Bacterial sensor evolved by decreasing complexity

Abstract

Many bacterial receptors contain multimodular sensing domains indicative of complex sensory processes. The presence of more than one sensing module likely permits the integration of multiple signals, although the molecular detail and functional relevance for these complex sensors remain poorly understood. Bimodular sensory domains are often considered to have arisen from the fusion or duplication of monomodular domains. Evolution by increasing complexity is generally believed to be a dominant force. Here, we suggest the opposite—how a monomodular sensing domain may have evolved from a bimodular one. Our findings will thus motivate research to establish whether evolution by decreasing complexity is typical of other sensory domains.

Jiawei Xing

Graduate Student