The Hunt for Ancient Prions: Archaeal Prion-Like Domains Form Amyloid-Based Epigenetic Elements.

ABSTRACT: Prions, proteins that can convert between structurally and functionally distinct states and serve as non-Mendelian mechanisms of inheritance, were initially discovered and only known in eukaryotes, and consequently considered to likely be a relatively late evolutionary acquisition. However, the recent discovery of prions in bacteria and viruses has intimated a potentially more ancient evolutionary origin. Here, we provide evidence that prion-forming domains exist in the domain archaea, the last domain of life left unexplored with regard to prions. We searched for archaeal candidate prion-forming protein sequences computationally, described their taxonomic distribution and phylogeny, and analyzed their associated functional annotations. Using biophysical in vitro assays, cell-based and micr

SUBMITTER: Zajkowski T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8480180 | biostudies-literature | 2021 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature