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207. Nobles, D.R. and R. M. Brown, Jr. 2004. The pivotal role of cyanobacteria in the evolution of cellulose synthases and cellulose synthase-like proteins. Cellulose 11: 437-448.
207. Abstract:
Cellulose synthase and other members of the family 2 glycosyltransferases are
ubiquitous in all kingdoms of life. To date, no attempt has been made to construct a phylogeny that positions
cellulose synthases in relation to other members of this family or to elucidate relationships within
the cellulose synthase group. In this study, a sequence from the unicellular, marine cyanobacterium Synechococcus
sp. PCC 7002 is shown to share a unique common ancestor of a clade consisting of cellulose synthases
from Dictyostelium discoideum and Nostoc, as well as a plant grouping that includes CesA proteins and
cellulose synthase-like (CsI) proteins G, E, B, D, and F. A branching order is established for Csi
proteins that places CsIG as ancestral to other members of the CsI/CesA clade. Sequences from Ciona
intestinalis and Aspergillis fumigatus are shown to branch at the base of the Eukaryota/Cyanobacteria clade. These data
suggest multiple independent transfers of cellulose synthases. The implications of these findings
in relation to the evolutionary history of cellulose synthase are discussed.
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