%0 Journal Article
%T Extensive domain shuffling in transcription regulators of DNA viruses and implications for the origin of fungal APSES transcription factors
%A Lakshminarayan M Iyer
%A Eugene V Koonin
%A L Aravind
%J Genome Biology
%D 2002
%I BioMed Central
%R 10.1186/gb-2002-3-3-research0012
%X The phyletic range and the conserved DNA-binding domains of the viral regulatory proteins of the poxvirus D6R/N1R and baculoviral Bro protein families have not been previously defined. Using computational analysis, we show that the amino-terminal module of the D6R/N1R proteins defines a novel, conserved DNA-binding domain (the KilA-N domain) that is found in a wide range of proteins of large bacterial and eukaryotic DNA viruses. The KilA-N domain is suggested to be homologous to the fungal DNA-binding APSES domain. We provide evidence for the KilA-N and APSES domains sharing a common fold with the nucleic acid-binding modules of the LAGLIDADG nucleases and the amino-terminal domains of the tRNA endonuclease. The amino-terminal module of the Bro proteins is another, distinct DNA-binding domain (the Bro-N domain) that is present in proteins whose domain architectures parallel those of the KilA-N domain-containing proteins. A detailed analysis of the KilA-N and Bro-N domains and the associated domains points to extensive domain shuffling and lineage-specific gene family expansion within DNA virus genomes.We define a large class of novel viral DNA-binding proteins and their cellular homologs and identify their domain architectures. On the basis of phyletic pattern analysis we present evidence for a probable viral origin of the fungus-specific cell-cycle regulatory transcription factors containing the APSES DNA-binding domain. We also demonstrate the extensive role of lineage-specific gene expansion and domain shuffling, within a limited set of approximately 24 domains, in the generation of the diversity of virus-specific regulatory proteins.Large DNA viruses of bacteria and eukaryotes have complex life cycles with several distinct phases that involve diverse virus-host interactions. An array of regulatory systems mediate activation or repression of expression of specific batteries of viral genes that are required at different phases of the life cycle. Other sets of regu
%U http://genomebiology.com/2002/3/3/research/0012