Abstract
A plethora of proteins are involved in sensing and transducing signals in complex network of signaling pathways in any organism. A large number of signaling pathways have been identified in plants regulating diverse physiological and developmental processes. One of the important classes of proteins identified are the G proteins, the key regulators for a wide range of cellular processes in eukaryotes. The most conserved group of GTPase family includes the Ras superfamily of GTPases, common in all metazoa lineages. Evolutionary studies related to the origin of eukaryotes are still searching for answers related to the development of endomembrane and cytoskeleton. Ras superfamily of GTPases is a well-known regulator of actin and microtubule assembly, vesicular trafficking, and signaling function. The Ras proteins are conserved in eukaryotes and they appeared to be evolved along with other fundamental cytological features. Ras superfamily proteins are extensively expanded in eukaryotes and are divided into six major subfamilies. In this section, we are discussing the expansion, structure, and effector molecules associated with the small GTPases in eukaryotes.
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Pandey, G.K., Sharma, M., Pandey, A., Shanmugam, T. (2015). Overview of G Proteins (GTP-Binding Proteins) in Eukaryotes. In: GTPases. SpringerBriefs in Plant Science. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-11611-2_1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-11611-2_1
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