The fate of laterally transferred genes: life in the fast lane to adaptation or death

Horizontal gene transfer in eukaryotes: aligning theory with data

Horizontal gene transfer (HGT), or lateral gene transfer, is the non-sexual movement of genetic information between genomes. It has played a pronounced part in bacterial and archaeal evolution, but its role in eukaryotes is less clear. Behaviours unique to eukaryotic cells - phagocytosis and endosymbiosis - have been proposed to increase the frequency of HGT, but nuclear genomes encode fewer HGTs than bacteria and archaea. Here, I review the existing theory in the context of the growing body of data on HGT in eukaryotes, which suggests that any increased chance of acquiring new genes through phagocytosis and endosymbiosis is offset by a reduced need for these genes in eukaryotes, because selection in most eukaryotes operates on variation not readily generated by HGT.

Origin, evolution, and maintenance of gene-strand bias in bacteria

Gene-strand bias is a characteristic feature of bacterial genome organization wherein genes are preferentially encoded on the leading strand of replication, promoting co-orientation of replication and transcription. This co-orientation bias has evolved to protect gene essentiality, expression, and genomic stability from the harmful effects of head-on replication-transcription collisions. However, the origin, variation, and maintenance of gene-strand bias remain elusive. Here, we reveal that the frequency of inversions that alter gene orientation exhibits large variation across bacterial populations and negatively correlates with gene-strand bias. The density, distance, and distribution of inverted repeats show a similar negative relationship with gene-strand bias explaining the heterogeneity in inversions. Importantly, these observations are broadly evident across the entire bacterial kingdom uncovering inversions and inverted repeats as primary factors underlying the variation in gene-strand bias and its maintenance. The distinct catalytic subunits of replicative DNA polymerase have co-evolved with gene-strand bias, suggesting a close link between replication and the origin of gene-strand bias. Congruently, inversion frequencies and inverted repeats vary among bacteria with different DNA polymerases. In summary, we propose that the nature of replication determines the fitness cost of replication-transcription collisions, establishing a selection gradient on gene-strand bias by fine-tuning DNA sequence repeats and, thereby, gene inversions.

Comparison of gene clustering criteria reveals intrinsic uncertainty in pangenome analyses

BACKGROUND

A key step for comparative genomics is to group open reading frames into functionally and evolutionarily meaningful gene clusters. Gene clustering is complicated by intraspecific duplications and horizontal gene transfers that are frequent in prokaryotes. In consequence, gene clustering methods must deal with a trade-off between identifying vertically transmitted representatives of multicopy gene families, which are recognizable by synteny conservation, and retrieving complete sets of species-level orthologs. We studied the implications of adopting homology, orthology, or synteny conservation as formal criteria for gene clustering by performing comparative analyses of 125 prokaryotic pangenomes.

RESULTS

Clustering criteria affect pangenome functional characterization, core genome inference, and reconstruction of ancestral gene content to different extents. Species-wise estimates of pangenome and core genome sizes change by the same factor when using different clustering criteria, allowing robust cross-species comparisons regardless of the clustering criterion. However, cross-species comparisons of genome plasticity and functional profiles are substantially affected by inconsistencies among clustering criteria. Such inconsistencies are driven not only by mobile genetic elements, but also by genes involved in defense, secondary metabolism, and other accessory functions. In some pangenome features, the variability attributed to methodological inconsistencies can even exceed the effect sizes of ecological and phylogenetic variables.

CONCLUSIONS

Choosing an appropriate criterion for gene clustering is critical to conduct unbiased pangenome analyses. We provide practical guidelines to choose the right method depending on the research goals and the quality of genome assemblies, and a benchmarking dataset to assess the robustness and reproducibility of future comparative studies.

Bradyrhizobium xenonodulans sp. nov. isolated from nodules of Australian Acacia species invasive to South Africa

A genealogical concordance approach was used to delineate strains isolated from Acacia dealbata and Acacia mearnsii root nodules in South Africa. These isolates form part of Bradyrhizobium based on 16S rRNA sequence similarity. Phylogenetic analysis of six housekeeping genes (atpD, dnaK, glnII, gyrB, recA and rpoB) confirmed that these isolates represent a novel species, while pairwise average nucleotide identity (ANIb) calculations with the closest type strains (B. cosmicum 58S1T, B. betae PL7HG1T, B. ganzhouense CCBAU 51670 T, B. cytisi CTAW11T and B. rifense CTAW71T) resulted in values well below 95-96%. We further performed phenotypic tests which revealed that there are high levels of intraspecies variation, while an additional analysis of the nodA and nifD loci indicated that the symbiotic loci of the strains are closely related to those of Bradyrhizobium isolates with an Australian origin. Strain 14ABT (=LMG 31415 T = SARCC-753 T) is designated as the type strain of the novel species for which we propose the name Bradyrhizobium xenonodulans sp. nov.

Robust analysis of prokaryotic pangenome gene gain and loss rates with Panstripe

Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) plays a critical role in the evolution and diversification of many microbial species. The resulting dynamics of gene gain and loss can have important implications for the development of antibiotic resistance and the design of vaccine and drug interventions. Methods for the analysis of gene presence/absence patterns typically do not account for errors introduced in the automated annotation and clustering of gene sequences. In particular, methods adapted from ecological studies, including the pangenome gene accumulation curve, can be misleading as they may reflect the underlying diversity in the temporal sampling of genomes rather than a difference in the dynamics of HGT. Here, we introduce Panstripe, a method based on generalized linear regression that is robust to population structure, sampling bias, and errors in the predicted presence/absence of genes. We show using simulations that Panstripe can effectively identify differences in the rate and number of genes involved in HGT events, and illustrate its capability by analyzing several diverse bacterial genome data sets representing major human pathogens.

Differences in genetic flux in invasive Streptococcus pneumoniae associated with bacteraemia and meningitis

Background

Genetic flux, a crucial process of pneumococcal evolution, is an essential aspect of bacterial physiology during human pathogenesis. However, the role of these genetic changes and the selective forces that drive them is not fully understood. Elucidating the underlying selective forces that determine the magnitude and direction (gene gain or loss) of gene transfer is important for better understanding the pathogenesis process, and may also highlight potential therapeutic and diagnostic targets.

Methods

Here, we leveraged data from high throughput genome sequencing and robust probabilistic models to discover the magnitude and likely direction of genetic flux events, but not the source, in 209 multi-lineage invasive pneumococcal genomes generated from blood (n = 147) and CSF (n = 62) isolates, associated with bacteremia and meningitis respectively. The Gain and Loss Mapping Engine (GLOOME) was used to infer gene gain and loss more accurately by taking into account differences in rates of gene gain and loss among gene families, as well as independent evolution within and across lineages.

Results

Our results show the likely extent and direction of gene fluctuations at different niche, during pneumococcal pathogenesis, highlighting that evolutionary dynamics are important for tissue-specific host invasion and survival.

Conclusion

These findings improve insights on evolutionary dynamics during invasive pneumococcal disease, and highlight potential diagnostic and therapeutic targets.

Nutrition or nature: using elementary flux modes to disentangle the complex forces shaping prokaryote pan-genomes

Background

Microbial pan-genomes are shaped by a complex combination of stochastic and deterministic forces. Even closely related genomes exhibit extensive variation in their gene content. Understanding what drives this variation requires exploring the interactions of gene products with each other and with the organism’s external environment. However, to date, conceptual models of pan-genome dynamics often represent genes as independent units and provide limited information about their mechanistic interactions.

Results

We simulated the stochastic process of gene-loss using the pooled genome-scale metabolic reaction networks of 46 taxonomically diverse bacterial and archaeal families as proxies for their pan-genomes. The frequency by which reactions are retained in functional networks when stochastic gene loss is simulated in diverse environments allowed us to disentangle the metabolic reactions whose presence depends on the metabolite composition of the external environment (constrained by “nutrition”) from those that are independent of the environment (constrained by “nature”). By comparing the frequency of reactions from the first group with their observed frequencies in bacterial and archaeal families, we predicted the metabolic niches that shaped the genomic composition of these lineages. Moreover, we found that the lineages that were shaped by a more diverse metabolic niche also occur in more diverse biomes as assessed by global environmental sequencing datasets.

Conclusion

We introduce a computational framework for analyzing and interpreting pan-reactomes that provides novel insights into the ecological and evolutionary drivers of pan-genome dynamics.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12862-022-02052-3.

A network approach to decipher the dynamics of Lysobacteraceae plasmid gene sharing

Plasmids provide an efficient vehicle for gene sharing among bacterial populations, playing a key role in bacterial evolution. Network approaches are particularly suitable to represent multipartite relationships and are useful tools to characterize plasmid-mediated gene sharing events. The Lysobacteraceae bacterial family gathers plant commensal, plant pathogenic and opportunistic human pathogens for which plasmid mediated adaptation was reported. We searched for homologues of plasmid gene sequences from this family in all the diversity of available bacterial genome sequences and built a network of plasmid gene sharing from the results. While plasmid genes are openly shared between the bacteria of the Lysobacteraceae family, taxonomy strongly defined the boundaries of these exchanges, that only barely reached other families. Most inferred plasmid gene sharing events involved a few genes only, and evidence of full plasmid transfers were restricted to taxonomically close taxon. We detected multiple plasmid-chromosome gene transfers, among which the otherwise known sharing of a heavy metal resistance transposon. In the network, bacterial lifestyles shaped sub-structures of isolates colonizing specific ecological niches and harboring specific types of resistance genes. Genes associated to pathogenicity or antibiotic and metal resistance were among those that most importantly structured the network, highlighting the imprints of human-mediated selective pressure on pathogenic populations. A massive sequencing effort on environmental Lysobacteraceae is therefore required to refine our understanding on how this reservoir fuels the emergence and the spread of genes amongst this family and its potential impact on plant, animal and human health.

Horizontal gene transfer and adaptive evolution in bacteria

Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) is arguably the most conspicuous feature of bacterial evolution. Evidence for HGT is found in most bacterial genomes. Although HGT can considerably alter bacterial genomes, not all transfer events may be biologically significant and may instead represent the outcome of an incessant evolutionary process that only occasionally has a beneficial purpose. When adaptive transfers occur, HGT and positive selection may result in specific, detectable signatures in genomes, such as gene-specific sweeps or increased transfer rates for genes that are ecologically relevant. In this Review, we first discuss the various mechanisms whereby HGT occurs, how the genetic signatures shape patterns of genomic variation and the distinct bioinformatic algorithms developed to detect these patterns. We then discuss the evolutionary theory behind HGT and positive selection in bacteria, and discuss the approaches developed over the past decade to detect transferred DNA that may be involved in adaptation to new environments.

Comparative Genomics of Pseudomonas stutzeri Complex: Taxonomic Assignments and Genetic Diversity

Pseudomonas stutzeri is a species complex with extremely broad phenotypic and genotypic diversity. However, very little is known about its diversity, taxonomy and phylogeny at the genomic scale. To address these issues, we systematically and comprehensively defined the taxonomy and nomenclature for this species complex and explored its genetic diversity using hundreds of sequenced genomes. By combining average nucleotide identity (ANI) evaluation and phylogenetic inference approaches, we identified 123 P. stutzeri complex genomes covering at least six well-defined species among all sequenced Pseudomonas genomes; of these, 25 genomes represented novel members of this species complex. ANI values of ≥∼95% and digital DNA-DNA hybridization (dDDH) values of ≥∼60% in combination with phylogenomic analysis consistently and robustly supported the division of these strains into 27 genomovars (most likely species to some extent), comprising 16 known and 11 unknown genomovars. We revealed that 12 strains had mistaken taxonomic assignments, while 16 strains without species names can be assigned to the species level within the species complex. We observed an open pan-genome of the P. stutzeri complex comprising 13,261 gene families, among which approximately 45% gene families do not match any sequence present in the COG database, and a large proportion of accessory genes. The genome contents experienced extensive genetic gain and loss events, which may be one of the major mechanisms driving diversification within this species complex. Surprisingly, we found that the ectoine biosynthesis gene cluster (ect) was present in all genomes of P. stutzeri species complex strains but distributed at very low frequency (43 out of 9548) in other Pseudomonas genomes, suggesting a possible origin of the ancestors of P. stutzeri species complex in high-osmolarity environments. Collectively, our study highlights the potential of using whole-genome sequences to re-evaluate the current definition of the P. stutzeri complex, shedding new light on its genomic diversity and evolutionary history.

Essential gene acquisition destabilizes plasmid inheritance

Extra-chromosomal genetic elements are important drivers of evolutionary transformations and ecological adaptations in prokaryotes with their evolutionary success often depending on their ‘utility’ to the host. Examples are plasmids encoding antibiotic resistance genes, which are known to proliferate in the presence of antibiotics. Plasmids carrying an essential host function are recognized as permanent residents in their host. Essential plasmids have been reported in several taxa where they often encode essential metabolic functions; nonetheless, their evolution remains poorly understood. Here we show that essential genes are rarely encoded on plasmids; evolving essential plasmids in Escherichia coli we further find that acquisition of an essential chromosomal gene by a plasmid can lead to plasmid extinction. A comparative genomics analysis of Escherichia isolates reveals few plasmid-encoded essential genes, yet these are often integrated into plasmid-related functions; an example is the GroEL/GroES chaperonin. Experimental evolution of a chaperonin-encoding plasmid shows that the acquisition of an essential gene reduces plasmid fitness regardless of the stability of plasmid inheritance. Our results suggest that essential plasmid emergence leads to a dose effect caused by gene redundancy. The detrimental effect of essential gene acquisition on plasmid inheritance constitutes a barrier for plasmid-mediated lateral gene transfer and supplies a mechanistic understanding for the rarity of essential genes in extra-chromosomal genetic elements.

Mobile genetic elements have been extensively studied due to their role as agents of genetic innovation and rapid adaptation in prokaryotes. Specifically, prokaryotic plasmids have been the focus of investigation in the context of bacterial survival under growth limiting conditions with the prime example of resistance to antibiotics and heavy metals. In contrast, plasmids that encode for functions that are essential to their host viability are rarely described. We investigate the evolution of plasmids that encode for genes previously identified as essential for bacterial life. Our analysis of Escherichia isolates reveals only few plasmid-encoded essential genes, which likely function in the plasmid rather than the host life cycle. Following the evolution of plasmids encoding an essential gene in Escherichia coli in real time, we further find that the acquisition of a chromosomal essential gene may lead to plasmid loss. Our study supplies data and a mechanistic understanding on the rarity of essential genes in mobile genetic elements. We conclude that prokaryotic plasmids are rarely essential for their bacterial host.

Genome Mining and Comparative Genome Analysis Revealed Niche-Specific Genome Expansion in Antibacterial Bacillus pumilus Strain SF-4

The present study reports the isolation of antibacterial exhibiting Bacillus pumilus (B. pumilus) SF-4 from soil field. The genome of this strain SF-4 was sequenced and analyzed to acquire in-depth genomic level insight related to functional diversity, evolutionary history, and biosynthetic potential. The genome of the strain SF-4 harbor 12 Biosynthetic Gene Clusters (BGCs) including four Non-ribosomal peptide synthetases (NRPSs), two terpenes, and one each of Type III polyketide synthases (PKSs), hybrid (NRPS/PKS), lipopeptide, β-lactone, and bacteriocin clusters. Plant growth-promoting genes associated with de-nitrification, iron acquisition, phosphate solubilization, and nitrogen metabolism were also observed in the genome. Furthermore, all the available complete genomes of B. pumilus strains were used to highlight species boundaries and diverse niche adaptation strategies. Phylogenetic analyses revealed local diversification and indicate that strain SF-4 is a sister group to SAFR-032 and 150a. Pan-genome analyses of 12 targeted strains showed regions of genome plasticity which regulate function of these strains and proposed direct strain adaptations to specific habitats. The unique genome pool carries genes mostly associated with “biosynthesis of secondary metabolites, transport, and catabolism” (Q), “replication, recombination and repair” (L), and “unknown function” (S) clusters of orthologous groups (COG) categories. Moreover, a total of 952 unique genes and 168 exclusively absent genes were prioritized across the 12 genomes. While newly sequenced B. pumilus SF-4 genome consists of 520 accessory, 59 unique, and seven exclusively absent genes. The current study demonstrates genomic differences among 12 B. pumilus strains and offers comprehensive knowledge of the respective genome architecture which may assist in the agronomic application of this strain in future.

Time-calibrated genomic evolution of a monomorphic bacterium during its establishment as an endemic crop pathogen

Horizontal gene transfer is of major evolutionary importance as it allows for the redistribution of phenotypically important genes among lineages. Such genes with essential functions include those involved in resistance to antimicrobial compounds and virulence factors in pathogenic bacteria. Understanding gene turnover at microevolutionary scales is critical to assess the pace of this evolutionary process. Here, we characterized and quantified gene turnover for the epidemic lineage of a bacterial plant pathogen of major agricultural importance worldwide. Relying on a dense geographic sampling spanning 39 years of evolution, we estimated both the dynamics of single nucleotide polymorphism accumulation and gene content turnover. We identified extensive gene content variation among lineages even at the smallest phylogenetic and geographic scales. Gene turnover rate exceeded nucleotide substitution rate by three orders of magnitude. Accessory genes were found preferentially located on plasmids, but we identified a highly plastic chromosomal region hosting ecologically important genes such as transcription activator-like effectors. Whereas most changes in the gene content are probably transient, the rapid spread of a mobile element conferring resistance to copper compounds widely used for the management of plant bacterial pathogens illustrates how some accessory genes can become ubiquitous within a population over short timeframes.

Experimental determination of evolutionary barriers to horizontal gene transfer

BACKGROUND

Horizontal gene transfer, the acquisition of genes across species boundaries, is a major source of novel phenotypes that enables microbes to rapidly adapt to new environments. How the transferred gene alters the growth - fitness - of the new host affects the success of the horizontal gene transfer event and how rapidly the gene spreads in the population. Several selective barriers - factors that impact the fitness effect of the transferred gene - have been suggested to impede the likelihood of horizontal transmission, however experimental evidence is scarce. The objective of this study was to determine the fitness effects of orthologous genes transferred from Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium to Escherichia coli to identify the selective barriers using highly precise experimental measurements.

RESULTS

We found that most gene transfers result in strong fitness costs. Previously identified evolutionary barriers - gene function and the number of protein-protein interactions - did not predict the fitness effects of transferred genes. In contrast, dosage sensitivity, gene length, and the intrinsic protein disorder significantly impact the likelihood of a successful horizontal transfer.

CONCLUSION

While computational approaches have been successful in describing long-term barriers to horizontal gene transfer, our experimental results identified previously underappreciated barriers that determine the fitness effects of newly transferred genes, and hence their short-term eco-evolutionary dynamics.

Genome expansion in early eukaryotes drove the transition from lateral gene transfer to meiotic sex

Prokaryotes acquire genes from the environment via lateral gene transfer (LGT). Recombination of environmental DNA can prevent the accumulation of deleterious mutations, but LGT was abandoned by the first eukaryotes in favour of sexual reproduction. Here we develop a theoretical model of a haploid population undergoing LGT which includes two new parameters, genome size and recombination length, neglected by previous theoretical models. The greater complexity of eukaryotes is linked with larger genomes and we demonstrate that the benefit of LGT declines rapidly with genome size. The degeneration of larger genomes can only be resisted by increases in recombination length, to the same order as genome size - as occurs in meiosis. Our results can explain the strong selective pressure towards the evolution of sexual cell fusion and reciprocal recombination during early eukaryotic evolution - the origin of meiotic sex.

Evolutionary Mechanisms of Long-Term Genome Diversification Associated With Niche Partitioning in Marine Picocyanobacteria

Marine picocyanobacteria of the genera Prochlorococcus and Synechococcus are the most abundant photosynthetic organisms on Earth, an ecological success thought to be linked to the differential partitioning of distinct ecotypes into specific ecological niches. However, the underlying processes that governed the diversification of these microorganisms and the appearance of niche-related phenotypic traits are just starting to be elucidated. Here, by comparing 81 genomes, including 34 new Synechococcus, we explored the evolutionary processes that shaped the genomic diversity of picocyanobacteria. Time-calibration of a core-protein tree showed that gene gain/loss occurred at an unexpectedly low rate between the different lineages, with for instance 5.6 genes gained per million years (My) for the major Synechococcus lineage (sub-cluster 5.1), among which only 0.71/My have been fixed in the long term. Gene content comparisons revealed a number of candidates involved in nutrient adaptation, a large proportion of which are located in genomic islands shared between either closely or more distantly related strains, as identified using an original network construction approach. Interestingly, strains representative of the different ecotypes co-occurring in phosphorus-depleted waters (Synechococcus clades III, WPC1, and sub-cluster 5.3) were shown to display different adaptation strategies to this limitation. In contrast, we found few genes potentially involved in adaptation to temperature when comparing cold and warm thermotypes. Indeed, comparison of core protein sequences highlighted variants specific to cold thermotypes, notably involved in carotenoid biosynthesis and the oxidative stress response, revealing that long-term adaptation to thermal niches relies on amino acid substitutions rather than on gene content variation. Altogether, this study not only deciphers the respective roles of gene gains/losses and sequence variation but also uncovers numerous gene candidates likely involved in niche partitioning of two key members of the marine phytoplankton.

The Ingenuity of Bacterial Genomes

The genomes of bacteria contain fewer genes and substantially less noncoding DNA than those of eukaryotes, and as a result, they have much less raw material to invent new traits. Yet, bacteria are vastly more taxonomically diverse, numerically abundant, and globally successful in colonizing new habitats compared to eukaryotes. Although bacterial genomes are generally considered to be optimized for efficient growth and rapid adaptation, nonadaptive processes have played a major role in shaping the size, contents, and compact organization of bacterial genomes and have allowed the establishment of deleterious traits that serve as the raw materials for genetic innovation.

ShadowCaster: Compositional Methods under the Shadow of Phylogenetic Models to Detect Horizontal Gene Transfers in Prokaryotes

Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) plays an important role for evolutionary innovations within prokaryotic communities and is a crucial event for their survival. Several computational approaches have arisen to identify HGT events in recipient genomes. However, this has been proven to be a complex task due to the generation of a great number of false positives and the prediction disagreement among the existing methods. Phylogenetic reconstruction methods turned out to be the most reliable ones, but they are not extensible to all genes/species and are computationally demanding when dealing with large datasets. In contrast, the so-called surrogate methods that use heuristic solutions either based on nucleotide composition patterns or phyletic distribution of BLAST hits can be applied easily to the genomic scale, but they fail in identifying common HGT events. Here, we present ShadowCaster, a hybrid approach that sequentially combines nucleotide composition-based predictions by support vector machines (SVMs) under the shadow of phylogenetic models independent of tree reconstruction, to improve the detection of HGT events in prokaryotes. ShadowCaster successfully predicted close and distant HGT events in both artificial and bacterial genomes. ShadowCaster detected HGT related to heavy metal resistance in the genome of Rhodanobacter denitrificans with higher accuracy than the most popular state-of-the-art computational approaches, encompassing most of the predicted cases made by other methods. ShadowCaster is released at the GitHub platform as an open-source software under the GPLv3 license.

Slightly beneficial genes are retained by bacteria evolving DNA uptake despite selfish elements

Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) and gene loss result in rapid changes in the gene content of bacteria. While HGT aids bacteria to adapt to new environments, it also carries risks such as selfish genetic elements (SGEs). Here, we use modelling to study how HGT of slightly beneficial genes impacts growth rates of bacterial populations, and if bacterial collectives can evolve to take up DNA despite selfish elements. We find four classes of slightly beneficial genes: indispensable, enrichable, rescuable, and unrescuable genes. Rescuable genes - genes with small fitness benefits that are lost from the population without HGT - can be collectively retained by a community that engages in costly HGT. While this 'gene-sharing' cannot evolve in well-mixed cultures, it does evolve in a spatial population like a biofilm. Despite enabling infection by harmful SGEs, the uptake of foreign DNA is evolutionarily maintained by the hosts, explaining the coexistence of bacteria and SGEs.

Characterization of Burkholderia cepacia Complex Core Genome and the Underlying Recombination and Positive Selection

Recombination and positive selection are two key factors that play a vital role in pathogenic microorganisms’ population adaptation and diversification. The Burkholderia cepacia complex (Bcc) represents bacterial species with high similarity, which can cause severe infections among cases suffering from the chronic granulomatous disorder and cystic fibrosis (CF). At present, no genome-wide study has been carried out focusing on investigating the core genome of Bcc associated with the two evolutionary forces. The general characteristics of the core genome of Bcc species remain scarce as well. In this study, we explored the core orthologous genes of 116 Bcc strains using comparative genomic analysis and studied the two adaptive evolutionary forces: recombination and positive selection. We estimated 1005 orthogroups consisting entirely of single copy genes. These single copy orthologous genes in some Cluster of Orthologous Groups (COG) categories showed significant differences in the comparison of several evolutionary properties, and the encoding proteins were relatively simple and compact. Our findings showed that 5.8% of the core orthologous genes strongly supported recombination; in the meantime, 1.1% supported positive selection. We found that genes involved in protein synthesis as well as material transport and metabolism are favored by selection pressure. More importantly, homologous recombination contributed more genetic variation to a large number of genes and largely maintained the genetic cohesion in Bcc. This high level of recombination between Bcc species blurs their taxonomic boundaries, which leads Bcc species to be difficult or impossible to distinguish phenotypically and genotypically.

Similar genomic patterns of clinical infective endocarditis and oral isolates of Streptococcus sanguinis and Streptococcus gordonii

Streptococcus gordonii and Streptococcus sanguinis belong to the Mitis group streptococci, which mostly are commensals in the human oral cavity. Though they are oral commensals, they can escape their niche and cause infective endocarditis, a severe infection with high mortality. Several virulence factors important for the development of infective endocarditis have been described in these two species. However, the background for how the commensal bacteria, in some cases, become pathogenic is still not known. To gain a greater understanding of the mechanisms of the pathogenic potential, we performed a comparative analysis of 38 blood culture strains, S. sanguinis (n = 20) and S. gordonii (n = 18) from patients with verified infective endocarditis, along with 21 publicly available oral isolates from healthy individuals, S. sanguinis (n = 12) and S. gordonii (n = 9). Using whole genome sequencing data of the 59 streptococci genomes, functional profiles were constructed, using protein domain predictions based on the translated genes. These functional profiles were used for clustering, phylogenetics and machine learning. A clear separation could be made between the two species. No clear differences between oral isolates and clinical infective endocarditis isolates were found in any of the 675 translated core-genes. Additionally, random forest-based machine learning and clustering of the pan-genome data as well as amino acid variations in the core-genome could not separate the clinical and oral isolates. A total of 151 different virulence genes was identified in the 59 genomes. Among these homologs of genes important for adhesion and evasion of the immune system were found in all of the strains. Based on the functional profiles and virulence gene content of the genomes, we believe that all analysed strains had the ability to become pathogenic.

How enzyme promiscuity and horizontal gene transfer contribute to metabolic innovation

Promiscuity is the coincidental ability of an enzyme to catalyze its native reaction and additional reactions that are not biological functions in the same active site. Promiscuity plays a central role in enzyme evolution and is thus a useful property for protein and metabolic engineering. This review examines enzyme evolution holistically, beginning with evaluating biochemical support for four enzyme evolution models. As expected, there is strong biochemical support for the subfunctionalization and innovation-amplification-divergence models, in which promiscuity is a central feature. In many cases, however, enzyme evolution is more complex than the models indicate, suggesting much is yet to be learned about selective pressures on enzyme function. A complete understanding of enzyme evolution must also explain the ability of metabolic networks to integrate new enzyme activities. Hidden within metabolic networks are underground metabolic pathways constructed from promiscuous activities. We discuss efforts to determine the diversity and pervasiveness of underground metabolism. Remarkably, several studies have discovered that some metabolic defects can be repaired via multiple underground routes. In prokaryotes, metabolic innovation is driven by connecting enzymes acquired by horizontal gene transfer (HGT) into the metabolic network. Thus, we end the review by discussing how the combination of promiscuity and HGT contribute to evolution of metabolism in prokaryotes. Future studies investigating the contribution of promiscuity to enzyme and metabolic evolution will need to integrate deeper probes into the influence of evolution on protein biophysics, enzymology, and metabolism with more complex and realistic evolutionary models. ENZYMES: lactate dehydrogenase (EC 1.1.1.27), malate dehydrogenase (EC 1.1.1.37), OSBS (EC 4.2.1.113), HisA (EC 5.3.1.16), TrpF, PriA (EC 5.3.1.24), R-mandelonitrile lyase (EC 4.1.2.10), Maleylacetate reductase (EC 1.3.1.32).

Comparative Genomics of Rumen Butyrivibrio spp. Uncovers a Continuum of Polysaccharide-Degrading Capabilities

Feeding a global population of 8 billion people and climate change are the primary challenges facing agriculture today. Ruminant livestock are important food-producing animals, and maximizing their productivity requires an understanding of their digestive systems and the roles played by rumen microbes in plant polysaccharide degradation. Members of the genera Butyrivibrio and Pseudobutyrivibrio are a phylogenetically diverse group of bacteria and are commonly found in the rumen, where they are a substantial source of polysaccharide-degrading enzymes for the depolymerization of lignocellulosic material. Our findings have highlighted the immense enzymatic machinery of Butyrivibrio and Pseudobutyrivibrio species for the degradation of plant fiber, suggesting that these bacteria occupy similar niches but apply different degradation strategies in order to coexist in the competitive rumen environment.

Plant polysaccharide breakdown by microbes in the rumen is fundamental to digestion in ruminant livestock. Bacterial species belonging to the rumen genera Butyrivibrio and Pseudobutyrivibrio are important degraders and utilizers of lignocellulosic plant material. These bacteria degrade polysaccharides and ferment the released monosaccharides to yield short-chain fatty acids that are used by the ruminant for growth and the production of meat, milk, and fiber products. Although rumen Butyrivibrio and Pseudobutyrivibrio species are regarded as common rumen inhabitants, their polysaccharide-degrading and carbohydrate-utilizing enzymes are not well understood. In this study, we analyzed the genomes of 40 Butyrivibrio and 6 Pseudobutyrivibrio strains isolated from the plant-adherent fraction of New Zealand dairy cows to explore the polysaccharide-degrading potential of these important rumen bacteria. Comparative genome analyses combined with phylogenetic analysis of their 16S rRNA genes and short-chain fatty acid production patterns provide insight into the genomic diversity and physiology of these bacteria and divide Butyrivibrio into 3 species clusters. Rumen Butyrivibrio bacteria were found to encode a large and diverse spectrum of degradative carbohydrate-active enzymes (CAZymes) and binding proteins. In total, 4,421 glycoside hydrolases (GHs), 1,283 carbohydrate esterases (CEs), 110 polysaccharide lyases (PLs), 3,605 glycosyltransferases (GTs), and 1,706 carbohydrate-binding protein modules (CBM) with predicted activities involved in the depolymerization and transport of the insoluble plant polysaccharides were identified. Butyrivibrio genomes had similar patterns of CAZyme families but varied greatly in the number of genes within each category in the Carbohydrate-Active Enzymes database (CAZy), suggesting some level of functional redundancy. These results suggest that rumen Butyrivibrio species occupy similar niches but apply different degradation strategies to be able to coexist in the rumen.

IMPORTANCE Feeding a global population of 8 billion people and climate change are the primary challenges facing agriculture today. Ruminant livestock are important food-producing animals, and maximizing their productivity requires an understanding of their digestive systems and the roles played by rumen microbes in plant polysaccharide degradation. Members of the genera Butyrivibrio and Pseudobutyrivibrio are a phylogenetically diverse group of bacteria and are commonly found in the rumen, where they are a substantial source of polysaccharide-degrading enzymes for the depolymerization of lignocellulosic material. Our findings have highlighted the immense enzymatic machinery of Butyrivibrio and Pseudobutyrivibrio species for the degradation of plant fiber, suggesting that these bacteria occupy similar niches but apply different degradation strategies in order to coexist in the competitive rumen environment.

Gene gain and loss push prokaryotes beyond the homologous recombination barrier and accelerate genome sequence divergence

Bacterial and archaeal evolution involve extensive gene gain and loss. Thus, phylogenetic trees of prokaryotes can be constructed both by traditional sequence-based methods (gene trees) and by comparison of gene compositions (genome trees). Comparing the branch lengths in gene and genome trees with identical topologies for 34 clusters of closely related bacterial and archaeal genomes, we show here that terminal branches of gene trees are systematically compressed compared to those of genome trees. Thus, sequence evolution is delayed compared to genome evolution by gene gain and loss. The extent of this delay differs widely among bacteria and archaea. Mathematical modeling shows that the divergence delay can result from sequence homogenization by homologous recombination. The model explains how homologous recombination maintains the cohesiveness of the core genome of a species while allowing extensive gene gain and loss within the accessory genome. Once evolving genomes become isolated by barriers impeding homologous recombination, gene and genome evolution processes settle into parallel trajectories, and genomes diverge, resulting in speciation.

A significant proportion of the molecular evolution of bacteria and archaea occurs through gene gain and loss. Here Iranzo et al. develop a mathematical model that explains observed differential patterns of sequence evolution vs. gene content evolution as a consequence of homologous recombination.

Terpene Synthase Genes Originated from Bacteria through Horizontal Gene Transfer Contribute to Terpenoid Diversity in Fungi

Fungi are successful eukaryotes of wide distribution. They are known as rich producers of secondary metabolites, especially terpenoids, which are important for fungi-environment interactions. Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) is an important mechanism contributing to genetic innovation of fungi. However, it remains unclear whether HGT has played a role in creating the enormous chemical diversity of fungal terpenoids. Here we report that fungi have acquired terpene synthase genes (TPSs), which encode pivotal enzymes for terpenoid biosynthesis, from bacteria through HGT. Phylogenetic analysis placed the majority of fungal and bacterial TPS genes from diverse taxa into two clades, indicating ancient divergence. Nested in the bacterial TPS clade is a number of fungal TPS genes that are inferred as the outcome of HGT. These include a monophyletic clade of nine fungal TPS genes, designated as BTPSL for bacterial TPS-like genes, from eight species of related entomopathogenic fungi, including seven TPSs from six species in the genus Metarhizium. In vitro enzyme assays demonstrate that all seven BTPSL genes from the genus Metarhizium encode active enzymes with sesquiterpene synthase activities of two general product profiles. By analyzing the catalytic activity of two resurrected ancestral BTPSLs and one closely related bacterial TPS, the trajectory of functional evolution of BTPSLs after HGT from bacteria to fungi and functional divergence within Metarhizium could be traced. Using M. brunneum as a model species, both BTPSLs and typical fungal TPSs were demonstrated to be involved in the in vivo production of terpenoids, illustrating the general importance of HGT of TPS genes from bacteria as a mechanism contributing to terpenoid diversity in fungi.

Recombination of ecologically and evolutionarily significant loci maintains genetic cohesion in the Pseudomonas syringae species complex

Background

Pseudomonas syringae is a highly diverse bacterial species complex capable of causing a wide range of serious diseases on numerous agronomically important crops. We examine the evolutionary relationships of 391 agricultural and environmental strains using whole-genome sequencing and evolutionary genomic analyses.

Results

We describe the phylogenetic distribution of all 77,728 orthologous gene families in the pan-genome, reconstruct the core genome phylogeny using the 2410 core genes, hierarchically cluster the accessory genome, identify the diversity and distribution of type III secretion systems and their effectors, predict ecologically and evolutionary relevant loci, and establish the molecular evolutionary processes operating on gene families. Phylogenetic and recombination analyses reveals that the species complex is subdivided into primary and secondary phylogroups, with the former primarily comprised of agricultural isolates, including all of the well-studied P. syringae strains. In contrast, the secondary phylogroups include numerous environmental isolates. These phylogroups also have levels of genetic diversity typically found among distinct species. An analysis of rates of recombination within and between phylogroups revealed a higher rate of recombination within primary phylogroups than between primary and secondary phylogroups. We also find that “ecologically significant” virulence-associated loci and “evolutionarily significant” loci under positive selection are over-represented among loci that undergo inter-phylogroup genetic exchange.

Conclusions

While inter-phylogroup recombination occurs relatively rarely, it is an important force maintaining the genetic cohesion of the species complex, particularly among primary phylogroup strains. This level of genetic cohesion, and the shared plant-associated niche, argues for considering the primary phylogroups as a single biological species.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (10.1186/s13059-018-1606-y) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Genetic Drift and Indel Mutation in the Evolution of Yeast Mitochondrial Genome Size

Mitochondrial genomes (mitogenomes) are remarkably diverse in genome size and organization, but the origins of dynamic mitogenome architectures are still poorly understood. For instance, the mutational burden hypothesis postulates that the drastic difference between large plant mitogenomes and streamlined animal mitogenomes can be driven by their different mutation rates. However, inconsistent trends between mitogenome sizes and mutation rates have been documented in several lineages. These conflicting results highlight the need of systematic and sophisticated investigations on the evolution and diversity of mitogenome architecture. This study took advantage of the strikingly variable mitogenome size among different yeast species and also among intraspecific strains, examined sequence dynamics of introns, GC-clusters, tandem repeats, mononucleotide repeats (homopolymers) and evaluated their contributions to genome size variation. The contributions of these sequence features to mitogenomic variation are dependent on the timescale, over which extant genomes evolved from their last common ancestor, perhaps due to a combination of different turnover rates of mobile sequences, variable insertion spaces, and functional constraints. We observed a positive correlation between mitogenome size and the level of genetic drift, suggesting that mitogenome expansion in yeast is likely driven by multiple types of sequence insertions in a primarily nonadaptive manner. Although these cannot be explained directly by the mutational burden hypothesis, our results support an important role of genetic drift in the evolution of yeast mitogenomes.

Genes under positive selection in the core genome of pathogenic Bacillus cereus group members

In this comparative genomics study our aim was to unravel genes under positive selection in the core genome of the Bacillus cereus group. Indeed, the members of this group share close genetic relationships but display a rather large phenotypic and ecological diversity, providing a unique opportunity for studying how genomic changes reflect ecological adaptation during the divergence of a bacterial group. For this purpose, we screened ten completely sequenced genomes of four pathogenic Bacillus species, finding that 254 out of 3093 genes have codon sites with d_N/d_S (ω) values above one. These results remained unchanged after having disentangled the confounding effects of recombination and selection signature in a Bayesian framework. The presumably adaptive nucleotide polymorphisms are distributed over a wide range of biological functions, such as antibiotic resistance, DNA repair, nutrient uptake, metabolism, cell wall assembly and spore structure. Our results indicate that adaptation to animal hosts, whether as pathogens, saprophytes or symbionts, is the major driving force in the evolution of the Bacillus cereus group. Future work should seek to understand the evolutionary dynamics of both core and accessory genes in an integrative framework to ultimately unravel the key networks involved in host adaptation.

Transmission in the Origins of Bacterial Diversity, From Ecotypes to Phyla

Any two lineages, no matter how distant they are now, began their divergence as one population splitting into two lineages that could coexist indefinitely. The rate of origin of higher-level taxa is therefore the product of the rate of speciation times the probability that two new species coexist long enough to reach a particular level of divergence. Here I have explored these two parameters of disparification in bacteria. Owing to low recombination rates, sexual isolation is not a necessary milestone of bacterial speciation. Rather, irreversible and indefinite divergence begins with ecological diversification, that is, transmission of a bacterial lineage to a new ecological niche, possibly to a new microhabitat but at least to new resources. Several algorithms use sequence data from a taxon of focus to identify phylogenetic groups likely to bear the dynamic properties of species. Identifying these newly divergent lineages allows us to characterize the genetic bases of speciation, as well as the ecological dimensions upon which new species diverge. Speciation appears to be least frequent when a given lineage has few new resources it can adopt, as exemplified by photoautotrophs, C1 heterotrophs, and obligately intracellular pathogens; speciation is likely most rapid for generalist heterotrophs. The genetic basis of ecological divergence may determine whether ecological divergence is irreversible and whether lineages will diverge indefinitely into the future. Long-term coexistence is most likely when newly divergent lineages utilize at least some resources not shared with the other and when the resources themselves will coexist into the remote future.

Origin and Spread of Spliceosomal Introns: Insights from the Fungal Clade Zymoseptoria

Spliceosomal introns are a key feature of eukaryote genome architecture and have been proposed to originate from selfish group II introns from an endosymbiotic bacterium, that is, the ancestor of mitochondria. However, the mechanisms underlying the wide spread of spliceosomal introns across eukaryotic genomes have been obscure. In this study, we characterize the dynamic evolution of spliceosomal introns in the fungal genus Zymoseptoria at different evolutionary scales, that is, within a genome, among conspecific strains within species, and between different species. Within the genome, spliceosomal introns can proliferate in unrelated genes and intergenic regions. Among conspecific strains, spliceosomal introns undergo rapid turnover (gains and losses) and frequent sequence exchange between geographically distinct strains. Furthermore, spliceosomal introns could undergo introgression between distinct species, which can further promote intron invasion and proliferation. The dynamic invasion and proliferation processes of spliceosomal introns resemble the life cycles of mobile selfish (group I/II) introns, and these intron movements, at least in part, account for the dramatic processes of intron gain and intron loss during eukaryotic evolution.

Discovery and characterization of a prevalent human gut bacterial enzyme sufficient for the inactivation of a family of plant toxins

Although the human gut microbiome plays a prominent role in xenobiotic transformation, most of the genes and enzymes responsible for this metabolism are unknown. Recently, we linked the two-gene 'cardiac glycoside reductase' (cgr) operon encoded by the gut Actinobacterium Eggerthella lenta to inactivation of the cardiac medication and plant natural product digoxin. Here, we compared the genomes of 25 E. lenta strains and close relatives, revealing an expanded 8-gene cgr-associated gene cluster present in all digoxin metabolizers and absent in non-metabolizers. Using heterologous expression and in vitro biochemical characterization, we discovered that a single flavin- and [4Fe-4S] cluster-dependent reductase, Cgr2, is sufficient for digoxin inactivation. Unexpectedly, Cgr2 displayed strict specificity for digoxin and other cardenolides. Quantification of cgr2 in gut microbiomes revealed that this gene is widespread and conserved in the human population. Together, these results demonstrate that human-associated gut bacteria maintain specialized enzymes that protect against ingested plant toxins.

A Novel Strategy for Detecting Recent Horizontal Gene Transfer and Its Application to Rhizobium Strains

Recent horizontal gene transfer (HGT) is crucial for enabling microbes to rapidly adapt to their novel environments without relying upon rare beneficial mutations that arise spontaneously. For several years now, computational approaches have been developed to detect HGT, but they typically lack the sensitivity and ability to detect recent HGT events. Here we introduce a novel strategy, named RecentHGT. The number of genes undergoing recent HGT between two bacterial genomes was estimated by a new algorithm derived from the expectation-maximization algorithm and is based on the theoretical sequence-similarity distribution of orthologous genes. We tested the proposed strategy by applying it to a set of 10 Rhizobium genomes, and detected several large-scale recent HGT events. We also found that our strategy was more sensitive than other available HGT detection methods. These HGT events were mainly mediated by symbiotic plasmids. Our new strategy can provide clear evidence of recent HGT events and thus it brings us closer to the goal of detecting these potentially adaptive evolution processes in rhizobia as well as pathogens.

Sampling the mobile gene pool: innovation via horizontal gene transfer in bacteria

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'.

Inter-replicon Gene Flow Contributes to Transcriptional Integration in the Sinorhizobium meliloti Multipartite Genome

Integration of newly acquired genes into existing regulatory networks is necessary for successful horizontal gene transfer (HGT). Ten percent of bacterial species contain at least two DNA replicons over 300 kilobases in size, with the secondary replicons derived predominately through HGT. The Sinorhizobium meliloti genome is split between a 3.7 Mb chromosome, a 1.7 Mb chromid consisting largely of genes acquired through ancient HGT, and a 1.4 Mb megaplasmid consisting primarily of recently acquired genes. Here, RNA-sequencing is used to examine the transcriptional consequences of massive, synthetic genome reduction produced through the removal of the megaplasmid and/or the chromid. Removal of the pSymA megaplasmid influenced the transcription of only six genes. In contrast, removal of the chromid influenced expression of ∼8% of chromosomal genes and ∼4% of megaplasmid genes. This was mediated in part by the loss of the ETR DNA region whose presence on pSymB is due to a translocation from the chromosome. No obvious functional bias among the up-regulated genes was detected, although genes with putative homologs on the chromid were enriched. Down-regulated genes were enriched in motility and sensory transduction pathways. Four transcripts were examined further, and in each case the transcriptional change could be traced to loss of specific pSymB regions. In particularly, a chromosomal transporter was induced due to deletion of bdhA likely mediated through 3-hydroxybutyrate accumulation. These data provide new insights into the evolution of the multipartite bacterial genome, and more generally into the integration of horizontally acquired genes into the transcriptome.

The Divided Bacterial Genome: Structure, Function, and Evolution

Approximately 10% of bacterial genomes are split between two or more large DNA fragments, a genome architecture referred to as a multipartite genome. This multipartite organization is found in many important organisms, including plant symbionts, such as the nitrogen-fixing rhizobia, and plant, animal, and human pathogens, including the genera Brucella, Vibrio, and Burkholderia. The availability of many complete bacterial genome sequences means that we can now examine on a broad scale the characteristics of the different types of DNA molecules in a genome. Recent work has begun to shed light on the unique properties of each class of replicon, the unique functional role of chromosomal and nonchromosomal DNA molecules, and how the exploitation of novel niches may have driven the evolution of the multipartite genome. The aims of this review are to (i) outline the literature regarding bacterial genomes that are divided into multiple fragments, (ii) provide a meta-analysis of completed bacterial genomes from 1,708 species as a way of reviewing the abundant information present in these genome sequences, and (iii) provide an encompassing model to explain the evolution and function of the multipartite genome structure. This review covers, among other topics, salient genome terminology; mechanisms of multipartite genome formation; the phylogenetic distribution of multipartite genomes; how each part of a genome differs with respect to genomic signatures, genetic variability, and gene functional annotation; how each DNA molecule may interact; as well as the costs and benefits of this genome structure.

Comparative Genomic Analysis of Bacillus amyloliquefaciens and Bacillus subtilis Reveals Evolutional Traits for Adaptation to Plant-Associated Habitats

Bacillus subtilis and its sister species B. amyloliquefaciens comprise an evolutionary compact but physiologically versatile group of bacteria that includes strains isolated from diverse habitats. Many of these strains are used as plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) in agriculture and a plant-specialized subspecies of B. amyloliquefaciens-B. amyloliquefaciens subsp. plantarum, has recently been recognized, here we used 31 whole genomes [including two newly sequenced PGPR strains: B. amyloliquefaciens NJN-6 isolated from Musa sp. (banana) and B. subtilis HJ5 from Gossypium sp. (cotton)] to perform comparative analysis and investigate the genomic characteristics and evolution traits of both species in different niches. Phylogenomic analysis indicated that strains isolated from plant-associated (PA) habitats could be distinguished from those from non-plant-associated (nPA) niches in both species. The core genomes of PA strains are more abundant in genes relevant to intermediary metabolism and secondary metabolites biosynthesis as compared with those of nPA strains, and they also possess additional specific genes involved in utilization of plant-derived substrates and synthesis of antibiotics. A further gene gain/loss analysis indicated that only a few of these specific genes (18/192 for B. amyloliquefaciens and 53/688 for B. subtilis) were acquired by PA strains at the initial divergence event, but most were obtained successively by different subgroups of PA stains during the evolutional process. This study demonstrated the genomic differences between PA and nPA B. amyloliquefaciens and B. subtilis from different niches and the involved evolutional traits, and has implications for screening of PGPR strains in agricultural production.

Estimation of Gene Insertion/Deletion Rates with Missing Data

Lateral gene transfer is an important mechanism for evolution among bacteria. Here, genome-wide gene insertion and deletion rates are modeled in a maximum-likelihood framework with the additional flexibility of modeling potential missing data. The performance of the models is illustrated using simulations and a data set on gene family phyletic patterns from Gardnerella vaginalis that includes an ancient taxon. A novel application involving pseudogenization/genome reduction magnitudes is also illustrated, using gene family data from Mycobacterium spp. Finally, an R package called indelmiss is available from the Comprehensive R Archive Network at https://cran.r-project.org/package=indelmiss, with support documentation and examples.

Ancestral genome reconstruction identifies the evolutionary basis for trait acquisition in polyphosphate accumulating bacteria

The evolution of complex traits is hypothesized to occur incrementally. Identifying the transitions that lead to extant complex traits may provide a better understanding of the genetic nature of the observed phenotype. A keystone functional group in wastewater treatment processes are polyphosphate accumulating organisms (PAOs), however the evolution of the PAO phenotype has yet to be explicitly investigated and the specific metabolic traits that discriminate non-PAO from PAO are currently unknown. Here we perform the first comprehensive investigation on the evolution of the PAO phenotype using the model uncultured organism Candidatus Accumulibacter phosphatis (Accumulibacter) through ancestral genome reconstruction, identification of horizontal gene transfer, and a kinetic/stoichiometric characterization of Accumulibacter Clade IIA. The analysis of Accumulibacter's last common ancestor identified 135 laterally derived genes, including genes involved in glycogen, polyhydroxyalkanoate, pyruvate and NADH/NADPH metabolisms, as well as inorganic ion transport and regulatory mechanisms. In contrast, pathways such as the TCA cycle and polyphosphate metabolism displayed minimal horizontal gene transfer. We show that the transition from non-PAO to PAO coincided with horizontal gene transfer within Accumulibacter's core metabolism; likely alleviating key kinetic and stoichiometric bottlenecks, such as anaerobically linking glycogen degradation to polyhydroxyalkanoate synthesis. These results demonstrate the utility of investigating the derived genome of a lineage to identify key transitions leading to an extant complex phenotype.

Rates of Lateral Gene Transfer in Prokaryotes: High but Why?

Lateral gene transfer is of fundamental importance to the evolution of prokaryote genomes and has important practical consequences, as evidenced by the rapid dissemination of antibiotic resistance and virulence determinants. Relatively little effort has so far been devoted to explicitly quantifying the rate at which accessory genes are taken up and lost, but it is possible that the combined rate of lateral gene transfer and gene loss is higher than that of point mutation. What evolutionary forces underlie the rate of lateral gene transfer are not well understood. We here use theory developed to explain the evolution of mutation rates to address this question and explore its consequences for the study of prokaryote evolution.

A barrier to homologous recombination between sympatric strains of the cooperative soil bacterium Myxococcus xanthus

The bacterium Myxococcus xanthus glides through soil in search of prey microbes, but when food sources run out, cells cooperatively construct and sporulate within multicellular fruiting bodies. M. xanthus strains isolated from a 16 × 16-cm-scale patch of soil were previously shown to have diversified into many distinct compatibility types that are distinguished by the failure of swarming colonies to merge upon encounter. We sequenced the genomes of 22 isolates from this population belonging to the two most frequently occurring multilocus sequence type (MLST) clades to trace patterns of incipient genomic divergence, specifically related to social divergence. Although homologous recombination occurs frequently within the two MLST clades, we find an almost complete absence of recombination events between them. As the two clades are very closely related and live in sympatry, either ecological or genetic barriers must reduce genetic exchange between them. We find that the rate of change in the accessory genome is greater than the rate of amino-acid substitution in the core genome. We identify a large genomic tract that consistently differs between isolates that do not freely merge and therefore is a candidate region for harbouring gene(s) responsible for self/non-self discrimination.

H-NS Facilitates Sequence Diversification of Horizontally Transferred DNAs during Their Integration in Host Chromosomes

Bacteria can acquire new traits through horizontal gene transfer. Inappropriate expression of transferred genes, however, can disrupt the physiology of the host bacteria. To reduce this risk, Escherichia coli expresses the nucleoid-associated protein, H-NS, which preferentially binds to horizontally transferred genes to control their expression. Once expression is optimized, the horizontally transferred genes may actually contribute to E. coli survival in new habitats. Therefore, we investigated whether and how H-NS contributes to this optimization process. A comparison of H-NS binding profiles on common chromosomal segments of three E. coli strains belonging to different phylogenetic groups indicated that the positions of H-NS-bound regions have been conserved in E. coli strains. The sequences of the H-NS-bound regions appear to have diverged more so than H-NS-unbound regions only when H-NS-bound regions are located upstream or in coding regions of genes. Because these regions generally contain regulatory elements for gene expression, sequence divergence in these regions may be associated with alteration of gene expression. Indeed, nucleotide substitutions in H-NS-bound regions of the ybdO promoter and coding regions have diversified the potential for H-NS-independent negative regulation among E. coli strains. The ybdO expression in these strains was still negatively regulated by H-NS, which reduced the effect of H-NS-independent regulation under normal growth conditions. Hence, we propose that, during E. coli evolution, the conservation of H-NS binding sites resulted in the diversification of the regulation of horizontally transferred genes, which may have facilitated E. coli adaptation to new ecological niches.

Horizontal gene transfer among bacteria is the major means of acquiring genetic diversity and has been a central factor in bacterial evolution. The expression of horizontally transferred genes could potentially be optimized to permit the host bacteria to expand their habitat. The results of our study suggest that DNA regions bound by the nucleoid-associated protein, H-NS, which preferentially binds to horizontally transferred genes, have been conserved during Escherichia coli evolution. Interestingly, H-NS-bound regions have evolved faster than H-NS-unbound regions, but only in gene regulatory and coding regions. We show that DNA sequence substitutions in H-NS-bound regions actually alter the regulation of gene expression in different E. coli strains. Thus, our results support the hypothesis that H-NS accelerates the diversification of the regulation of horizontally transferred genes such that their selective expression could potentially allow E. coli strains to adapt to new habitats.

markophylo: Markov chain analysis on phylogenetic trees

SUMMARY

Continuous-time Markov chain models with finite state space are routinely used for analysis of discrete character data on phylogenetic trees. Examples of such discrete character data include restriction sites, gene family presence/absence, intron presence/absence and gene family size data. While models with constrained substitution rate matrices have been used to good effect, more biologically realistic models have been increasingly implemented in the recent literature combining, e.g., site rate variation, site partitioning, branch-specific rates, allowing for non-stationary prior root probabilities, correcting for sampling bias, etc. to name a few. Here, a flexible and fast R package is introduced that infers evolutionary rates of discrete characters on a tree within a probabilistic framework. The package, markophylo, fits maximum-likelihood models using Markov chains on phylogenetic trees. The package is efficient, with the workhorse functions written in C++ and the interface in user-friendly R.

AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION

markophylo is available as a platform-independent R package from the Comprehensive R Archive Network at https://cran.r-project.org/web/packages/markophylo/. A vignette with numerous examples is also provided with the R package.

CONTACT

udang@mcmaster.ca

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION

Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.