Archaeal Genes Code for GGDEF Domain Proteins With Diguanylate Cyclase Activity
- 1Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology, Biomedicum Karolinska Instittuet Stockholm Sweden
- 2Leibniz Institute DSMZ‐German Collection of Microorganisms and Cell Cultures Braunschweig Germany
- 3Braunschweig University of Technology, Institute for Microbiology Braunschweig Germany
Abstract
Cyclic di‐GMP is ubiquitous in Bacteria, including members of the deepest branching phyla, but has not yet been detected in Archaea. Thus, whether cyclic di‐GMP was present as a signaling nucleotide in the last universal common ancestor (LUCA) of Bacteria and Archaea remains unknown. In this work, bioinformatic analyses and structural modelling identified GGDEF domain proteins in archaeal isolates and encoded by metagenomes of confirmed archaeal origin. In particular, in bacterial model organisms, phenotypic and in vivo assays, in combination with catalytic mutants, suggest that selected archaeal GGDEF domain proteins possess diguanylate cyclase activity. These include the complex RECS‐PAS/PAC‐PocR‐GGDEF‐HD‐GYP domain protein of Methanocella arvoryzae MRE50, a member of the Stenosarchaea order Methanocellales. While cyclic di‐GMP signaling proteins are ubiquitous in Bacteria, their presence seems to be more sporadic in Archaea. It is currently unclear whether cyclic di‐GMP signaling proteins have been lost in some lineages, secondarily introduced by horizontal gene transfer into others, or whether both scenarios have occurred.
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BibTeX
@article{sidorov2026archaeal,
title = {{Archaeal Genes Code for GGDEF Domain Proteins With Diguanylate Cyclase Activity}},
author = {Roman Sidorov and Li Li and Ali Dadvar and Irfan Ahmad and Stefan Spring and Jörg Overmann and Ute Römling},
journal = {Molecular Microbiology},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.1111/mmi.70117},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1111/mmi.70117},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Archaeal Genes Code for GGDEF Domain Proteins With Diguanylate Cyclase Activity
AU - Roman Sidorov
AU - Li Li
AU - Ali Dadvar
AU - Irfan Ahmad
AU - Stefan Spring
AU - Jörg Overmann
AU - Ute Römling
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/21
JO - Molecular Microbiology
DO - 10.1111/mmi.70117
UR - https://doi.org/10.1111/mmi.70117
AB - Cyclic di‐GMP is ubiquitous in Bacteria, including members of the deepest branching phyla, but has not yet been detected in Archaea. Thus, whether cyclic di‐GMP was present as a signaling nucleotide in the last universal common ancestor (LUCA) of Bacteria and Archaea remains unknown. In this work, bioinformatic analyses and structural modelling identified GGDEF domain proteins in archaeal isolates and encoded by metagenomes of confirmed archaeal origin. In particular, in bacterial model organisms, phenotypic and in vivo assays, in combination with catalytic mutants, suggest that selected archaeal GGDEF domain proteins possess diguanylate cyclase activity. These include the complex RECS‐PAS/PAC‐PocR‐GGDEF‐HD‐GYP domain protein of Methanocella arvoryzae MRE50, a member of the Stenosarchaea order Methanocellales. While cyclic di‐GMP signaling proteins are ubiquitous in Bacteria, their presence seems to be more sporadic in Archaea. It is currently unclear whether cyclic di‐GMP signaling proteins have been lost in some lineages, secondarily introduced by horizontal gene transfer into others, or whether both scenarios have occurred.
SN - 0950-382X
SN - 1365-2958
ER -