Evolution of the circadian clock mechanism in prokaryotes

Abstract

The circadian system of prokaryotes is probably the oldest among the circadian systems of living organisms. The genes comprising the system are very different in their evolutionary histories. The reconstruction of macroevolution of the circadian genes in cyanobacteria suggests that there are probably at least two types of circadian systems, based either on the three kai genes (kaiA, kaiB, and kaiC) or on kaiB and kaiC. When referred to the recently published results about a genomic timescale of prokaryote evolution, the origin of kaiB and sasA corresponds to the appearance of anoxygenic photosynthesis, while the origin of the kaiBC operon corresponds to the time when oxygenic photosynthesis evolved. The results of the studies performed so far suggest that major steps in macroevolution of the circadian system in cyanobacteria have been related to global changes in the environment and to keystone advances in biological evolution. This macroevolution has involved selection, multiple lateral transfers, gene duplications, and fusions as its primary driving forces. The proposed scenario of the circadian system's macroevolution is far from complete and will be updated as new genomic and sequence data are accumulated.