1
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Kotsyurbenko OR, Kompanichenko VN, Brouchkov AV, Khrunyk YY, Karlov SP, Sorokin VV, Skladnev DA. Different Scenarios for the Origin and the Subsequent Succession of a Hypothetical Microbial Community in the Cloud Layer of Venus. ASTROBIOLOGY 2024; 24:423-441. [PMID: 38563825 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2022.0117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/04/2024]
Abstract
The possible existence of a microbial community in the venusian clouds is one of the most intriguing hypotheses in modern astrobiology. Such a community must be characterized by a high survivability potential under severe environmental conditions, the most extreme of which are very low pH levels and water activity. Considering different scenarios for the origin of life and geological history of our planet, a few of these scenarios are discussed in the context of the origin of hypothetical microbial life within the venusian cloud layer. The existence of liquid water on the surface of ancient Venus is one of the key outstanding questions influencing this possibility. We link the inherent attributes of microbial life as we know it that favor the persistence of life in such an environment and review the possible scenarios of life's origin and its evolution under a strong greenhouse effect and loss of water on Venus. We also propose a roadmap and describe a novel methodological approach for astrobiological research in the framework of future missions to Venus with the intent to reveal whether life exists today on the planet.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oleg R Kotsyurbenko
- Higher School of Ecology, Yugra State University, Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia
- Network of Researchers on the Chemical Evolution of Life, Leeds, United Kingdom
| | - Vladimir N Kompanichenko
- Network of Researchers on the Chemical Evolution of Life, Leeds, United Kingdom
- Institute for Complex Analysis of Regional Problems RAS, Birobidzhan, Russia
| | | | - Yuliya Y Khrunyk
- Department of Heat Treatment and Physics of Metal, Ural Federal University, Ekaterinburg, Russia
| | - Sergey P Karlov
- Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Moscow Polytechnic University, Moscow, Russia
| | - Vladimir V Sorokin
- Research Center of Biotechnology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Winogradsky Institute of Microbiology, Moscow, Russia
| | - Dmitry A Skladnev
- Network of Researchers on the Chemical Evolution of Life, Leeds, United Kingdom
- Research Center of Biotechnology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Winogradsky Institute of Microbiology, Moscow, Russia
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2
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Riley AB, Grillo MA, Epstein B, Tiffin P, Heath KD. Discordant population structure among rhizobium divided genomes and their legume hosts. Mol Ecol 2023; 32:2646-2659. [PMID: 36161739 DOI: 10.1111/mec.16704] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2021] [Revised: 09/15/2022] [Accepted: 09/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Symbiosis often occurs between partners with distinct life history characteristics and dispersal mechanisms. Many bacterial symbionts have genomes comprising multiple replicons with distinct rates of evolution and horizontal transmission. Such differences might drive differences in population structure between hosts and symbionts and among the elements of the divided genomes of bacterial symbionts. These differences might, in turn, shape the evolution of symbiotic interactions and bacterial evolution. Here we use whole genome resequencing of a hierarchically structured sample of 191 strains of Sinorhizobium meliloti collected from 21 locations in southern Europe to characterize population structures of this bacterial symbiont, which forms a root nodule symbiosis with the host plant Medicago truncatula. S. meliloti genomes showed high local (within-site) variation and little isolation by distance. This was particularly true for the two symbiosis elements, pSymA and pSymB, which have population structures that are similar to each other, but distinct from both the bacterial chromosome and the host plant. Given limited recombination on the chromosome, compared to the symbiosis elements, distinct population structures may result from differences in effective gene flow. Alternatively, positive or purifying selection, with little recombination, may explain distinct geographical patterns at the chromosome. Discordant population structure between hosts and symbionts indicates that geographically and genetically distinct host populations in different parts of the range might interact with genetically similar symbionts, potentially minimizing local specialization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alex B Riley
- Department of Plant Biology, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois, USA
| | - Michael A Grillo
- Department of Biology, Loyola University Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Brendan Epstein
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA
| | - Peter Tiffin
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA
| | - Katy D Heath
- Department of Plant Biology, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois, USA
- Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois, USA
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3
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Gunnabo AH, van Heerwaarden J, Geurts R, Wolde-Meskel E, Degefu T, Giller KE. Phylogeography and Symbiotic Effectiveness of Rhizobia Nodulating Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) in Ethiopia. MICROBIAL ECOLOGY 2021; 81:703-716. [PMID: 33098438 PMCID: PMC7982387 DOI: 10.1007/s00248-020-01620-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2020] [Accepted: 10/12/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) used to be considered a restrictive host that nodulated and fixed nitrogen only with Mesorhizobium ciceri and M. mediterraneum. Recent analysis revealed that chickpea can also establish effective symbioses with strains of several other Mesorhizobium species such as M. loti, M. haukuii, M. amorphae, M. muleiense, etc. These strains vary in their nitrogen fixation potential inviting further exploration. We characterized newly collected mesorhizobial strains isolated from various locations in Ethiopia to evaluate genetic diversity, biogeographic structure and symbiotic effectiveness. Symbiotic effectiveness was evaluated in Leonard Jars using a locally released chickpea cultivar "Nattoli". Most of the new isolates belonged to a clade related to M. plurifarium, with very few sequence differences, while the total collection of strains contained three additional mesorhizobial genospecies associated with M. ciceri, M. abyssinicae and an unidentified Mesorhizobium species isolated from a wild host in Eritrea. The four genospecies identified represented a subset of the eight major Mesorhizobium clades recently reported for Ethiopia based on metagenomic data. All Ethiopian strains had nearly identical symbiotic genes that grouped them in a single cluster with M. ciceri, M. mediterraneum and M. muleiense, but not with M. plurifarium. Some phylogeographic structure was observed, with elevation and geography explaining some of the genetic differences among strains, but the relation between genetic identity and symbiotic effectiveness was observed to be weak.
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Affiliation(s)
- A H Gunnabo
- Plant Production Systems Group, Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, The Netherlands.
| | - J van Heerwaarden
- Plant Production Systems Group, Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, The Netherlands.
| | - R Geurts
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Department of Plant Science, Wageningen University, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - E Wolde-Meskel
- World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF), Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| | - T Degefu
- International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| | - K E Giller
- Plant Production Systems Group, Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, The Netherlands
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4
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Lato DF, Golding GB. The Location of Substitutions and Bacterial Genome Arrangements. Genome Biol Evol 2020; 13:6035136. [PMID: 33320172 PMCID: PMC7851589 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evaa260] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/11/2020] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Increasing evidence supports the notion that different regions of a genome have unique rates of molecular change. This variation is particularly evident in bacterial genomes where previous studies have reported gene expression and essentiality tend to decrease, whereas substitution rates usually increase with increasing distance from the origin of replication. Genomic reorganization such as rearrangements occur frequently in bacteria and allow for the introduction and restructuring of genetic content, creating gradients of molecular traits along genomes. Here, we explore the interplay of these phenomena by mapping substitutions to the genomes of Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis, Streptomyces, and Sinorhizobium meliloti, quantifying how many substitutions have occurred at each position in the genome. Preceding work indicates that substitution rate significantly increases with distance from the origin. Using a larger sample size and accounting for genome rearrangements through ancestral reconstruction, our analysis demonstrates that the correlation between the number of substitutions and the distance from the origin of replication is significant but small and inconsistent in direction. Some replicons had a significantly decreasing trend (E. coli and the chromosome of S. meliloti), whereas others showed the opposite significant trend (B. subtilis, Streptomyces, pSymA and pSymB in S. meliloti). dN, dS, and ω were examined across all genes and there was no significant correlation between those values and distance from the origin. This study highlights the impact that genomic rearrangements and location have on molecular trends in some bacteria, illustrating the importance of considering spatial trends in molecular evolutionary analysis. Assuming that molecular trends are exclusively in one direction can be problematic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniella F Lato
- Department of Biology, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - G Brian Golding
- Department of Biology, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
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5
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Botou M, Yalelis V, Lazou P, Zantza I, Papakostas K, Charalambous V, Mikros E, Flemetakis E, Frillingos S. Specificity profile of NAT/NCS2 purine transporters in
Sinorhizobium
(
Ensifer
)
meliloti. Mol Microbiol 2020; 114:151-171. [DOI: 10.1111/mmi.14503] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2019] [Revised: 03/16/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Maria Botou
- Laboratory of Biological Chemistry Department of Medicine School of Health Sciences University of Ioannina Ioannina Greece
| | - Vassilis Yalelis
- Laboratory of Biological Chemistry Department of Medicine School of Health Sciences University of Ioannina Ioannina Greece
| | - Panayiota Lazou
- Laboratory of Biological Chemistry Department of Medicine School of Health Sciences University of Ioannina Ioannina Greece
| | - Iliana Zantza
- Division of Pharmaceutical Chemistry Department of Pharmacy School of Health Sciences National and Kapodistrian University of Athens Athens Greece
| | - Konstantinos Papakostas
- Laboratory of Biological Chemistry Department of Medicine School of Health Sciences University of Ioannina Ioannina Greece
| | - Vassiliki Charalambous
- Laboratory of Biological Chemistry Department of Medicine School of Health Sciences University of Ioannina Ioannina Greece
| | - Emmanuel Mikros
- Division of Pharmaceutical Chemistry Department of Pharmacy School of Health Sciences National and Kapodistrian University of Athens Athens Greece
| | - Emmanouil Flemetakis
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology Department of Biotechnology Agricultural University of Athens Athens Greece
| | - Stathis Frillingos
- Laboratory of Biological Chemistry Department of Medicine School of Health Sciences University of Ioannina Ioannina Greece
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6
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Porter SS, Faber-Hammond J, Montoya AP, Friesen ML, Sackos C. Dynamic genomic architecture of mutualistic cooperation in a wild population of Mesorhizobium. ISME JOURNAL 2018; 13:301-315. [PMID: 30218020 PMCID: PMC6331556 DOI: 10.1038/s41396-018-0266-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2018] [Revised: 07/01/2018] [Accepted: 08/04/2018] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Research on mutualism seeks to explain how cooperation can be maintained when uncooperative mutants co-occur with cooperative kin. Gains and losses of the gene modules required for cooperation punctuate symbiont phylogenies and drive lifestyle transitions between cooperative symbionts and uncooperative free-living lineages over evolutionary time. Yet whether uncooperative symbionts commonly evolve from within cooperative symbiont populations or from within distantly related lineages with antagonistic or free-living lifestyles (i.e., third-party mutualism exploiters or parasites), remains controversial. We use genomic data to show that genotypes that differ in the presence or absence of large islands of symbiosis genes are common within a single wild recombining population of Mesorhizobium symbionts isolated from host tissues and are an important source of standing heritable variation in cooperation in this population. In a focal population of Mesorhizobium, uncooperative variants that lack a symbiosis island segregate at 16% frequency in nodules, and genome size and symbiosis gene number are positively correlated with cooperation. This finding contrasts with the genomic architecture of variation in cooperation in other symbiont populations isolated from host tissues in which the islands of genes underlying cooperation are ubiquitous and variation in cooperation is primarily driven by allelic substitution and individual gene gain and loss events. Our study demonstrates that uncooperative mutants within mutualist populations can comprise a significant component of genetic variation in nature, providing biological rationale for models and experiments that seek to explain the maintenance of mutualism in the face of non-cooperators.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie S Porter
- School of Biological Sciences, Washington State University, Vancouver, WA, 98686, USA.
| | - Joshua Faber-Hammond
- School of Biological Sciences, Washington State University, Vancouver, WA, 98686, USA
| | - Angeliqua P Montoya
- School of Biological Sciences, Washington State University, Vancouver, WA, 98686, USA
| | - Maren L Friesen
- Department of Plant Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA.,Department of Plant Pathology, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, 99164, USA.,Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, 99164, USA
| | - Cynthia Sackos
- School of Biological Sciences, Washington State University, Vancouver, WA, 98686, USA
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7
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Nelson M, Guhlin J, Epstein B, Tiffin P, Sadowsky MJ. The complete replicons of 16 Ensifer meliloti strains offer insights into intra- and inter-replicon gene transfer, transposon-associated loci, and repeat elements. Microb Genom 2018; 4. [PMID: 29671722 PMCID: PMC5994717 DOI: 10.1099/mgen.0.000174] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Ensifer meliloti (formerly Rhizobium meliloti and Sinorhizobium meliloti) is a model bacterium for understanding legume–rhizobial symbioses. The tripartite genome of E. meliloti consists of a chromosome, pSymA and pSymB, and in some instances strain-specific accessory plasmids. The majority of previous sequencing studies have relied on the use of assemblies generated from short read sequencing, which leads to gaps and assembly errors. Here we used PacBio-based, long-read assemblies and were able to assemble, de novo, complete circular replicons. In this study, we sequenced, de novo-assembled and analysed 10 E. meliloti strains. Sequence comparisons were also done with data from six previously published genomes. We identified genome differences between the replicons, including mol% G+C and gene content, nucleotide repeats, and transposon-associated loci. Additionally, genomic rearrangements both within and between replicons were identified, providing insight into evolutionary processes at the structural level. There were few cases of inter-replicon gene transfer of core genes between the main replicons. Accessory plasmids were more similar to pSymA than to either pSymB or the chromosome, with respect to gene content, transposon content and G+C content. In our population, the accessory plasmids appeared to share an open genome with pSymA, which contains many nodulation- and nitrogen fixation-related genes. This may explain previous observations that horizontal gene transfer has a greater effect on the content of pSymA than pSymB, or the chromosome, and why some rhizobia show unstable nodulation phenotypes on legume hosts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew Nelson
- 1Biotechnology Institute and Department of Soil, Water, and Climate, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN 55108, USA
| | - Joseph Guhlin
- 2Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN 55108, USA
| | - Brendan Epstein
- 2Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN 55108, USA
| | - Peter Tiffin
- 2Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN 55108, USA
| | - Michael J Sadowsky
- 1Biotechnology Institute and Department of Soil, Water, and Climate, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN 55108, USA
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8
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Porter SS, Faber-Hammond JJ, Friesen ML. Co-invading symbiotic mutualists of Medicago polymorpha retain high ancestral diversity and contain diverse accessory genomes. FEMS Microbiol Ecol 2017; 94:4705886. [DOI: 10.1093/femsec/fix168] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2017] [Accepted: 11/29/2017] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie S Porter
- School of Biological Sciences, Washington State University, 14204 NE Salmon Creek Ave, Vancouver, WA 98686, USA
| | - Joshua J Faber-Hammond
- School of Biological Sciences, Washington State University, 14204 NE Salmon Creek Ave, Vancouver, WA 98686, USA
| | - Maren L Friesen
- Department of Plant Biology, Michigan State University, 612 Wilson Road, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA
- Department of Plant Pathology, Washington State University, P.O. Box 646430 Pullman, WA 99164, USA
- Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, Washington State University, P.O. Box 646420 Pullman, WA 99164, USA
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9
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Harrison TL, Wood CW, Heath KD, Stinchcombe JR. Geographically structured genetic variation in the
Medicago lupulina
–
Ensifer
mutualism. Evolution 2017; 71:1787-1801. [DOI: 10.1111/evo.13268] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2016] [Revised: 04/08/2017] [Accepted: 04/15/2017] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Tia L. Harrison
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary BiologyUniversity of Toronto 25 Willcocks Street Toronto Ontario Canada M5S 3B2
| | - Corlett W. Wood
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary BiologyUniversity of Toronto 25 Willcocks Street Toronto Ontario Canada M5S 3B2
| | - Katy D. Heath
- Department of Plant BiologyUniversity of Illinois 505 S. Goodwin Avenue Urbana Illinois 61801
| | - John R. Stinchcombe
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary BiologyUniversity of Toronto 25 Willcocks Street Toronto Ontario Canada M5S 3B2
- Centre for Genome Evolution and FunctionUniversity of Toronto 25 Willcocks Street Toronto Ontario Canada M5S 3B2
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10
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Heath KD, Grillo MA. Rhizobia: tractable models for bacterial evolutionary ecology. Environ Microbiol 2016; 18:4307-4311. [DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.13492] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Katy D. Heath
- Department of Plant Biology; University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; 265 Morrill Hall, 505 S. Goodwin Ave Urbana IL 61801, USA
| | - Michael A. Grillo
- Department of Plant Biology; University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; 265 Morrill Hall, 505 S. Goodwin Ave Urbana IL 61801, USA
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11
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Porter SS, Chang PL, Conow CA, Dunham JP, Friesen ML. Association mapping reveals novel serpentine adaptation gene clusters in a population of symbiotic Mesorhizobium. ISME JOURNAL 2016; 11:248-262. [PMID: 27420027 PMCID: PMC5315480 DOI: 10.1038/ismej.2016.88] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2016] [Revised: 05/23/2016] [Accepted: 05/25/2016] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
The genetic variants that underlie microbial environmental adaptation are key components of models of microbial diversification. Characterizing adaptive variants and the pangenomic context in which they evolve remains a frontier in understanding how microbial diversity is generated. The genomics of rhizobium adaptation to contrasting soil environments is ecologically and agriculturally important because these bacteria are responsible for half of all current biologically fixed nitrogen, yet they live the majority of their lives in soil. Our study uses whole-genome sequencing to describe the pan-genome of a focal clade of wild mesorhizobia that show contrasting levels of nickel adaptation despite high relatedness (99.8% identity at 16S). We observe ecotypic specialization within an otherwise genomically cohesive population, rather than finding distinct specialized bacterial lineages in contrasting soil types. This finding supports recent reports that heterogeneous environments impose selection that maintains differentiation only at a small fraction of the genome. Our work further uses a genome-wide association study to propose candidate genes for nickel adaptation. Several candidates show homology to genetic systems involved in nickel tolerance and one cluster of candidates correlates perfectly with soil origin, which validates our approach of ascribing genomic variation to adaptive divergence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie S Porter
- School of Biological Sciences, Washington State University, Vancouver, WA, USA
| | - Peter L Chang
- Section of Molecular and Computational Biology, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.,Department of Plant Pathology and Nematology, University of California, Davis, CA, USA
| | - Christopher A Conow
- Section of Molecular and Computational Biology, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Joseph P Dunham
- Section of Molecular and Computational Biology, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Maren L Friesen
- Department of Plant Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
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12
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Boto L. Evolutionary change and phylogenetic relationships in light of horizontal gene transfer. J Biosci 2016; 40:465-72. [PMID: 25963270 DOI: 10.1007/s12038-015-9514-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
Horizontal gene transfer has, over the past 25 years, become a part of evolutionary thinking. In the present paper I discuss horizontal gene transfer (HGT) in relation to contingency, natural selection, evolutionary change speed and the Tree-of-Life endeavour, with the aim of contributing to the understanding of the role of HGT in evolutionary processes. In addition, the challenges that HGT imposes on the current view of evolution are emphasized.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luis Boto
- Departamento de Biodiversidad y Biologia Evolutiva, Museo Nacional Ciencias Naturales, CSIC, C/ Jose Gutierrez Abascal 2, 28006, Madrid, Spain,
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13
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Li Y, Li X, Liu Y, Wang ET, Ren C, Liu W, Xu H, Wu H, Jiang N, Li Y, Zhang X, Xie Z. Genetic diversity and community structure of rhizobia nodulating Sesbania cannabina in saline-alkaline soils. Syst Appl Microbiol 2016; 39:195-202. [PMID: 27061259 DOI: 10.1016/j.syapm.2016.02.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2015] [Revised: 02/26/2016] [Accepted: 02/28/2016] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Sesbania cannabina is a plant that grows naturally along the seashores in Rudong County, China (RDC) and it has been introduced into the Yellow River Delta (YRD) as a pioneer plant to improve the saline-alkaline soils. In order to investigate the diversity of S. cannabina rhizobia in these soils, a total of 198 rhizobial isolates were characterized and phylogenetic trees were constructed based on data from multilocus sequence analysis (MLSA) of the housekeeping genes recA, atpD and glnII, as well as 16S rRNA. Symbiotic features were also studied by establishing the phylogeny of the symbiotic genes nodA and nifH, and by performing nodulation assays. The isolates had highly conserved symbiotic genes and were classified into nine genospecies belonging to the genera Ensifer, Agrobacterium, Neorhizobium and Rhizobium. A unique community structure was detected in the rhizobia associated with S. cannabina in the saline-alkaline soils that was characterized by five novel genospecies and four defined species. In addition, Ensifer sp. I was the predominant rhizobia in YRD, whereas Ensifer meliloti and Neorhizobium huautlense were the dominant species in RDC. Therefore, the study demonstrated for the first time that this plant strongly selected the symbiotic gene background but not the genomic background of its microsymbionts. In addition, biogeographic patterns existed in the rhizobial populations associated with S. cannabina, which were mainly correlated with pH and salinity, as well as the mineral nutrient contents. This study provided novel information concerning the interaction between soil conditions, host plant and rhizobia, in addition to revealing the diversity of S. cannabina rhizobia in saline-alkaline soils.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yan Li
- Key Laboratory of Coastal Biology and Utilization, Yantai Institute of Coastal Zone Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 264003 Yantai, China
| | - Xiangyue Li
- Key Laboratory of Coastal Biology and Utilization, Yantai Institute of Coastal Zone Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 264003 Yantai, China
| | - Yajing Liu
- Key Laboratory of Coastal Biology and Utilization, Yantai Institute of Coastal Zone Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 264003 Yantai, China
| | - En Tao Wang
- Departamento de Microbiología, Escuela Nacional de Ciencias Biológicas, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, 11340 Mexico City, D.F., Mexico
| | - Chenggang Ren
- Key Laboratory of Coastal Biology and Utilization, Yantai Institute of Coastal Zone Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 264003 Yantai, China
| | - Wei Liu
- Key Laboratory of Coastal Biology and Utilization, Yantai Institute of Coastal Zone Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 264003 Yantai, China
| | - Hualing Xu
- Dongying Institute of Agriculture Sciences, 257000 Dongying, China
| | - Hailong Wu
- Key Laboratory of Coastal Biology and Utilization, Yantai Institute of Coastal Zone Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 264003 Yantai, China
| | - Nan Jiang
- Key Laboratory of Coastal Biology and Utilization, Yantai Institute of Coastal Zone Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 264003 Yantai, China
| | - Yunzhao Li
- Key Laboratory of Coastal Biology and Utilization, Yantai Institute of Coastal Zone Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 264003 Yantai, China
| | - Xiaoli Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Coastal Biology and Utilization, Yantai Institute of Coastal Zone Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 264003 Yantai, China
| | - Zhihong Xie
- Key Laboratory of Coastal Biology and Utilization, Yantai Institute of Coastal Zone Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 264003 Yantai, China.
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14
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Larrainzar E, Gil-Quintana E, Seminario A, Arrese-Igor C, González EM. Nodule carbohydrate catabolism is enhanced in the Medicago truncatula A17-Sinorhizobium medicae WSM419 symbiosis. Front Microbiol 2014; 5:447. [PMID: 25221545 PMCID: PMC4145349 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2014.00447] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2014] [Accepted: 08/05/2014] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The symbiotic association between Medicago truncatula and Sinorhizobium meliloti is a well-established model system in the legume–Rhizobium community. Despite its wide use, the symbiotic efficiency of this model has been recently questioned and an alternative microsymbiont, S. medicae, has been proposed. However, little is known about the physiological mechanisms behind the higher symbiotic efficiency of S. medicae WSM419. In the present study, we inoculated M. truncatula Jemalong A17 with either S. medicae WSM419 or S. meliloti 2011 and compared plant growth, photosynthesis, N2-fixation rates, and plant nodule carbon and nitrogen metabolic activities in the two systems. M. truncatula plants in symbiosis with S. medicae showed increased biomass and photosynthesis rates per plant. Plants grown in symbiosis with S. medicae WSM419 also showed higher N2-fixation rates, which were correlated with a larger nodule biomass, while nodule number was similar in both systems. In terms of plant nodule metabolism, M. truncatula–S. medicae WSM419 nodules showed increased sucrose-catabolic activity, mostly associated with sucrose synthase, accompanied by a reduced starch content, whereas nitrogen-assimilation activities were comparable to those measured in nodules infected with S. meliloti 2011. Taken together, these results suggest that S. medicae WSM419 is able to enhance plant carbon catabolism in M. truncatula nodules, which allows for the maintaining of high symbiotic N2-fixation rates, better growth and improved general plant performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Estíbaliz Larrainzar
- Departamento de Ciencias del Medio Natural/Environmental Sciences, Universidad Pública de Navarra Pamplona, Spain
| | - Erena Gil-Quintana
- Departamento de Ciencias del Medio Natural/Environmental Sciences, Universidad Pública de Navarra Pamplona, Spain
| | - Amaia Seminario
- Departamento de Ciencias del Medio Natural/Environmental Sciences, Universidad Pública de Navarra Pamplona, Spain
| | - Cesar Arrese-Igor
- Departamento de Ciencias del Medio Natural/Environmental Sciences, Universidad Pública de Navarra Pamplona, Spain
| | - Esther M González
- Departamento de Ciencias del Medio Natural/Environmental Sciences, Universidad Pública de Navarra Pamplona, Spain
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