The evolution of actin nucleation - understanding the history of the players

对肌动蛋白成核的理解已经取得了巨大的飞跃与鉴定新的蛋白质参与。虽然实验表征向前迈出了一大步，但对肌动蛋白成核进化的理解却落后了。在这个项目中，我们将分析参与肌动蛋白成核的参与者的进化史以及它们在整个真核生物生命树中的相互作用。首先，我们将建立一个自动识别管道，以获得不同分类群中扩展和收缩的概况。接下来，我们将深入研究详细的历史，以了解推动这些变化的进化力量。最后，我们将这些结果与蛋白质组学数据相结合，以了解肌动蛋白成核蛋白相互作用网络的进化。作为一个特殊的项目，我们将分析WH2结构域，可以说是肌动蛋白成核中最重要的结构域之一，但仍然拒绝可靠的检测。作为SPP的一部分，我们将开发一个肌动蛋白成核进化的网络资源。在最后一步，SPP的成员将能够添加他们自己的数据，并从进化的角度分析它们。虽然这个网络服务可以独立存在，但它将通过与“肌动蛋白成核虚拟研究所”的紧密集成而获胜。

The understanding of actin nucleation has made a great leap with the identification of new proteins involved. Whereas the experimental characterisation is taking a great step forward, understanding the evolution of actin nucleation lacks behind. In this project, we will analyse the evolutionary history of the players involved in actin nucleation and their interplay over the whole eukaryotic tree of life. First, we will build up an automatic pipeline for their identification to get an overview of expansions and contractions in different taxa. Following, we will dig into the detailed history to understand the evolutionary forces driving these changes. Finally, we will integrate these results with proteomic data, to understand the evolution the actin nucleation protein interaction network. As a special project, we will analyse the WH2 domain, one of the arguably most important domains in actin nucleation which still refuses a reliable detection. As part of the SPP, we will develop a web resource for the evolution of actin nucleation. In the final step, members of the SPP will be able to add their own data and analyse them under an evolutionary perspective. Although this web service can stand alone, it would win by a tight integration with the ‘virtual institute of actin nucleation’.