The world's first wiki where authorship really matters (Nature Genetics, 2008). Due credit and reputation for authors. Imagine a global collaborative knowledge base for original thoughts. Search thousands of articles and collaborate with scientists around the globe.

wikigene or wiki gene protein drug chemical gene disease author authorship tracking collaborative publishing evolutionary knowledge reputation system wiki2.0 global collaboration genes proteins drugs chemicals diseases compound
Hoffmann, R. A wiki for the life sciences where authorship matters. Nature Genetics (2008)
 
 
 
 
 

Identification of the C-signal, a contact-dependent morphogen coordinating multiple developmental responses in Myxococcus xanthus.

The regulated accumulation of the contact-dependent extracellular C-signal morphogen in the bacterium Myxococcus xanthus ensures the temporal and spatial coordination of multicellular morphogenesis and cellular differentiation during fruiting body formation. Synthesis of the C-signal depends on the csgA gene. The CsgA protein exists in two forms, the full-length 25-kD protein ( p25), which is homologous to short-chain alcohol dehydrogenases, and a 17-kD protein ( p17). The molecular nature of the C-signal has remained elusive. Here we show that p25 and p17 are associated with the outer membrane and that p17 copurifies with C-signal activity from M. xanthus cells. p17 corresponds to the C-terminal part of p25. A recombinant p17 protein, which lacks the N-terminal coenzyme binding pocket and which fails to bind NAD+ in vitro, has C-signal activity. These data provide evidence that p17 is the active species in C-signaling and that p17 does not act as a short-chain alcohol dehydrogenase to generate the C-signal. We further provide evidence that p17 is synthesized by N-terminal proteolytic processing of p25 by a serine protease. Compared to other bacterial signaling molecules, p17 is unusual with respect to size and cell-surface association. In these regards, C-signal is functionally analogous to eukaryotic signaling proteins.[1]

References

 
WikiGenes - Universities