Comparison of the Complete Protein Sets of Worm and Yeast: Orthology and Divergence

• Published in: Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) 1998-12, Vol.282 (5396), p.2022-2028
• Main Authors: Chervitz, Stephen A., Aravind, L., Sherlock, Gavin, Ball, Catherine A., Koonin, Eugene V., Dwight, Selina S., Harris, Midori A., Dolinski, Kara, Mohr, Scott, Smith, Temple, Weng, Shuai, Cherry, J. Michael, Botstein, David
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; Biology; Caenorhabditis elegans; Caenorhabditis elegans - chemistry; Caenorhabditis elegans - genetics; Caenorhabditis elegans - physiology; Chromosome mapping; Comparative Analysis; Developmental Programs; DNA; Evolution, Molecular; Fungal Proteins - chemistry; Fungal Proteins - genetics; Fungal Proteins - physiology; Gene Expression Regulation; Genes; Genes, Fungal; Genes, Helminth; Genetic aspects; Genomes; Helminth Proteins - chemistry; Helminth Proteins - genetics; Helminth Proteins - physiology; Individualized Instruction; Metabolism; Numbers; Open reading frames; P values; Proteins; Regulator genes; Reviews; Saccharomyces; Saccharomyces cerevisiae; Saccharomyces cerevisiae - chemistry; Saccharomyces cerevisiae - genetics; Saccharomyces cerevisiae - physiology; Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; Signal Transduction; Worms; Worms (Animals); Yeast; Yeast (Food product); Yeasts
• ISSN: 0036-8075; 1095-9203
• DOI: 10.1126/science.282.5396.2022

Comparative analysis of predicted protein sequences encoded by the genomes of Caenorhabditis elegans and Saccharomyces cerevisiae suggests that most of the core biological functions are carried out by orthologous proteins (proteins of different species that can be traced back to a common ancestor) that occur in comparable numbers. The specialized processes of signal transduction and regulatory control that are unique to the multicellular work appear to use novel protein, many of which re-use conserved domains. Major expansion of the number of some of these domains seen in the worm may have contributed to the advant of multicellularity. The proteins conserved in yeast and worm are likely to have orthologs throughout eukaryotes; in contrast, the proteins unique to the worm may well define metazoans.