The structure of V- and F-ATPases/ATP synthases is remarkably conserved throughout evolution. Sequence analyses show that the V- and F-ATPases evolved from the same enzyme that was already present in the last common ancestor of all known extant life forms. The catalytic and non-catalytic subunits found in the dissociable head groups of both V-ATPases and F-ATPases are paralogous subunits, i.e. these two types of subunits evolved from a common ancestral gene. The gene duplication giving rise to these two genes (i.e. those encoding the catalytic and non-catalytic subunits) pre-dates the time of the last common ancestor. Similarities between the V- and F-ATPase subunits and an ATPase-like protein that is implicated in flagellar assembly are evaluated with regard to the early evolution of ATPases. Mapping of gene duplication events that occurred in the evolution of the proteolipid, the non-catalytic and the catalytic subunits onto the tree of life leads to a prediction of the likely quaternary structure of the encoded ATPases. The phylogenetic implications of V-ATPases found in eubacteria are discussed. Different V-ATPase isoforms have been detected in some higher eukaryotes, whereas others were shown to have only a single gene encoding the catalytic V-ATPase subunit. These data are analyzed with respect to the possible function of the different isoforms (tissue-specific, organelle-specific). The point in evolution at which the different isoforms arose is mapped by phylogenetic analysis.
Evolution and isoforms of V-ATPase subunits.
J P Gogarten, T Starke, H Kibak, J Fishman, L Taiz; Evolution and isoforms of V-ATPase subunits.. J Exp Biol 1 November 1992; 172 (1): 137–147. doi: https://doi.org/10.1242/jeb.172.1.137
Download citation file:
Advertisement
Cited by
Celebrating 100 years of discovery

We are proud to be celebrating 100 years of discovery in Journal of Experimental Biology. Visit our centenary webpage to find out more about how we are marking this historic milestone.
Craig Franklin launches our centenary celebrations

Editor-in-Chief Craig Franklin reflects on 100 years of JEB and looks forward to our centenary celebrations, including a supplementary special issue, a new early-career researcher interview series and the launch of our latest funding initiatives.
Looking back on the first issue of JEB

Journal of Experimental Biology launched in 1923 as The British Journal of Experimental Biology. As we celebrate our centenary, we look back at that first issue and the zoologists publishing their work in the new journal.
Webinar: Increasing the visibility and impact of your research
-HUBSwebinar.jpg?versionId=4510)
Would you like to increase the visibility and impact of your research and raise your profile internationally? If so, register for the very practical webinar we are running in association with HUBS on 23 February 2023.
Biology Communication Workshop: Engaging the world in the excitement of research
-BioCommunicationWorkshop.png?versionId=4510)
We are delighted to be sponsoring a Biology Communication Workshop for early-career researchers as part of JEB’s centenary celebrations. The workshop focuses on how to effectively communicate your science to other researchers and the public and takes place the day before the CSZ annual meeting, on 14 May 2023. Find out more and apply here.
Mexican fruit flies wave for distraction

Dinesh Rao and colleagues have discovered that Mexican fruit flies vanish in a blur in the eyes of predatory spiders when they wave their wings at the arachnids, buying the flies time to make their escape.