HORMONAL SIGNALING SYSTEMS OF THE LOWER EUKARYOTES
A. O. Shpakov, K. V. Derkach, M. N. Pertseva
Institute of Evolutionary Physiology and Biochemistry RAS, St. Petersburg;
e-mail: shpakov@hormone.ief.spb.su
The literary and the authors' own data on the structural and functional organization of hormonal signaling
systems in the lower eukaryotes (yeasts, trypanosomes, ciliates, slide mold Dictyostelium discoideum) have
been summarized and analysed. On the basis of a comparative analysis of the primary structures of signal proteins
in the lower and higher eukaryotes (G-protein cc-subunits, enzymes-cyclases-adenylyl and guanylyl cyclases) some
possible pathways of the evolution of proteins are suggested. At the level of unicellular organisms, the main blocks
of hormone-sensitive signaling systems of the higher eukaryotes were created. Moreover, signaling systems of the
lower eukaryotes are more invariant than these of the higher eukaryotes. It may be associated with the fact that
of functional blocks, typical for signaling systems of multicellular animals, fungi and plants, were selected from
the numerous variants of signaling system blocks of unicellular organisms.
Key words: adenylyl cyclase, eukaryotes, guanylyl cyclase, G-protein, yeasts, Tetrahymena
pyriformis, signaling systems, slide mold Dictyostelium discoideum
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