin-like Cytoskeletal Proteins

• DOI: 10.20944/preprints202211.0451.v1
• Publication Date: 2022-11-24T08:33:03Z
• Authors: Hannah J. Brown; Iain G. Duggin
• Keywords: FtsZ; Subfamily; Sulfolobus; Sulfolobus acidocaldarius; Regulon; MreB; Blastocystis

Tubulin superfamily (TSF) proteins are widespread and known for multifaceted roles as cytoskeletal underpinning many basic cellular functions including morphogenesis, division, motility. In eukaryotes, tubulin assembles into microtubules, a major component of the dynamic network fibres, whereas bacterial homolog FtsZ division ring at midcell. Functions lesser-known archaeal TSF beginning to be identified, show surprising diversity, homologs FtsZ, third archaea-specific family, CetZ, implicated in regulation cell shape possibly other unknown functions. this study, we defined sequence structural characteristics CetZ family CetZ1 CetZ2 subfamilies, identified groups diversity amongst archaea, potential functional relationships through analysis genomic neighbourhoods cetZ genes. At least three subfamilies orthologous were class Halobacteria, novel uncharacterized subfamily. correlated one another motility phenotypes across diverse Halobacteria. Amongst clusters orders Archaeoglobales, Methanomicrobiales, Methanosarcinales, Thermococcales, an additional group from Archaeoglobales Methanomicrobiales affiliated strongly with Halobacteria CetZs, suggesting they originated via horizontal transfer. Subgroups Thermococcales genes found adjacent different type IV pili regulons, utilization CetZs by systems. More broadly conserved gene included nucleotide cofactor biosynthesis (e.g., F420) predicted surface sugar epimerase The findings imply that involved multiple linked surface,