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Jacquat AG, Theumer MG, Dambolena JS. Selective and non-selective evolutionary signatures found in the simplest replicative biological entities. J Evol Biol 2024; 37:862-876. [PMID: 38822575 DOI: 10.1093/jeb/voae070] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2023] [Accepted: 05/30/2024] [Indexed: 06/03/2024]
Abstract
Mitoviruses, which are considered evolutionary relics of extinct alpha-proteobacteria RNA phages, represent one of the simplest self-replicating biological systems. This study aims to quantitatively describe genomes and identify potential genomic signatures that support the protein phylogenetic-based classification criterion. Genomic variables, such as mononucleotide and dinucleotide composition, codon usage bias, and minimal free energy derived from optimized predicted RNA secondary structure, were analyzed. From the values obtained, the main evolutionary pressures were discussed, indicating that natural selection plays a significant role in shaping mitovirus genomes. However, neutral evolution also makes a significant contribution. This study reveals a significant discovery of structural divergence in Kvaramitovirus. The energy minimization approach employed to study 2D folding in this study reveals a distinct spatial organization of their genomes, providing evidence for the hypothesis of a single evolutionary event of circularization in the most recent common ancestor of the lineage. This hypothesis was discussed in light of recent discoveries by other researchers that partially support the existence of mitoviruses with circular genomes. Finally, this study represents a significant advancement in the understanding of mitoviruses, as it quantitatively describes the nucleotide sequence at the family and genus taxonomic levels. Additionally, we provide hypotheses that can be experimentally validated to inspire new research and address the gaps in knowledge of this fascinating, basally divergent RNA virus lineage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrés Gustavo Jacquat
- Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales (FCEFyN), Universidad Nacional de Córdoba (UNC), Córdoba, Argentina
- Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal (IMBIV), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Córdoba, Argentina
| | - Martín Gustavo Theumer
- Departamento de Bioquímica Clínica, Facultad de Ciencias Químicas (FCQ), Universidad Nacional de Córdoba (UNC), Córdoba, Argentina
- Centro de Investigaciones en Bioquímica Clínica e Inmunología (CIBICI), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Córdoba, Argentina
| | - José Sebastián Dambolena
- Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales (FCEFyN), Universidad Nacional de Córdoba (UNC), Córdoba, Argentina
- Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal (IMBIV), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Córdoba, Argentina
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Shi C, Xie Y, Guan D, Qin G. Transcriptomic Analysis Reveals Adaptive Evolution and Conservation Implications for the Endangered Magnolia lotungensis. Genes (Basel) 2024; 15:787. [PMID: 38927723 PMCID: PMC11203017 DOI: 10.3390/genes15060787] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2024] [Revised: 06/03/2024] [Accepted: 06/13/2024] [Indexed: 06/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Magnolia lotungensis is an extremely endangered endemic tree in China. To elucidate the genetic basis of M. lotungensis, we performed a comprehensive transcriptome analysis using a sample integrating the plant's bark, leaves, and flowers. De novo transcriptome assembly yielded 177,046 transcripts and 42,518 coding sequences. Notably, we identified 796 species-specific genes enriched in organelle gene regulation and defense responses. A codon usage bias analysis revealed that mutation bias appears to be the primary driver of selection in shaping the species' genetic architecture. An evolutionary analysis based on dN/dS values of paralogous and orthologous gene pairs indicated a predominance of purifying selection, suggesting strong evolutionary constraints on most genes. A comparative transcriptomic analysis with Magnolia sinica identified approximately 1000 ultra-conserved genes, enriched in essential cellular processes such as transcriptional regulation, protein synthesis, and genome stability. Interestingly, only a limited number of 511 rapidly evolving genes under positive selection were detected compared to M. sinica and Magnolia kuangsiensis. These genes were enriched in metabolic processes associated with adaptation to specific environments, potentially limiting the species' ability to expand its range. Our findings contribute to understanding the genetic architecture of M. lotungensis and suggest that an insufficient number of adaptive genes contribute to its endangered status.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chenyu Shi
- Guangxi Key Laboratory of Sericulture Ecology and Applied Intelligent Technology, Hechi University, Hechi 546300, China; (C.S.); (Y.X.)
- Guangxi Collaborative Innovation Center of Modern Sericulture and Silk, Hechi University, Hechi 546300, China
| | - Yanjun Xie
- Guangxi Key Laboratory of Sericulture Ecology and Applied Intelligent Technology, Hechi University, Hechi 546300, China; (C.S.); (Y.X.)
- Guangxi Collaborative Innovation Center of Modern Sericulture and Silk, Hechi University, Hechi 546300, China
| | - Delong Guan
- Guangxi Collaborative Innovation Center of Modern Sericulture and Silk, Hechi University, Hechi 546300, China
- School of Chemistry and Bioengineering, Hechi University, Hechi 546300, China
| | - Guole Qin
- Guangxi Key Laboratory of Sericulture Ecology and Applied Intelligent Technology, Hechi University, Hechi 546300, China; (C.S.); (Y.X.)
- Guangxi Collaborative Innovation Center of Modern Sericulture and Silk, Hechi University, Hechi 546300, China
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3
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Kotari I, Kosiol C, Borges R. The Patterns of Codon Usage between Chordates and Arthropods are Different but Co-evolving with Mutational Biases. Mol Biol Evol 2024; 41:msae080. [PMID: 38667829 PMCID: PMC11108087 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msae080] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2023] [Revised: 03/22/2024] [Accepted: 04/15/2024] [Indexed: 05/22/2024] Open
Abstract
Different frequencies amongst codons that encode the same amino acid (i.e. synonymous codons) have been observed in multiple species. Studies focused on uncovering the forces that drive such codon usage showed that a combined effect of mutational biases and translational selection works to produce different frequencies of synonymous codons. However, only few have been able to measure and distinguish between these forces that may leave similar traces on the coding regions. Here, we have developed a codon model that allows the disentangling of mutation, selection on amino acids and synonymous codons, and GC-biased gene conversion (gBGC) which we employed on an extensive dataset of 415 chordates and 191 arthropods. We found that chordates need 15 more synonymous codon categories than arthropods to explain the empirical codon frequencies, which suggests that the extent of codon usage can vary greatly between animal phyla. Moreover, methylation at CpG sites seems to partially explain these patterns of codon usage in chordates but not in arthropods. Despite the differences between the two phyla, our findings demonstrate that in both, GC-rich codons are disfavored when mutations are GC-biased, and the opposite is true when mutations are AT-biased. This indicates that selection on the genomic coding regions might act primarily to stabilize its GC/AT content on a genome-wide level. Our study shows that the degree of synonymous codon usage varies considerably among animals, but is likely governed by a common underlying dynamic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ioanna Kotari
- Institut für Populationsgenetik, University of Veterinary Medicine, Veterinärplatz 1, Vienna 1210, Austria
- Vienna Graduate School of Population Genetics, Vienna, Austria
| | - Carolin Kosiol
- Centre for Biological Diversity, School of Biology, University of St Andrews, Fife KY16 9TH, UK
| | - Rui Borges
- Institut für Populationsgenetik, University of Veterinary Medicine, Veterinärplatz 1, Vienna 1210, Austria
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Nkurikiyimfura O, Waheed A, Fang H, Yuan X, Chen L, Wang YP, Lu G, Zhan J, Yang L. Fitness difference between two synonymous mutations of Phytophthora infestans ATP6 gene. BMC Ecol Evol 2024; 24:36. [PMID: 38494489 PMCID: PMC10946160 DOI: 10.1186/s12862-024-02223-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2023] [Accepted: 03/11/2024] [Indexed: 03/19/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Sequence variation produced by mutation provides the ultimate source of natural selection for species adaptation. Unlike nonsynonymous mutation, synonymous mutations are generally considered to be selectively neutral but accumulating evidence suggests they also contribute to species adaptation by regulating the flow of genetic information and the development of functional traits. In this study, we analysed sequence characteristics of ATP6, a housekeeping gene from 139 Phytophthora infestans isolates, and compared the fitness components including metabolic rate, temperature sensitivity, aggressiveness, and fungicide tolerance among synonymous mutations. RESULTS We found that the housekeeping gene exhibited low genetic variation and was represented by two major synonymous mutants at similar frequency (0.496 and 0.468, respectively). The two synonymous mutants were generated by a single nucleotide substitution but differed significantly in fitness as well as temperature-mediated spatial distribution and expression. The synonymous mutant ending in AT was more common in cold regions and was more expressed at lower experimental temperature than the synonymous mutant ending in GC and vice versa. CONCLUSION Our results are consistent with the argument that synonymous mutations can modulate the adaptive evolution of species including pathogens and have important implications for sustainable disease management, especially under climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oswald Nkurikiyimfura
- Institute of Plant Virology, Ministry of Education, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, Fujian, 350002, China
| | - Abdul Waheed
- Institute of Plant Virology, Ministry of Education, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, Fujian, 350002, China
| | - Hanmei Fang
- Institute of Plant Virology, Ministry of Education, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, Fujian, 350002, China
| | - Xiaoxian Yuan
- Institute of Plant Virology, Ministry of Education, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, Fujian, 350002, China
| | - Lixia Chen
- Fujian Key Laboratory on Conservation and Sustainable Utilization of Marine Biodiversity, Fuzhou Institute of Oceanography, Minjiang University, Fuzhou, 350108, China
- College of Resources and Environment, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, Fujian, 350002, China
| | - Yan-Ping Wang
- College of Chemistry and Life Sciences, Sichuan Provincial Key Laboratory for Development and Utilization of Characteristic Horticultural Biological Resources, Chengdu Normal University, Chengdu, Sichuan, 611130, China
| | - Guodong Lu
- Department of Plant Pathology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, Fujian, 350002, China
| | - Jiasui Zhan
- Department of Forest Mycology and Plant Pathology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, 75007, Sweden.
| | - Lina Yang
- Fujian Key Laboratory on Conservation and Sustainable Utilization of Marine Biodiversity, Fuzhou Institute of Oceanography, Minjiang University, Fuzhou, 350108, China.
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Johnson MM, Hockenberry AJ, McGuffie MJ, Vieira LC, Wilke CO. Growth-dependent Gene Expression Variation Influences the Strength of Codon Usage Biases. Mol Biol Evol 2023; 40:msad189. [PMID: 37619989 PMCID: PMC10482319 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msad189] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2023] [Accepted: 08/11/2023] [Indexed: 08/26/2023] Open
Abstract
The most highly expressed genes in microbial genomes tend to use a limited set of synonymous codons, often referred to as "preferred codons." The existence of preferred codons is commonly attributed to selection pressures on various aspects of protein translation including accuracy and/or speed. However, gene expression is condition-dependent and even within single-celled organisms transcript and protein abundances can vary depending on a variety of environmental and other factors. Here, we show that growth rate-dependent expression variation is an important constraint that significantly influences the evolution of gene sequences. Using large-scale transcriptomic and proteomic data sets in Escherichia coli and Saccharomyces cerevisiae, we confirm that codon usage biases are strongly associated with gene expression but highlight that this relationship is most pronounced when gene expression measurements are taken during rapid growth conditions. Specifically, genes whose relative expression increases during periods of rapid growth have stronger codon usage biases than comparably expressed genes whose expression decreases during rapid growth conditions. These findings highlight that gene expression measured in any particular condition tells only part of the story regarding the forces shaping the evolution of microbial gene sequences. More generally, our results imply that microbial physiology during rapid growth is critical for explaining long-term translational constraints.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mackenzie M Johnson
- Department of Integrative Biology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | - Adam J Hockenberry
- Department of Integrative Biology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | - Matthew J McGuffie
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, Center for Systems and Synthetic Biology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | - Luiz Carlos Vieira
- Department of Integrative Biology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | - Claus O Wilke
- Department of Integrative Biology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
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6
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Cervantes S, Kesälahti R, Kumpula TA, Mattila TM, Helanterä H, Pyhäjärvi T. Strong Purifying Selection in Haploid Tissue-Specific Genes of Scots Pine Supports the Masking Theory. Mol Biol Evol 2023; 40:msad183. [PMID: 37565532 PMCID: PMC10457172 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msad183] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2023] [Revised: 06/16/2023] [Accepted: 08/10/2023] [Indexed: 08/12/2023] Open
Abstract
The masking theory states that genes expressed in a haploid stage will be under more efficient selection. In contrast, selection will be less efficient in genes expressed in a diploid stage, where the fitness effects of recessive deleterious or beneficial mutations can be hidden from selection in heterozygous form. This difference can influence several evolutionary processes such as the maintenance of genetic variation, adaptation rate, and genetic load. Masking theory expectations have been confirmed in single-cell haploid and diploid organisms. However, in multicellular organisms, such as plants, the effects of haploid selection are not clear-cut. In plants, the great majority of studies indicating haploid selection have been carried out using male haploid tissues in angiosperms. Hence, evidence in these systems is confounded with the effects of sexual selection and intraspecific competition. Evidence from other plant groups is scarce, and results show no support for the masking theory. Here, we have used a gymnosperm Scots pine megagametophyte, a maternally derived seed haploid tissue, and four diploid tissues to test the strength of purifying selection on a set of genes with tissue-specific expression. By using targeted resequencing data of those genes, we obtained estimates of genetic diversity, the site frequency spectrum of 0-fold and 4-fold sites, and inferred the distribution of fitness effects of new mutations in haploid and diploid tissue-specific genes. Our results show that purifying selection is stronger for tissue-specific genes expressed in the haploid megagametophyte tissue and that this signal of strong selection is not an artifact driven by high expression levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandra Cervantes
- Department of Ecology and Genetics, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland
- Biocenter Oulu, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland
| | - Robert Kesälahti
- Department of Ecology and Genetics, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland
| | - Timo A Kumpula
- Biocenter Oulu, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland
- Laboratory of Cancer Genetics and Tumor Biology, Research Unit of Translational Medicine, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland
| | - Tiina M Mattila
- Human Evolution, Department of Organismal Biology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Heikki Helanterä
- Department of Ecology and Genetics, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland
| | - Tanja Pyhäjärvi
- Department of Forest Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
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7
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Johnson MM, Hockenberry AJ, McGuffie MJ, Vieira LC, Wilke CO. Growth-dependent gene expression variation influences the strength of codon usage biases. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.03.14.532645. [PMID: 36993177 PMCID: PMC10055066 DOI: 10.1101/2023.03.14.532645] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/29/2023]
Abstract
The most highly expressed genes in microbial genomes tend to use a limited set of synonymous codons, often referred to as "preferred codons." The existence of preferred codons is commonly attributed to selection pressures on various aspects of protein translation including accuracy and/or speed. However, gene expression is condition-dependent and even within single-celled organisms transcript and protein abundances can vary depending on a variety of environmental and other factors. Here, we show that growth rate-dependent expression variation is an important constraint that significantly influences the evolution of gene sequences. Using large-scale transcriptomic and proteomic data sets in Escherichia coli and Saccharomyces cerevisiae, we confirm that codon usage biases are strongly associated with gene expression but highlight that this relationship is most pronounced when gene expression measurements are taken during rapid growth conditions. Specifically, genes whose relative expression increases during periods of rapid growth have stronger codon usage biases than comparably expressed genes whose expression decreases during rapid growth conditions. These findings highlight that gene expression measured in any particular condition tells only part of the story regarding the forces shaping the evolution of microbial gene sequences. More generally, our results imply that microbial physiology during rapid growth is critical for explaining long-term translational constraints.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mackenzie M Johnson
- Department of Integrative Biology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, United States of America
| | - Adam J Hockenberry
- Department of Integrative Biology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, United States of America
| | - Matthew J McGuffie
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, Center for Systems and Synthetic Biology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, United States of America
| | - Luiz Carlos Vieira
- Department of Integrative Biology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, United States of America
| | - Claus O Wilke
- Department of Integrative Biology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, United States of America
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8
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Sun Q, Zeng J, Tang K, Long H, Zhang C, Zhang J, Tang J, Xin Y, Zheng J, Sun L, Liu S, Du X. Variation in synonymous evolutionary rates in the SARS-CoV-2 genome. Front Microbiol 2023; 14:1136386. [PMID: 36970680 PMCID: PMC10034387 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1136386] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2023] [Accepted: 02/13/2023] [Indexed: 03/11/2023] Open
Abstract
IntroductionCoronavirus disease 2019 is an infectious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Influential variants and mutants of this virus continue to emerge, and more effective virus-related information is urgently required for identifying and predicting new mutants. According to earlier reports, synonymous substitutions were considered phenotypically silent; thus, such mutations were frequently ignored in studies of viral mutations because they did not directly cause amino acid changes. However, recent studies have shown that synonymous substitutions are not completely silent, and their patterns and potential functional correlations should thus be delineated for better control of the pandemic.MethodsIn this study, we estimated the synonymous evolutionary rate (SER) across the SARS-CoV-2 genome and used it to infer the relationship between the viral RNA and host protein. We also assessed the patterns of characteristic mutations found in different viral lineages.ResultsWe found that the SER varies across the genome and that the variation is primarily influenced by codon-related factors. Moreover, the conserved motifs identified based on the SER were found to be related to host RNA transport and regulation. Importantly, the majority of the existing fixed-characteristic mutations for five important virus lineages (Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, and Omicron) were significantly enriched in partially constrained regions.DiscussionTaken together, our results provide unique information on the evolutionary and functional dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 based on synonymous mutations and offer potentially useful information for better control of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qianru Sun
- School of Public Health (Shenzhen), Shenzhen Campus of Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, China
- School of Public Health (Shenzhen), Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Jinfeng Zeng
- School of Public Health (Shenzhen), Shenzhen Campus of Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, China
- School of Public Health (Shenzhen), Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Kang Tang
- School of Public Health (Shenzhen), Shenzhen Campus of Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, China
- School of Public Health (Shenzhen), Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Haoyu Long
- School of Public Health (Shenzhen), Shenzhen Campus of Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, China
- School of Public Health (Shenzhen), Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Chi Zhang
- School of Public Health (Shenzhen), Shenzhen Campus of Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, China
- School of Public Health (Shenzhen), Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Jie Zhang
- School of Public Health (Shenzhen), Shenzhen Campus of Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, China
- School of Public Health (Shenzhen), Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Jing Tang
- School of Public Health (Shenzhen), Shenzhen Campus of Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, China
- School of Public Health (Shenzhen), Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yuting Xin
- School of Public Health (Shenzhen), Shenzhen Campus of Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, China
- School of Public Health (Shenzhen), Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Jialu Zheng
- School of Public Health (Shenzhen), Shenzhen Campus of Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, China
- School of Public Health (Shenzhen), Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Litao Sun
- School of Public Health (Shenzhen), Shenzhen Campus of Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, China
- School of Public Health (Shenzhen), Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Siyang Liu
- School of Public Health (Shenzhen), Shenzhen Campus of Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, China
- School of Public Health (Shenzhen), Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xiangjun Du
- School of Public Health (Shenzhen), Shenzhen Campus of Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, China
- School of Public Health (Shenzhen), Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Control, Ministry of Education, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
- *Correspondence: Xiangjun Du
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Wu P, Xiao W, Luo Y, Xiong Z, Chen X, He J, Sha A, Gui M, Li Q. Comprehensive analysis of codon bias in 13 Ganoderma mitochondrial genomes. Front Microbiol 2023; 14:1170790. [PMID: 37213503 PMCID: PMC10192751 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1170790] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2023] [Accepted: 04/12/2023] [Indexed: 05/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Codon usage bias is a prevalent phenomenon observed across various species and genes. However, the specific attributes of codon usage in the mitochondrial genome of Ganoderma species remain unknown. Methods In this study, we investigated the codon bias of 12 mitochondrial core protein-coding genes (PCGs) in 9 Ganoderma species, including 13 Ganoderma strains. Results The codons of all Ganoderma strains showed a preference for ending in A/T. Additionally, correlations between codon base composition and the codon adaptation index (CAI), codon bias index (CBI) and frequency of optimal codons (FOP) were identified, demonstrating the impact of base composition on codon bias. Various base bias indicators were found to vary between or within Ganoderma strains, including GC3s, the CAI, the CBI, and the FOP. The results also revealed that the mitochondrial core PCGs of Ganoderma have an average effective number of codons (ENC) lower than 35, indicating strong bias toward certain codons. Evidence from neutrality plot and PR2-bias plot analysis indicates that natural selection is a major factor affecting codon bias in Ganoderma. Additionally, 11 to 22 optimal codons (ΔRSCU>0.08 and RSCU>1) were identified in 13 Ganoderma strains, with GCA, AUC, and UUC being the most widely used optimal codons in Ganoderma. By analyzing the combined mitochondrial sequences and relative synonymous codon usage (RSCU) values, the genetic relationships between or within Ganoderma strains were determined, indicating variations between them. Nevertheless, RSCU-based analysis illustrated the intra- and interspecies relationships of certain Ganoderma species. Discussion This study deepens our insight into the synonymous codon usage characteristics, genetics, and evolution of this important fungal group.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peng Wu
- Yunnan Plateau Characteristic Agricultural Industry Research Institute, Yunnan Agricultural University, Kunming, Yunnan, China
| | - Wenqi Xiao
- Key Laboratory of Coarse Cereal Processing, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Sichuan Engineering and Technology Research Center of Coarse Cereal Industrialization, School of Food and Biological Engineering, Chengdu University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Yingyong Luo
- Key Laboratory of Coarse Cereal Processing, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Sichuan Engineering and Technology Research Center of Coarse Cereal Industrialization, School of Food and Biological Engineering, Chengdu University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Zhuang Xiong
- Key Laboratory of Coarse Cereal Processing, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Sichuan Engineering and Technology Research Center of Coarse Cereal Industrialization, School of Food and Biological Engineering, Chengdu University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Xiaodie Chen
- Key Laboratory of Coarse Cereal Processing, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Sichuan Engineering and Technology Research Center of Coarse Cereal Industrialization, School of Food and Biological Engineering, Chengdu University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Jing He
- Key Laboratory of Coarse Cereal Processing, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Sichuan Engineering and Technology Research Center of Coarse Cereal Industrialization, School of Food and Biological Engineering, Chengdu University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Ajia Sha
- Key Laboratory of Coarse Cereal Processing, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Sichuan Engineering and Technology Research Center of Coarse Cereal Industrialization, School of Food and Biological Engineering, Chengdu University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Mingying Gui
- Yunnan Plateau Characteristic Agricultural Industry Research Institute, Yunnan Agricultural University, Kunming, Yunnan, China
- *Correspondence: Mingying Gui,
| | - Qiang Li
- Key Laboratory of Coarse Cereal Processing, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Sichuan Engineering and Technology Research Center of Coarse Cereal Industrialization, School of Food and Biological Engineering, Chengdu University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
- Qiang Li,
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10
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Cope AL, Shah P. Intragenomic variation in non-adaptive nucleotide biases causes underestimation of selection on synonymous codon usage. PLoS Genet 2022; 18:e1010256. [PMID: 35714134 PMCID: PMC9246145 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1010256] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2021] [Revised: 06/30/2022] [Accepted: 05/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Patterns of non-uniform usage of synonymous codons vary across genes in an organism and between species across all domains of life. This codon usage bias (CUB) is due to a combination of non-adaptive (e.g. mutation biases) and adaptive (e.g. natural selection for translation efficiency/accuracy) evolutionary forces. Most models quantify the effects of mutation bias and selection on CUB assuming uniform mutational and other non-adaptive forces across the genome. However, non-adaptive nucleotide biases can vary within a genome due to processes such as biased gene conversion (BGC), potentially obfuscating signals of selection on codon usage. Moreover, genome-wide estimates of non-adaptive nucleotide biases are lacking for non-model organisms. We combine an unsupervised learning method with a population genetics model of synonymous coding sequence evolution to assess the impact of intragenomic variation in non-adaptive nucleotide bias on quantification of natural selection on synonymous codon usage across 49 Saccharomycotina yeasts. We find that in the absence of a priori information, unsupervised learning can be used to identify genes evolving under different non-adaptive nucleotide biases. We find that the impact of intragenomic variation in non-adaptive nucleotide bias varies widely, even among closely-related species. We show that the overall strength and direction of translational selection can be underestimated by failing to account for intragenomic variation in non-adaptive nucleotide biases. Interestingly, genes falling into clusters identified by machine learning are also physically clustered across chromosomes. Our results indicate the need for more nuanced models of sequence evolution that systematically incorporate the effects of variable non-adaptive nucleotide biases on codon frequencies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander L. Cope
- Department of Genetics, Rutgers University, Piscataway, New Jersey, United States of America
- Human Genetics Institute of New Jersey, Rutgers University, Piscataway, New Jersey, United States of America
- Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Rutgers University, Piscataway, New Jersey, United States of America
| | - Premal Shah
- Department of Genetics, Rutgers University, Piscataway, New Jersey, United States of America
- Human Genetics Institute of New Jersey, Rutgers University, Piscataway, New Jersey, United States of America
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11
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Ho AT, Hurst LD. Unusual mammalian usage of TGA stop codons reveals that sequence conservation need not imply purifying selection. PLoS Biol 2022; 20:e3001588. [PMID: 35550630 PMCID: PMC9129041 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3001588] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2022] [Revised: 05/24/2022] [Accepted: 04/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The assumption that conservation of sequence implies the action of purifying selection is central to diverse methodologies to infer functional importance. GC-biased gene conversion (gBGC), a meiotic mismatch repair bias strongly favouring GC over AT, can in principle mimic the action of selection, this being thought to be especially important in mammals. As mutation is GC→AT biased, to demonstrate that gBGC does indeed cause false signals requires evidence that an AT-rich residue is selectively optimal compared to its more GC-rich allele, while showing also that the GC-rich alternative is conserved. We propose that mammalian stop codon evolution provides a robust test case. Although in most taxa TAA is the optimal stop codon, TGA is both abundant and conserved in mammalian genomes. We show that this mammalian exceptionalism is well explained by gBGC mimicking purifying selection and that TAA is the selectively optimal codon. Supportive of gBGC, we observe (i) TGA usage trends are consistent at the focal stop codon and elsewhere (in UTR sequences); (ii) that higher TGA usage and higher TAA→TGA substitution rates are predicted by a high recombination rate; and (iii) across species the difference in TAA <-> TGA substitution rates between GC-rich and GC-poor genes is largest in genomes that possess higher between-gene GC variation. TAA optimality is supported both by enrichment in highly expressed genes and trends associated with effective population size. High TGA usage and high TAA→TGA rates in mammals are thus consistent with gBGC’s predicted ability to “drive” deleterious mutations and supports the hypothesis that sequence conservation need not be indicative of purifying selection. A general trend for GC-rich trinucleotides to reside at frequencies far above their mutational equilibrium in high recombining domains supports the generality of these results.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander Thomas Ho
- Milner Centre for Evolution, University of Bath, Bath, United Kingdom
- * E-mail:
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12
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Sebastian W, Sukumaran S, Gopalakrishnan A. Comparative mitogenomics of Clupeoid fish provides insights into the adaptive evolution of mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) genes and codon usage in the heterogeneous habitats. Heredity (Edinb) 2022; 128:236-249. [PMID: 35256764 PMCID: PMC8986858 DOI: 10.1038/s41437-022-00519-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2021] [Revised: 02/17/2022] [Accepted: 02/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Clupeoid fish can be considered excellent candidates to understand the role of mitochondrial DNA in adaptive evolution, as they have colonized different habitats (marine, brackish, freshwater, tropical and temperate regions) over millions of years. Here, we investigate patterns of tRNA location, codon usage bias, and lineage-specific diversifying selection signals to provide novel insights into how evolutionary improvements of mitochondrial metabolic efficiency have allowed clupeids to adapt to different habitats. Based on whole mitogenome data of 70 Clupeoids with a global distribution we find that purifying selection was the dominant force acting and that the mutational deamination pressure in mtDNA was stronger than the codon/amino acid constraints. The codon usage pattern appears evolved to achieve high translational efficiency (codon/amino acid-related constraints), as indicated by the complementarity of most codons to the GT-saturated tRNA anticodon sites (retained by deamination-induced pressure) and usage of the codons of the tRNA genes situated near to the control region (fixed by deamination pressure) where transcription efficiency was high. The observed shift in codon preference patterns between marine and euryhaline/freshwater Clupeoids indicates possible selection for improved translational efficiency in mitochondrial genes while adapting to low-salinity habitats. This mitogenomic plasticity and enhanced efficiency of the metabolic machinery may have contributed to the evolutionary success and abundance of Clupeoid fish.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wilson Sebastian
- ICAR-Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, Ernakulam North P.O., Kochi, Kerala, 682018, India
| | - Sandhya Sukumaran
- ICAR-Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, Ernakulam North P.O., Kochi, Kerala, 682018, India.
| | - A Gopalakrishnan
- ICAR-Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, Ernakulam North P.O., Kochi, Kerala, 682018, India
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13
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Klein B, Holmér L, Smith KM, Johnson MM, Swain A, Stolp L, Teufel AI, Kleppe AS. A computational exploration of resilience and evolvability of protein-protein interaction networks. Commun Biol 2021; 4:1352. [PMID: 34857859 PMCID: PMC8639913 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-021-02867-8] [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] [Received: 11/09/2020] [Accepted: 11/03/2021] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks represent complex intra-cellular protein interactions, and the presence or absence of such interactions can lead to biological changes in an organism. Recent network-based approaches have shown that a phenotype's PPI network's resilience to environmental perturbations is related to its placement in the tree of life; though we still do not know how or why certain intra-cellular factors can bring about this resilience. Here, we explore the influence of gene expression and network properties on PPI networks' resilience. We use publicly available data of PPIs for E. coli, S. cerevisiae, and H. sapiens, where we compute changes in network resilience as new nodes (proteins) are added to the networks under three node addition mechanisms-random, degree-based, and gene-expression-based attachments. By calculating the resilience of the resulting networks, we estimate the effectiveness of these node addition mechanisms. We demonstrate that adding nodes with gene-expression-based preferential attachment (as opposed to random or degree-based) preserves and can increase the original resilience of PPI network in all three species, regardless of gene expression distribution or network structure. These findings introduce a general notion of prospective resilience, which highlights the key role of network structures in understanding the evolvability of phenotypic traits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brennan Klein
- Network Science Institute, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA. .,Laboratory for the Modeling of Biological and Socio-Technical Systems, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA.
| | - Ludvig Holmér
- grid.419684.60000 0001 1214 1861Center for Data Analytics, Stockholm School of Economics, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Keith M. Smith
- grid.12361.370000 0001 0727 0669Department of Physics and Mathematics, Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham, UK
| | - Mackenzie M. Johnson
- grid.89336.370000 0004 1936 9924Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX USA
| | - Anshuman Swain
- grid.164295.d0000 0001 0941 7177Department of Biology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD USA
| | - Laura Stolp
- grid.7177.60000000084992262Graduate School of Science, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Ashley I. Teufel
- grid.89336.370000 0004 1936 9924Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX USA ,grid.209665.e0000 0001 1941 1940Santa Fe Institute, Santa Fe, NM USA ,grid.469272.c0000 0001 0180 5693Texas A&M University, San Antonio, San Antonio, TX USA
| | - April S. Kleppe
- grid.5949.10000 0001 2172 9288Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity, University of Münster, Münster, Germany ,grid.7048.b0000 0001 1956 2722Department of Clinical Medicine (MOMA), Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
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