Abstract
The present study describes a previously unknown universal signaling and regulatory system, which we named “TETZ-receptor system”. This system is responsible for sensing, remembering, and regulating cell responses to various chemical, physical or biological stimuli. It controls cell survival, variability, reproduction, adaptation, genome changes, and gene transfer. Importantly, the TETZ-receptor system is responsible for the formation and maintenance of cell memory, as well the ability to “forget” preceding events. The system is composed of DNA- and RNA-based receptors located outside the membrane named “TezRs”, as well as reverse transcriptases and integrases. The sensory and regulatory functions of TezRs enable the TETZ-receptor system to control all major aspects of bacterial behavior, such as growth, biofilm formation and dispersal, utilization of nutrients including xenobiotics, virulence, chemo- and magnetoreception, response to external factors (e.g., temperature, UV, light and gas content), mutation events, phage-host interaction and recombination activity. Additionally, it supervises the function of other receptor-mediated signaling pathways.
HIGHLIGHTS
The TETZ-receptor system regulates bacterial sensing and response to various stimuli.
The TETZ-receptor system is responsible for maintenance and loss of cell memory.
The TETZ-receptor system comprises DNA- and RNA-based “TezRs” receptors.
The TETZ-receptor system relies on reverse transcriptases and recombinases.
The TETZ-receptor system oversees other receptor-mediated signaling pathways.
TezRs are implicated in cell mutation and recombination events.
Competing Interest Statement
The authors have declared no competing interest.