Two-component systems

Two component systems are signal transduction systems that consist of a sensor kinase and a response regulator (usually a transcription factor). The kinase autophosphorylates on a His residue (more preciely, one subunit of the dimeric kinase phosphorylates the His residue of the other subunit), and the phosphate group can then be transferred to an aspartate residue in the cognate response regulator. Some response regulators can also autophosphorylate using acety-phosphate as the phosphate donor. More complex signal transduction systems of this class are called phosphorelay. The paradigm for a phosphorelay is the pathway leading to the phosphorylation of Spo0A.

Two-component systems in B. subtilis (kinase, regulator)

• NarL-family
  • ComP, ComA
  • DegS, DegU
  • DesK, DesR
  • LiaS, LiaR
  • YdfH, YdfI
  • YfiJ, YfiK
  • YhcY, YhcZ
  • YvfT, YvfU
  • YxjM, YxjL

• OmpR family
  • BceS, BceR
  • CssS, CssR
  • NatK, NatR
  • PhoR, PhoP
  • PsdS, PsdR
  • ResE, ResD
  • WalK, WalR: the only essential two-component system!
  • YbdK, YbdJ
  • YcbM, YcbL
  • YclK, YclJ
  • YkoH, YkoG
  • YrkQ, YrkP
  • YvrG, YvrHb
  • YxdK, YxdJ

• CheY family
  • CheA, CheY

• DctR family
  • CitS, CitT
  • DctS, DctR
  • GlnK, GlnL
  • MalK, MalR

• LytT family
  • LytS, LytT
  • YesM, YesN
  • YwpD (orphan kinase)

• Orphan response regulator
  • YneI

The phosphorelay

• Kinases
  • KinA
  • KinB
  • KinC
  • KinD
  • KinE

• Phosphotransferases
  • Spo0F
  • Spo0B

• The ultimate target
  • Spo0A

Related lists

• phosphorelay
• response regulator aspartate phosphatases
• phosphoproteins
• protein kinases and phosphatases

Important original publications

Sebastian Dintner, Anna Staron, Evi Berchtold, Tobias Petri, Thorsten Mascher, Susanne Gebhard
Coevolution of ABC transporters and two-component regulatory systems as resistance modules against antimicrobial peptides in Firmicutes Bacteria.
J Bacteriol: 2011, 193(15);3851-62
[PubMed:21665979] [WorldCat.org] [DOI] (I p)

Reviews

Anna I Podgornaia, Michael T Laub
Determinants of specificity in two-component signal transduction.
Curr Opin Microbiol: 2013, 16(2);156-62
[PubMed:23352354] [WorldCat.org] [DOI] (I p)

Hendrik Szurmant, James A Hoch
Statistical analyses of protein sequence alignments identify structures and mechanisms in signal activation of sensor histidine kinases.
Mol Microbiol: 2013, 87(4);707-12
[PubMed:23279101] [WorldCat.org] [DOI] (I p)

Emily J Capra, Michael T Laub
Evolution of two-component signal transduction systems.
Annu Rev Microbiol: 2012, 66;325-47
[PubMed:22746333] [WorldCat.org] [DOI] (I p)

Benjamin G Bobay, James A Hoch, John Cavanagh
Dynamics and activation in response regulators: the β4-α4 loop.
Biomol Concepts: 2012, 3(2);175-182
[PubMed:24494032] [WorldCat.org] [DOI] (I p)

Mohamed Barakat, Philippe Ortet, David E Whitworth
P2CS: a database of prokaryotic two-component systems.
Nucleic Acids Res: 2011, 39(Database issue);D771-6
[PubMed:21051349] [WorldCat.org] [DOI] (I p)

Hendrik Szurmant, James A Hoch
Interaction fidelity in two-component signaling.
Curr Opin Microbiol: 2010, 13(2);190-7
[PubMed:20133181] [WorldCat.org] [DOI] (I p)

Kristin Wuichet, Brian J Cantwell, Igor B Zhulin
Evolution and phyletic distribution of two-component signal transduction systems.
Curr Opin Microbiol: 2010, 13(2);219-25
[PubMed:20133179] [WorldCat.org] [DOI] (I p)

Richard C Stewart
Protein histidine kinases: assembly of active sites and their regulation in signaling pathways.
Curr Opin Microbiol: 2010, 13(2);133-41
[PubMed:20117042] [WorldCat.org] [DOI] (I p)

Rong Gao, Ann M Stock
Molecular strategies for phosphorylation-mediated regulation of response regulator activity.
Curr Opin Microbiol: 2010, 13(2);160-7
[PubMed:20080056] [WorldCat.org] [DOI] (I p)

Daelynn R Buelow, Tracy L Raivio
Three (and more) component regulatory systems - auxiliary regulators of bacterial histidine kinases.
Mol Microbiol: 2010, 75(3);547-66
[PubMed:19943903] [WorldCat.org] [DOI] (I p)

Rong Gao, Ann M Stock
Biological insights from structures of two-component proteins.
Annu Rev Microbiol: 2009, 63;133-54
[PubMed:19575571] [WorldCat.org] [DOI] (I p)

Alexander Y Mitrophanov, Eduardo A Groisman
Signal integration in bacterial two-component regulatory systems.
Genes Dev: 2008, 22(19);2601-11
[PubMed:18832064] [WorldCat.org] [DOI] (P p)

Michael T Laub, Mark Goulian
Specificity in two-component signal transduction pathways.
Annu Rev Genet: 2007, 41;121-45
[PubMed:18076326] [WorldCat.org] [DOI] (P p)

Hendrik Szurmant, Robert A White, James A Hoch
Sensor complexes regulating two-component signal transduction.
Curr Opin Struct Biol: 2007, 17(6);706-15
[PubMed:17913492] [WorldCat.org] [DOI] (P p)

Rong Gao, Timothy R Mack, Ann M Stock
Bacterial response regulators: versatile regulatory strategies from common domains.
Trends Biochem Sci: 2007, 32(5);225-34
[PubMed:17433693] [WorldCat.org] [DOI] (P p)

Martijn Bekker, M Joost Teixeira de Mattos, Klaas J Hellingwerf
The role of two-component regulation systems in the physiology of the bacterial cell.
Sci Prog: 2006, 89(Pt 3-4);213-42
[PubMed:17338439] [WorldCat.org] [DOI] (P p)

Thorsten Mascher, John D Helmann, Gottfried Unden
Stimulus perception in bacterial signal-transducing histidine kinases.
Microbiol Mol Biol Rev: 2006, 70(4);910-38
[PubMed:17158704] [WorldCat.org] [DOI] (P p)

Reviews that appeared before 2005: PubMed