Three bacterial DedA subfamilies with distinct functions and phylogenetic distribution.

DedA-family proteins are highly conserved and nearly ubiquitous integral membrane proteins found in Archaea, Bacteria, and Eukaryotes. Recent work revealed that eukaryotic DedA proteins are phospholipid scramblases and some bacterial DedA proteins are undecaprenyl phosphate flippases. We perform a phylogenetic analysis of this protein family in Bacteria revealing 3 DedA subfamilies with distinct phylogenetic distributions, genomic contexts, and putative functions. Our analysis lays the groundwork for a deeper understanding of DedA proteins and their role in maintaining and modifying the membrane.