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Baker BA, Gutiérrez-Preciado A, Rodríguez Del Río Á, McCarthy CGP, López-García P, Huerta-Cepas J, Susko E, Roger AJ, Eme L, Moreira D. Expanded phylogeny of extremely halophilic archaea shows multiple independent adaptations to hypersaline environments. Nat Microbiol 2024; 9:964-975. [PMID: 38519541 DOI: 10.1038/s41564-024-01647-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2023] [Accepted: 02/20/2024] [Indexed: 03/25/2024]
Abstract
Extremely halophilic archaea (Haloarchaea, Nanohaloarchaeota, Methanonatronarchaeia and Halarchaeoplasmatales) thrive in saturating salt concentrations where they must maintain osmotic equilibrium with their environment. The evolutionary history of adaptations enabling salt tolerance remains poorly understood, in particular because the phylogeny of several lineages is conflicting. Here we present a resolved phylogeny of extremely halophilic archaea obtained using improved taxon sampling and state-of-the-art phylogenetic approaches designed to cope with the strong compositional biases of their proteomes. We describe two uncultured lineages, Afararchaeaceae and Asbonarchaeaceae, which break the long branches at the base of Haloarchaea and Nanohaloarchaeota, respectively. We obtained 13 metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) of these archaea from metagenomes of hypersaline aquatic systems of the Danakil Depression (Ethiopia). Our phylogenomic analyses including these taxa show that at least four independent adaptations to extreme halophily occurred during archaeal evolution. Gene-tree/species-tree reconciliation suggests that gene duplication and horizontal gene transfer played an important role in this process, for example, by spreading key genes (such as those encoding potassium transporters) across extremely halophilic lineages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brittany A Baker
- Ecologie Systématique Evolution, CNRS, Université Paris-Saclay, AgroParisTech, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Ana Gutiérrez-Preciado
- Ecologie Systématique Evolution, CNRS, Université Paris-Saclay, AgroParisTech, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Álvaro Rodríguez Del Río
- Centro de Biotecnología y Genómica de Plantas, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM) - Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Tecnología Agraria y Alimentaria (INIA-CSIC), Madrid, Spain
| | - Charley G P McCarthy
- Institute for Comparative Genomics, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
| | - Purificación López-García
- Ecologie Systématique Evolution, CNRS, Université Paris-Saclay, AgroParisTech, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Jaime Huerta-Cepas
- Centro de Biotecnología y Genómica de Plantas, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM) - Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Tecnología Agraria y Alimentaria (INIA-CSIC), Madrid, Spain
| | - Edward Susko
- Institute for Comparative Genomics, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
- Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
| | - Andrew J Roger
- Institute for Comparative Genomics, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
| | - Laura Eme
- Ecologie Systématique Evolution, CNRS, Université Paris-Saclay, AgroParisTech, Gif-sur-Yvette, France.
| | - David Moreira
- Ecologie Systématique Evolution, CNRS, Université Paris-Saclay, AgroParisTech, Gif-sur-Yvette, France.
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2
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Gophna U, Altman-Price N. Horizontal Gene Transfer in Archaea-From Mechanisms to Genome Evolution. Annu Rev Microbiol 2022; 76:481-502. [PMID: 35667126 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-micro-040820-124627] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Archaea remains the least-studied and least-characterized domain of life despite its significance not just to the ecology of our planet but also to the evolution of eukaryotes. It is therefore unsurprising that research into horizontal gene transfer (HGT) in archaea has lagged behind that of bacteria. Indeed, several archaeal lineages may owe their very existence to large-scale HGT events, and thus understanding both the molecular mechanisms and the evolutionary impact of HGT in archaea is highly important. Furthermore, some mechanisms of gene exchange, such as plasmids that transmit themselves via membrane vesicles and the formation of cytoplasmic bridges that allows transfer of both chromosomal and plasmid DNA, may be archaea specific. This review summarizes what we know about HGT in archaea, and the barriers that restrict it, highlighting exciting recent discoveries and pointing out opportunities for future research. Expected final online publication date for the Annual Review of Microbiology, Volume 76 is September 2022. Please see http://www.annualreviews.org/page/journal/pubdates for revised estimates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Uri Gophna
- The Shmunis School of Biomedicine and Cancer Research, George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel; ,
| | - Neta Altman-Price
- The Shmunis School of Biomedicine and Cancer Research, George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel; , .,Department of Natural and Life Sciences, The Open University of Israel, Raanana, Israel
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3
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Wu F, Speth DR, Philosof A, Crémière A, Narayanan A, Barco RA, Connon SA, Amend JP, Antoshechkin IA, Orphan VJ. Unique mobile elements and scalable gene flow at the prokaryote-eukaryote boundary revealed by circularized Asgard archaea genomes. Nat Microbiol 2022; 7:200-212. [PMID: 35027677 PMCID: PMC8813620 DOI: 10.1038/s41564-021-01039-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2021] [Accepted: 11/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Eukaryotic genomes are known to have garnered innovations from both archaeal and bacterial domains but the sequence of events that led to the complex gene repertoire of eukaryotes is largely unresolved. Here, through the enrichment of hydrothermal vent microorganisms, we recovered two circularized genomes of Heimdallarchaeum species that belong to an Asgard archaea clade phylogenetically closest to eukaryotes. These genomes reveal diverse mobile elements, including an integrative viral genome that bidirectionally replicates in a circular form and aloposons, transposons that encode the 5,000 amino acid-sized proteins Otus and Ephialtes. Heimdallaechaeal mobile elements have garnered various genes from bacteria and bacteriophages, likely playing a role in shuffling functions across domains. The number of archaea- and bacteria-related genes follow strikingly different scaling laws in Asgard archaea, exhibiting a genome size-dependent ratio and a functional division resembling the bacteria- and archaea-derived gene repertoire across eukaryotes. Bacterial gene import has thus likely been a continuous process unaltered by eukaryogenesis and scaled up through genome expansion. Our data further highlight the importance of viewing eukaryogenesis in a pan-Asgard context, which led to the proposal of a conceptual framework, that is, the Heimdall nucleation-decentralized innovation-hierarchical import model that accounts for the emergence of eukaryotic complexity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabai Wu
- Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA.
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA.
| | - Daan R Speth
- Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | - Alon Philosof
- Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | - Antoine Crémière
- Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | - Aditi Narayanan
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | - Roman A Barco
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Stephanie A Connon
- Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | - Jan P Amend
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Igor A Antoshechkin
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | - Victoria J Orphan
- Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA.
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA.
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4
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Subedi BP, Martin WF, Carbone V, Duin EC, Cronin B, Sauter J, Schofield LR, Sutherland-Smith AJ, Ronimus RS. Archaeal pseudomurein and bacterial murein cell wall biosynthesis share a common evolutionary ancestry. FEMS MICROBES 2021; 2:xtab012. [PMID: 37334239 PMCID: PMC10117817 DOI: 10.1093/femsmc/xtab012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2021] [Accepted: 08/19/2021] [Indexed: 08/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Bacteria near-universally contain a cell wall sacculus of murein (peptidoglycan), the synthesis of which has been intensively studied for over 50 years. In striking contrast, archaeal species possess a variety of other cell wall types, none of them closely resembling murein. Interestingly though, one type of archaeal cell wall termed pseudomurein found in the methanogen orders Methanobacteriales and Methanopyrales is a structural analogue of murein in that it contains a glycan backbone that is cross-linked by a L-amino acid peptide. Here, we present taxonomic distribution, gene cluster and phylogenetic analyses that confirm orthologues of 13 bacterial murein biosynthesis enzymes in pseudomurein-containing methanogens, most of which are distantly related to their bacterial counterparts. We also present the first structure of an archaeal pseudomurein peptide ligase from Methanothermus fervidus DSM1088 (Mfer336) to a resolution of 2.5 Å and show that it possesses a similar overall tertiary three domain structure to bacterial MurC and MurD type murein peptide ligases. Taken together the data strongly indicate that murein and pseudomurein biosynthetic pathways share a common evolutionary history.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bishwa P Subedi
- AgResearch Ltd. Grasslands, Tennent Drive, Palmerston North 4442, New Zealand
- Massey University, Tennent Drive, Palmerston North 4442, New Zealand
| | - William F Martin
- Institute for Molecular Evolution, Heinrich-Heine University, Düsseldorf Universitätsstraße 1, D-40225, Germany
| | - Vincenzo Carbone
- AgResearch Ltd. Grasslands, Tennent Drive, Palmerston North 4442, New Zealand
| | - Eduardus C Duin
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Auburn University, Auburn, AL 36849, USA
| | - Bryan Cronin
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Auburn University, Auburn, AL 36849, USA
| | - Julia Sauter
- AgResearch Ltd. Grasslands, Tennent Drive, Palmerston North 4442, New Zealand
| | - Linley R Schofield
- AgResearch Ltd. Grasslands, Tennent Drive, Palmerston North 4442, New Zealand
| | | | - Ron S Ronimus
- AgResearch Ltd. Grasslands, Tennent Drive, Palmerston North 4442, New Zealand
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5
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Devos DP. Reconciling Asgardarchaeota Phylogenetic Proximity to Eukaryotes and Planctomycetes Cellular Features in the Evolution of Life. Mol Biol Evol 2021; 38:3531-3542. [PMID: 34229349 PMCID: PMC8382908 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msab186] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The relationship between the three domains of life—Archaea, Bacteria, and Eukarya—is one of Biology’s greatest mysteries. Current favored models imply two ancestral domains, Bacteria and Archaea, with eukaryotes originating within Archaea. This type of models has been supported by the recent description of the Asgardarchaeota, the closest prokaryotic relatives of eukaryotes. However, there are many problems associated with any scenarios implying that eukaryotes originated from within the Archaea, including genome mosaicism, phylogenies, the cellular organization of the Archaea, and their ancestral character. By contrast, all models of eukaryogenesis fail to consider two relevant discoveries: the detection of membrane coat proteins, and of phagocytosis-related processes in Planctomycetes, which are among the bacteria with the most developed endomembrane system. Consideration of these often overlooked features and others found in Planctomycetes and related bacteria suggest an evolutionary model based on a single ancestral domain. In this model, the proximity of Asgard and eukaryotes is not rejected but instead, Asgard are considered as diverging away from a common ancestor instead of on the way toward the eukaryotic ancestor. This model based on a single ancestral domain solves most of the ambiguities associated with the ones based on two ancestral domains. The single-domain model is better suited to explain the origin and evolution of all three domains of life, blurring the distinctions between them. Support for this model as well as the opportunities that it presents not only for reinterpreting previous results, but also for planning future experiments, are explored.
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Affiliation(s)
- Damien P Devos
- Centro Andaluz de Biología del Desarrollo (CABD) - CSIC, Junta de Andalucía, Universidad Pablo de Olavide, Carretera de Utrera Km 1, Seville, 41013, Spain
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6
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Viruses in Extreme Environments, Current Overview, and Biotechnological Potential. Viruses 2021; 13:v13010081. [PMID: 33430116 PMCID: PMC7826561 DOI: 10.3390/v13010081] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2020] [Revised: 12/14/2020] [Accepted: 12/29/2020] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Virus research has advanced significantly since the discovery of the tobacco mosaic virus (TMV), the characterization of its infection mechanisms and the factors that determine their pathogenicity. However, most viral research has focused on pathogenic viruses to humans, animals and plants, which represent only a small fraction in the virosphere. As a result, the role of most viral genes, and the mechanisms of coevolution between mutualistic viruses, their host and their environment, beyond pathogenicity, remain poorly understood. This review focuses on general aspects of viruses that interact with extremophile organisms, characteristics and examples of mechanisms of adaptation. Finally, this review provides an overview on how knowledge of extremophile viruses sheds light on the application of new tools of relevant use in modern molecular biology, discussing their value in a biotechnological context.
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7
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Martijn J, Schön ME, Lind AE, Vosseberg J, Williams TA, Spang A, Ettema TJG. Hikarchaeia demonstrate an intermediate stage in the methanogen-to-halophile transition. Nat Commun 2020; 11:5490. [PMID: 33127909 PMCID: PMC7599335 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-19200-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2020] [Accepted: 10/01/2020] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Halobacteria (henceforth: Haloarchaea) are predominantly aerobic halophiles that are thought to have evolved from anaerobic methanogens. This remarkable transformation most likely involved an extensive influx of bacterial genes. Whether it entailed a single massive transfer event or a gradual stream of transfers remains a matter of debate. To address this, genomes that descend from methanogen-to-halophile intermediates are necessary. Here, we present five such near-complete genomes of Marine Group IV archaea (Hikarchaeia), the closest known relatives of Haloarchaea. Their inclusion in gene tree-aware ancestral reconstructions reveals an intermediate stage that had already lost a large number of genes, including nearly all of those involved in methanogenesis and the Wood-Ljungdahl pathway. In contrast, the last Haloarchaea common ancestor gained a large number of genes and expanded its aerobic respiration and salt/UV resistance gene repertoire. Our results suggest that complex and gradual patterns of gain and loss shaped the methanogen-to-halophile transition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joran Martijn
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Microbiology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada
- Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Max E Schön
- Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Anders E Lind
- Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Julian Vosseberg
- Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
- Theoretical Biology and Bioinformatics, Department of Biology, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Tom A Williams
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | - Anja Spang
- Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
- NIOZ, Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, Department of Marine Microbiology and Biogeochemistry, Utrecht University, Den Burg, The Netherlands
| | - Thijs J G Ettema
- Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, The Netherlands.
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8
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Ancestral Reconstructions Decipher Major Adaptations of Ammonia-Oxidizing Archaea upon Radiation into Moderate Terrestrial and Marine Environments. mBio 2020; 11:mBio.02371-20. [PMID: 33051370 PMCID: PMC7554672 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.02371-20] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Unlike all other archaeal lineages, ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) of the phylum Thaumarchaeota are widespread and abundant in all moderate and oxic environments on Earth. The evolutionary adaptations that led to such unprecedented ecological success of a microbial clade characterized by highly conserved energy and carbon metabolisms have, however, remained underexplored. Here, we reconstructed the genomic content and growth temperature of the ancestor of all AOA, as well as the ancestors of the marine and soil lineages, based on 39 available complete or nearly complete genomes of AOA. Our evolutionary scenario depicts an extremely thermophilic, autotrophic, aerobic ancestor from which three independent lineages of a marine and two terrestrial groups radiated into moderate environments. Their emergence was paralleled by (i) a continuous acquisition of an extensive collection of stress tolerance genes mostly involved in redox maintenance and oxygen detoxification, (ii) an expansion of regulatory capacities in transcription and central metabolic functions, and (iii) an extended repertoire of cell appendages and modifications related to adherence and interactions with the environment. Our analysis provides insights into the evolutionary transitions and key processes that enabled the conquest of the diverse environments in which contemporary AOA are found.
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9
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Avni E, Snir S. A New Phylogenomic Approach For Quantifying Horizontal Gene Transfer Trends in Prokaryotes. Sci Rep 2020; 10:12425. [PMID: 32709941 PMCID: PMC7381616 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-62446-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2018] [Accepted: 01/27/2020] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
It is well established nowadays that among prokaryotes, various families of orthologous genes exhibit conflicting evolutionary history. A prime factor for this conflict is horizontal gene transfer (HGT) - the transfer of genetic material not via vertical descent. Thus, the prevalence of HGT is challenging the meaningfulness of the classical Tree of Life concept. Here we present a comprehensive study of HGT representing the entire prokaryotic world. We mainly rely on a novel analytic approach for analyzing an aggregate of gene histories, by means of the quartet plurality distribution (QPD) that we develop. Through the analysis of real and simulated data, QPD is used to reveal evidence of a barrier against HGT, separating the archaea from the bacteria and making HGT between the two domains, in general, quite rare. In contrast, bacteria's confined HGT is substantially more frequent than archaea's. Our approach also reveals that despite intensive HGT, a strong tree-like signal can be extracted, corroborating several previous works. Thus, QPD, which enables one to analytically combine information from an aggregate of gene trees, can be used for understanding patterns and rates of HGT in prokaryotes, as well as for validating or refuting models of horizontal genetic transfers and evolution in general.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eliran Avni
- Department of Evolutionary Biology, University of Haifa, Haifa, 31905, Israel.
| | - Sagi Snir
- Department of Evolutionary Biology, University of Haifa, Haifa, 31905, Israel.
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10
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Sojo V. Why the Lipid Divide? Membrane Proteins as Drivers of the Split between the Lipids of the Three Domains of Life. Bioessays 2019; 41:e1800251. [PMID: 30970170 DOI: 10.1002/bies.201800251] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2018] [Revised: 03/09/2019] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
Recent results from engineered and natural samples show that the starkly different lipids of archaea and bacteria can form stable hybrid membranes. But if the two types can mix, why don't they? That is, why do most bacteria and all eukaryotes have only typically bacterial lipids, and archaea archaeal lipids? It is suggested here that the reason may lie on the other main component of cellular membranes: membrane proteins, and their close adaptation to the lipids. Archaeal lipids in modern bacteria could suggest that the last universal common ancestor (LUCA) had both lipid types. However, this would imply a rather elaborate evolutionary scenario, while negating simpler alternatives. In light of widespread horizontal gene transfer across the prokaryotic domains, hybrid membranes reveal that the lipid divide did not just occur once at the divergence of archaea and bacteria from LUCA. Instead, it continues to occur actively to this day.
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Affiliation(s)
- Victor Sojo
- College for Life Sciences, Wissenschaftskolleg zu Berlin (Institute for Advanced Study, Berlin), Germany
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11
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An evolving view of methane metabolism in the Archaea. Nat Rev Microbiol 2019; 17:219-232. [DOI: 10.1038/s41579-018-0136-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 231] [Impact Index Per Article: 46.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2017] [Accepted: 11/26/2018] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
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12
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Kapust N, Nelson-Sathi S, Schönfeld B, Hazkani-Covo E, Bryant D, Lockhart PJ, Röttger M, Xavier JC, Martin WF. Failure to Recover Major Events of Gene Flux in Real Biological Data Due to Method Misapplication. Genome Biol Evol 2018; 10:1198-1209. [PMID: 29718211 PMCID: PMC5928405 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evy080] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/17/2018] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
In prokaryotes, known mechanisms of lateral gene transfer (transformation, transduction, conjugation, and gene transfer agents) generate new combinations of genes among chromosomes during evolution. In eukaryotes, whose host lineage is descended from archaea, lateral gene transfer from organelles to the nucleus occurs at endosymbiotic events. Recent genome analyses studying gene distributions have uncovered evidence for sporadic, discontinuous events of gene transfer from bacteria to archaea during evolution. Other studies have used traditional models designed to investigate gene family size evolution (Count) to support claims that gene transfer to archaea was continuous during evolution, rather than involving occasional periodic mass gene influx events. Here, we show that the methodology used in analyses favoring continuous gene transfers to archaea was misapplied in other studies and does not recover known events of single simultaneous origin for many genes followed by differential loss in real data: plastid genomes. Using the same software and the same settings, we reanalyzed presence/absence pattern data for proteins encoded in plastid genomes and for eukaryotic protein families acquired from plastids. Contrary to expectations under a plastid origin model, we found that the methodology employed inferred that gene acquisitions occurred uniformly across the plant tree. Sometimes as many as nine different acquisitions by plastid DNA were inferred for the same protein family. That is, the methodology that recovered gradual and continuous lateral gene transfer among lineages for archaea obtains the same result for plastids, even though it is known that massive gains followed by gradual differential loss is the true evolutionary process that generated plastid gene distribution data. Our findings caution against the use of models designed to study gene family size evolution for investigating gene transfer processes, especially when transfers involving more than one gene per event are possible.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nils Kapust
- Institute of Molecular Evolution, Heinrich Heine University, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Shijulal Nelson-Sathi
- Computational Biology & Bioinformatics Group, Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology, Trivandrum, Kerala, India
| | | | - Einat Hazkani-Covo
- Department of Natural and Life Sciences, The Open University of Israel, Ra’anana, Israel
| | - David Bryant
- Department of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Peter J Lockhart
- Institute of Fundamental Sciences, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
| | - Mayo Röttger
- Institute of Molecular Evolution, Heinrich Heine University, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Joana C Xavier
- Institute of Molecular Evolution, Heinrich Heine University, Düsseldorf, Germany
- Corresponding author: E-mail:
| | - William F Martin
- Institute of Molecular Evolution, Heinrich Heine University, Düsseldorf, Germany
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13
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Sorokin DY, Messina E, La Cono V, Ferrer M, Ciordia S, Mena MC, Toshchakov SV, Golyshin PN, Yakimov MM. Sulfur Respiration in a Group of Facultatively Anaerobic Natronoarchaea Ubiquitous in Hypersaline Soda Lakes. Front Microbiol 2018; 9:2359. [PMID: 30333814 PMCID: PMC6176080 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2018.02359] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2018] [Accepted: 09/14/2018] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The ubiquity of strictly anaerobic sulfur-respiring haloarchaea in hypersaline systems with circumneutral pH has shaken a traditional concept of this group as predominantly aerobic heterotrophs. Here, we demonstrated that this functional group of haloarchaea also has its representatives in hypersaline alkaline lakes. Sediments from various hypersaline soda lakes showed high activity of sulfur reduction only partially inhibited by antibiotics. Eight pure cultures of sulfur-reducing natronoarchaea were isolated from such sediments using formate and butyrate as electron donors and sulfur as an electron acceptor. Unlike strict anaerobic haloarchaea, these novel sulfur-reducing natronoarchaea are facultative anaerobes, whose metabolic capabilities were inferred from cultivation experiments and genomic/proteomic reconstruction. While sharing many physiological traits with strict anaerobic haloarchaea, following metabolic distinctions make these new organisms be successful in both anoxic and aerobic habitats: the recruiting of heme-copper quinol oxidases as terminal electron sink in aerobic respiratory chain and the utilization of formate, hydrogen or short-chain fatty acids as electron donors during anaerobic growth with elemental sulfur. Obtained results significantly advance the emerging concept of halo(natrono)archaea as important players in the anaerobic sulfur and carbon cycling in various salt-saturated habitats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dimitry Y Sorokin
- Winogradsky Institute of Microbiology, Research Centre of Biotechnology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia.,Department of Biotechnology, Delft University of Technology, Delft, Netherlands
| | - Enzo Messina
- Institute for Coastal Marine Environment, National Research Council, Messina, Italy
| | - Violetta La Cono
- Institute for Coastal Marine Environment, National Research Council, Messina, Italy
| | - Manuel Ferrer
- Institute of Catalysis, Spanish National Research Council, Madrid, Spain
| | - Sergio Ciordia
- Proteomics Unit, National Center for Biotechnology, Spanish National Research Council, Madrid, Spain
| | - Maria C Mena
- Proteomics Unit, National Center for Biotechnology, Spanish National Research Council, Madrid, Spain
| | - Stepan V Toshchakov
- Winogradsky Institute of Microbiology, Research Centre of Biotechnology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia.,Immanuel Kant Baltic Federal University, Kaliningrad, Russia
| | - Peter N Golyshin
- School of Biological Sciences and The Centre for Environmental Biotechnology, Bangor University, Bangor, United Kingdom
| | - Michail M Yakimov
- Institute for Coastal Marine Environment, National Research Council, Messina, Italy.,Immanuel Kant Baltic Federal University, Kaliningrad, Russia
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14
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Staley JT, Caetano-Anollés G. Archaea-First and the Co-Evolutionary Diversification of Domains of Life. Bioessays 2018; 40:e1800036. [PMID: 29944192 DOI: 10.1002/bies.201800036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2018] [Revised: 05/12/2018] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
The origins and evolution of the Archaea, Bacteria, and Eukarya remain controversial. Phylogenomic-wide studies of molecular features that are evolutionarily conserved, such as protein structural domains, suggest Archaea is the first domain of life to diversify from a stem line of descent. This line embodies the last universal common ancestor of cellular life. Here, we propose that ancestors of Euryarchaeota co-evolved with those of Bacteria prior to the diversification of Eukarya. This co-evolutionary scenario is supported by comparative genomic and phylogenomic analyses of the distributions of fold families of domains in the proteomes of free-living organisms, which show horizontal gene recruitments and informational process homologies. It also benefits from the molecular study of cell physiologies responsible for membrane phospholipids, methanogenesis, methane oxidation, cell division, gas vesicles, and the cell wall. Our theory however challenges popular cell fusion and two-domain of life scenarios derived from sequence analysis, demanding phylogenetic reconciliation. Also see the video abstract here: https://youtu.be/9yVWn_Q9faY.
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Affiliation(s)
- James T Staley
- Department of Microbiology and Astrobiology Program, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA
| | - Gustavo Caetano-Anollés
- Department of Crop Sciences, C. R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, 61801, USA
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15
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Méheust R, Watson AK, Lapointe FJ, Papke RT, Lopez P, Bapteste E. Hundreds of novel composite genes and chimeric genes with bacterial origins contributed to haloarchaeal evolution. Genome Biol 2018; 19:75. [PMID: 29880023 PMCID: PMC5992828 DOI: 10.1186/s13059-018-1454-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2017] [Accepted: 05/16/2018] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Haloarchaea, a major group of archaea, are able to metabolize sugars and to live in oxygenated salty environments. Their physiology and lifestyle strongly contrast with that of their archaeal ancestors. Amino acid optimizations, which lowered the isoelectric point of haloarchaeal proteins, and abundant lateral gene transfers from bacteria have been invoked to explain this deep evolutionary transition. We use network analyses to show that the evolution of novel genes exclusive to Haloarchaea also contributed to the evolution of this group. RESULTS We report the creation of 320 novel composite genes, both early in the evolution of Haloarchaea during haloarchaeal genesis and later in diverged haloarchaeal groups. One hundred and twenty-six of these novel composite genes derived from genetic material from bacterial genomes. These latter genes, largely involved in metabolic functions but also in oxygenic lifestyle, constitute a different gene pool from the laterally acquired bacterial genes formerly identified. These novel composite genes were likely advantageous for their hosts, since they show significant residence times in haloarchaeal genomes-consistent with a long phylogenetic history involving vertical descent and lateral gene transfer-and encode proteins with optimized isoelectric points. CONCLUSIONS Overall, our work encourages a systematic search for composite genes across all archaeal major groups, in order to better understand the origins of novel prokaryotic genes, and in order to test to what extent archaea might have adjusted their lifestyles by incorporating and recycling laterally acquired bacterial genetic fragments into new archaeal genes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raphaël Méheust
- Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Univ Paris 06, Institut de Biologie Paris Seine, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Unité Mixte de Recherche 7138 Evolution Paris Seine, 75005, Paris, France
| | - Andrew K Watson
- Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Univ Paris 06, Institut de Biologie Paris Seine, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Unité Mixte de Recherche 7138 Evolution Paris Seine, 75005, Paris, France
| | | | - R Thane Papke
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, 06269, USA
| | - Philippe Lopez
- Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Univ Paris 06, Institut de Biologie Paris Seine, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Unité Mixte de Recherche 7138 Evolution Paris Seine, 75005, Paris, France
| | - Eric Bapteste
- Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Univ Paris 06, Institut de Biologie Paris Seine, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Unité Mixte de Recherche 7138 Evolution Paris Seine, 75005, Paris, France.
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16
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Hall JPJ, Brockhurst MA, Harrison E. Sampling the mobile gene pool: innovation via horizontal gene transfer in bacteria. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2018; 372:rstb.2016.0424. [PMID: 29061896 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2016.0424] [Citation(s) in RCA: 104] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/05/2017] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
In biological systems, evolutionary innovations can spread not only from parent to offspring (i.e. vertical transmission), but also 'horizontally' between individuals, who may or may not be related. Nowhere is this more apparent than in bacteria, where novel ecological traits can spread rapidly within and between species through horizontal gene transfer (HGT). This important evolutionary process is predominantly a by-product of the infectious spread of mobile genetic elements (MGEs). We will discuss the ecological conditions that favour the spread of traits by HGT, the evolutionary and social consequences of sharing traits, and how HGT is shaped by inherent conflicts between bacteria and MGEs.This article is part of the themed issue 'Process and pattern in innovations from cells to societies'.
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Affiliation(s)
- James P J Hall
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, Alfred Denny Building, University of Sheffield, Western Bank, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK
| | - Michael A Brockhurst
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, Alfred Denny Building, University of Sheffield, Western Bank, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK
| | - Ellie Harrison
- P3 Institute, Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, Arthur Willis Environment Centre, University of Sheffield, 1 Maxfield Avenue, Sheffield S10 1AE, UK
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17
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Farming the mitochondrial ancestor as a model of endosymbiotic establishment by natural selection. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2018; 115:E1504-E1510. [PMID: 29382768 PMCID: PMC5816194 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1718707115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
The origin of mitochondria is a challenging and intensely debated issue. Mitochondria are ancestrally present in eukaryotes, and their endosymbiotic inclusion was an extremely important step during the transition from prokaryotes to eukaryotes. However, because of the unknown order of eukaryotic inventions (e.g., cytoskeleton, phagocytosis, and endomembranes), it is unknown whether they led to or followed the acquisition of mitochondria. According to the farming hypothesis, the mitochondrial ancestor was captured by a phagocytotic host, but the advantage was not direct metabolic help provided by the symbiont; rather, it was provisioning captured prey to farmers in poor times, like humans farm pigs. Our analytical and computational models prove that farming could lead to stable endosymbiosis without any further benefit assumed between partners. The origin of mitochondria was a major evolutionary transition leading to eukaryotes, and is a hotly debated issue. It is unknown whether mitochondria were acquired early or late, and whether it was captured via phagocytosis or syntrophic integration. We present dynamical models to directly simulate the emergence of mitochondria in an ecoevolutionary context. Our results show that regulated farming of prey bacteria and delayed digestion can facilitate the establishment of stable endosymbiosis if prey-rich and prey-poor periods alternate. Stable endosymbiosis emerges without assuming any initial metabolic benefit provided by the engulfed partner, in a wide range of parameters, despite that during good periods farming is costly. Our approach lends support to the appearance of mitochondria before any metabolic coupling has emerged, but after the evolution of primitive phagocytosis by the urkaryote.
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18
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Abstract
Many of the most important evolutionary variations that generated phenotypic adaptations and originated novel taxa resulted from complex cellular activities affecting genome content and expression. These activities included (i) the symbiogenetic cell merger that produced the mitochondrion-bearing ancestor of all extant eukaryotes, (ii) symbiogenetic cell mergers that produced chloroplast-bearing ancestors of photosynthetic eukaryotes, and (iii) interspecific hybridizations and genome doublings that generated new species and adaptive radiations of higher plants and animals. Adaptive variations also involved horizontal DNA transfers and natural genetic engineering by mobile DNA elements to rewire regulatory networks, such as those essential to viviparous reproduction in mammals. In the most highly evolved multicellular organisms, biological complexity scales with 'non-coding' DNA content rather than with protein-coding capacity in the genome. Coincidentally, 'non-coding' RNAs rich in repetitive mobile DNA sequences function as key regulators of complex adaptive phenotypes, such as stem cell pluripotency. The intersections of cell fusion activities, horizontal DNA transfers and natural genetic engineering of Read-Write genomes provide a rich molecular and biological foundation for understanding how ecological disruptions can stimulate productive, often abrupt, evolutionary transformations.
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Affiliation(s)
- James A Shapiro
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Chicago, GCISW123B, 979 E. 57th Street, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
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19
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Spang A, Caceres EF, Ettema TJG. Genomic exploration of the diversity, ecology, and evolution of the archaeal domain of life. Science 2017; 357:357/6351/eaaf3883. [DOI: 10.1126/science.aaf3883] [Citation(s) in RCA: 196] [Impact Index Per Article: 28.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
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20
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The growing tree of Archaea: new perspectives on their diversity, evolution and ecology. ISME JOURNAL 2017; 11:2407-2425. [PMID: 28777382 DOI: 10.1038/ismej.2017.122] [Citation(s) in RCA: 223] [Impact Index Per Article: 31.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2016] [Revised: 04/07/2017] [Accepted: 06/07/2017] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
The Archaea occupy a key position in the Tree of Life, and are a major fraction of microbial diversity. Abundant in soils, ocean sediments and the water column, they have crucial roles in processes mediating global carbon and nutrient fluxes. Moreover, they represent an important component of the human microbiome, where their role in health and disease is still unclear. The development of culture-independent sequencing techniques has provided unprecedented access to genomic data from a large number of so far inaccessible archaeal lineages. This is revolutionizing our view of the diversity and metabolic potential of the Archaea in a wide variety of environments, an important step toward understanding their ecological role. The archaeal tree is being rapidly filled up with new branches constituting phyla, classes and orders, generating novel challenges for high-rank systematics, and providing key information for dissecting the origin of this domain, the evolutionary trajectories that have shaped its current diversity, and its relationships with Bacteria and Eukarya. The present picture is that of a huge diversity of the Archaea, which we are only starting to explore.
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21
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Affiliation(s)
- Anja Spang
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Science for Life Laboratory, Uppsala University, Box 596, SE-75123, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Thijs J G Ettema
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Science for Life Laboratory, Uppsala University, Box 596, SE-75123, Uppsala, Sweden
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22
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Evolution of biosynthetic diversity. Biochem J 2017; 474:2277-2299. [DOI: 10.1042/bcj20160823] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2017] [Revised: 04/20/2017] [Accepted: 04/24/2017] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Since the emergence of the last common ancestor from which all extant life evolved, the metabolite repertoire of cells has increased and diversified. Not only has the metabolite cosmos expanded, but the ways in which the same metabolites are made have diversified. Enzymes catalyzing the same reaction have evolved independently from different protein folds; the same protein fold can produce enzymes recognizing different substrates, and enzymes performing different chemistries. Genes encoding useful enzymes can be transferred between organisms and even between the major domains of life. Organisms that live in metabolite-rich environments sometimes lose the pathways that produce those same metabolites. Fusion of different protein domains results in enzymes with novel properties. This review will consider the major evolutionary mechanisms that generate biosynthetic diversity: gene duplication (and gene loss), horizontal and endosymbiotic gene transfer, and gene fusion. It will also discuss mechanisms that lead to convergence as well as divergence. To illustrate these mechanisms, one of the original metabolisms present in the last universal common ancestor will be employed: polyamine metabolism, which is essential for the growth and cell proliferation of archaea and eukaryotes, and many bacteria.
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23
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Williams TA, Szöllősi GJ, Spang A, Foster PG, Heaps SE, Boussau B, Ettema TJG, Embley TM. Integrative modeling of gene and genome evolution roots the archaeal tree of life. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2017; 114:E4602-E4611. [PMID: 28533395 PMCID: PMC5468678 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1618463114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 146] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
A root for the archaeal tree is essential for reconstructing the metabolism and ecology of early cells and for testing hypotheses that propose that the eukaryotic nuclear lineage originated from within the Archaea; however, published studies based on outgroup rooting disagree regarding the position of the archaeal root. Here we constructed a consensus unrooted archaeal topology using protein concatenation and a multigene supertree method based on 3,242 single gene trees, and then rooted this tree using a recently developed model of genome evolution. This model uses evidence from gene duplications, horizontal transfers, and gene losses contained in 31,236 archaeal gene families to identify the most likely root for the tree. Our analyses support the monophyly of DPANN (Diapherotrites, Parvarchaeota, Aenigmarchaeota, Nanoarchaeota, Nanohaloarchaea), a recently discovered cosmopolitan and genetically diverse lineage, and, in contrast to previous work, place the tree root between DPANN and all other Archaea. The sister group to DPANN comprises the Euryarchaeota and the TACK Archaea, including Lokiarchaeum, which our analyses suggest are monophyletic sister lineages. Metabolic reconstructions on the rooted tree suggest that early Archaea were anaerobes that may have had the ability to reduce CO2 to acetate via the Wood-Ljungdahl pathway. In contrast to proposals suggesting that genome reduction has been the predominant mode of archaeal evolution, our analyses infer a relatively small-genomed archaeal ancestor that subsequently increased in complexity via gene duplication and horizontal gene transfer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tom A Williams
- School of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1TQ, United Kingdom;
- Institute for Cell and Molecular Biosciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE2 4HH, United Kingdom
| | - Gergely J Szöllősi
- MTA-ELTE Lendület Evolutionary Genomics Research Group, 1117 Budapest, Hungary
| | - Anja Spang
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Science for Life Laboratory, Uppsala University, SE-75123 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Peter G Foster
- Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, London SW7 5BD, United Kingdom
| | - Sarah E Heaps
- Institute for Cell and Molecular Biosciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE2 4HH, United Kingdom
- School of Mathematics & Statistics, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 7RU, United Kingdom
| | - Bastien Boussau
- Univ Lyon, Université Lyon 1, CNRS, Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive UMR5558, F-69622 Villeurbanne, France
| | - Thijs J G Ettema
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Science for Life Laboratory, Uppsala University, SE-75123 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - T Martin Embley
- Institute for Cell and Molecular Biosciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE2 4HH, United Kingdom
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24
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Harish A, Kurland CG. Akaryotes and Eukaryotes are independent descendants of a universal common ancestor. Biochimie 2017; 138:168-183. [PMID: 28461155 DOI: 10.1016/j.biochi.2017.04.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2017] [Accepted: 04/25/2017] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
We reconstructed a global tree of life (ToL) with non-reversible and non-stationary models of genome evolution that root trees intrinsically. We implemented Bayesian model selection tests and compared the statistical support for four conflicting ToL hypotheses. We show that reconstructions obtained with a Bayesian implementation (Klopfstein et al., 2015) are consistent with reconstructions obtained with an empirical Sankoff parsimony (ESP) implementation (Harish et al., 2013). Both are based on the genome contents of coding sequences for protein domains (superfamilies) from hundreds of genomes. Thus, we conclude that the independent descent of Eukaryotes and Akaryotes (archaea and bacteria) from the universal common ancestor (UCA) is the most probable as well as the most parsimonious hypothesis for the evolutionary origins of extant genomes. Reconstructions of ancestral proteomes by both Bayesian and ESP methods suggest that at least 70% of unique domain-superfamilies known in extant species were present in the UCA. In addition, identification of a vast majority (96%) of the mitochondrial superfamilies in the UCA proteome precludes a symbiotic hypothesis for the origin of eukaryotes. Accordingly, neither the archaeal origin of eukaryotes nor the bacterial origin of mitochondria is supported by the data. The proteomic complexity of the UCA suggests that the evolution of cellular phenotypes in the two primordial lineages, Akaryotes and Eukaryotes, was driven largely by duplication of common superfamilies as well as by loss of unique superfamilies. Finally, innovation of novel superfamilies has played a surprisingly small role in the evolution of Akaryotes and only a marginal role in the evolution of Eukaryotes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ajith Harish
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Structural and Molecular Biology Program, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.
| | - Charles G Kurland
- Department of Biology, Microbial Ecology Program, Lund University, Lund, Sweden.
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25
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Nagy LG, Szöllősi G. Fungal Phylogeny in the Age of Genomics: Insights Into Phylogenetic Inference From Genome-Scale Datasets. ADVANCES IN GENETICS 2017; 100:49-72. [DOI: 10.1016/bs.adgen.2017.09.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
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26
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Koonin EV. Horizontal gene transfer: essentiality and evolvability in prokaryotes, and roles in evolutionary transitions. F1000Res 2016; 5. [PMID: 27508073 PMCID: PMC4962295 DOI: 10.12688/f1000research.8737.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 93] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/18/2016] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
The wide spread of gene exchange and loss in the prokaryotic world has prompted the concept of ‘lateral genomics’ to the point of an outright denial of the relevance of phylogenetic trees for evolution. However, the pronounced coherence congruence of the topologies of numerous gene trees, particularly those for (nearly) universal genes, translates into the notion of a statistical tree of life (STOL), which reflects a central trend of vertical evolution. The STOL can be employed as a framework for reconstruction of the evolutionary processes in the prokaryotic world. Quantitatively, however, horizontal gene transfer (HGT) dominates microbial evolution, with the rate of gene gain and loss being comparable to the rate of point mutations and much greater than the duplication rate. Theoretical models of evolution suggest that HGT is essential for the survival of microbial populations that otherwise deteriorate due to the Muller’s ratchet effect. Apparently, at least some bacteria and archaea evolved dedicated vehicles for gene transfer that evolved from selfish elements such as plasmids and viruses. Recent phylogenomic analyses suggest that episodes of massive HGT were pivotal for the emergence of major groups of organisms such as multiple archaeal phyla as well as eukaryotes. Similar analyses appear to indicate that, in addition to donating hundreds of genes to the emerging eukaryotic lineage, mitochondrial endosymbiosis severely curtailed HGT. These results shed new light on the routes of evolutionary transitions, but caution is due given the inherent uncertainty of deep phylogenies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eugene V Koonin
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
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27
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Abstract
A universal Tree of Life (TOL) has long been a goal of molecular phylogeneticists, but reticulation at the level of genes and possibly at the levels of cells and species renders any simple interpretation of such a TOL, especially as applied to prokaryotes, problematic.
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Affiliation(s)
- W. Ford Doolittle
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
- * E-mail:
| | - Tyler D. P. Brunet
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
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