Evolutionary ancestral gene found

A common ancestral gene thought to have kick-started evolution has been identified by Canadian scientists.

The single gene gave rise to a large group of genes coding for protein kinase enzymes – which number more than 500 in the human body. They are responsible for signal transduction and complex function co-ordination in biological processes such as the cell cycle. Without this one gene, researchers say life would be very different today.

Professor Steve Pelech, from British Columbia University faculty of Medicine, said: "If the duplications and subsequent mutations of this gene during evolution didn't happen, then life would be completely different today.

"The most advanced life on our planet would probably still be bacterial slime."

Protein kinases transfer information through the cell by protein phosphorylation, enabling cells to become more complex as well as allowing cells to form system, leading to evolution, claim scientists. These enzymes have received intense study as more than 400 diseases such as diabetes and cancer are linked to cell signalling problems. Approximately one-third of pharmaceutical drug development is targeted towards protein kinases.

Pelech said: “Our new research revealed that the gene probably originated from bacteria for facilitating the synthesis of proteins and then mutated to acquire completely new functions."

The same gene also gave rise to enzymes called choline and ethanolamine kinases. The choline kinase enzyme is a vital component of the production of phosphatidylcholine – a major component of biological membranes. They are found in all plant and animal cells and a few bacteria.

It is hoped the approach taken to sequence the genes could be used to study other protein families,  leading to a protein map similar to the evolutionary tree of life.

The research was published in the Journal of Biological Sciences.