Advance in the Structure and Function of Era Protein
Era (Escherichia coli Ras-like protein) protein is a special type of GTP binding protein with dual domains that contains a typical GTPase domain and a type Ⅱ KH domain.Era is essential for bacterial survival and has various biological functions,such as cell growth and development,apoptosis,autophagy,immune response,and ribosome maturation. Homologous proteins of Era are widely present in animals and plants including humans,and their structural characteristics and functional diversity have received increasing attention in recent years.This arti-cle reviews the structure,function,and molecular mechanism of action of bacterial Era and its homologous proteins,and explains the similarities and differences in the structure and function of Era proteins from different species.The review will provides more reference for further under-standing the evolutionary characteristics and biological functions of Era proteins.