EroS Enzyme from Aliivibrio fischeri Plays Cupid to Choanoflagellates

Chembiochem. 2017 Dec 5;18(23):2298-2300. doi: 10.1002/cbic.201700552. Epub 2017 Oct 27.

Abstract

Cupid's bow: A collaborative effort by the King and Clardy laboratories has serendipitously identified a bacterial chondroitinase that triggers the choanoflagellate S. rosetta to swarm and sexually reproduce. This unprecedented interaction between a bacterium and a choanoflagellate could give insights into a key evolutionary leap-sexual reproduction.

Keywords: chemical biology; chemical ecology; choanoflagellates; chondroitinase; glycosaminoglycans.

MeSH terms

  • Aliivibrio fischeri / enzymology*
  • Animals
  • Bacterial Proteins / chemistry
  • Bacterial Proteins / metabolism*
  • Biological Evolution
  • Choanoflagellata / enzymology*
  • Chondroitinases and Chondroitin Lyases / chemistry
  • Chondroitinases and Chondroitin Lyases / metabolism*
  • Symbiosis

Substances

  • Bacterial Proteins
  • Chondroitinases and Chondroitin Lyases