Prevalence and Specificity of Chemoreceptor Profiles in Plant-Associated Bacteria
Claudia Sanchis-López, Jean Paul Cerna‐Vargas, Saray Santamaría‐Hernando, Cayo Ramos, Tino Krell, Pablo Rodríguez‐Palenzuela, Emilia López‐Solanilla, Jaime Huerta‐Cepas, José J. Rodríguez‐Herva
Abstract
Considering the enormous variety of LBDs at sensor proteins, an important question resides in establishing the forces that have driven their evolution and selection. We present here the first clear demonstration that environmental factors play an important role in the selection and evolution of LBDs. We were able to demonstrate the existence of LBD families that are highly enriched in plant-associated bacteria but show a wide phylogenetic spread. These findings offer a number of research opportunities in the field of single transduction, such as the exploration of similar relationships in chemoreceptors of bacteria with a different lifestyle, like those inhabiting or infecting the human intestine. Similarly, our results raise the question whether similar LBD types might be shared by members of different sensor protein families. Lastly, we provide a comprehensive catalogue of CRs classified by their LBD region that includes a large number of putative new LBD types.