Mosaic Evolution of the Phosphopantothenate Biosynthesis Pathway in Bacteria and Archaea

Abstract

Phosphopantothenate is a precursor to synthesis of Coenzyme A (CoA), a molecule essential to many metabolic pathways. Organisms of the archaeal phyla were shown to utilize a different phosphopantothenate biosynthetic pathway from the eukaryotic and bacterial one. In this study, we report that symbiotic bacteria from the group Candidatus poribacteria present enzymes of the archaeal pathway, namely pantoate kinase (PoK) and phosphopantothenate synthetase (PPS), mirroring what was demonstrated for Picrophilus torridus, an archaea partially utilizing the bacterial pathway. Our results support the ancient origin of the CoA pathway in the three domains of life, but also highlight its complex and dynamic evolution. Importantly, this study helps to improve protein annotation for this pathway in the Candidatus poribacteria group and other related organisms.