Two-component systems and their co-option for eukaryotic signal transduction

Abstract

Two-component signaling pathways involve histidine kinases, response regulators, and sometimes histidine-containing phosphotransfer proteins. Prevalent in prokaryotes, these signaling elements have also been co-opted to meet the needs of signal transduction in eukaryotes such as fungi and plants. Here we consider the evolution of such regulatory systems, with a particular emphasis on the roles they play in signaling by the plant hormones cytokinin and ethylene, in phytochrome-mediated perception of light, and as integral components of the circadian clock.