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Zheng B, Wang G, Qu Z, Hu J, Bao Z, Wang M. Glycosaminoglycan lyase: A new competition between bacteria and the pacific white shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei. DEVELOPMENTAL AND COMPARATIVE IMMUNOLOGY 2024; 156:105177. [PMID: 38593892 DOI: 10.1016/j.dci.2024.105177] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2024] [Revised: 04/03/2024] [Accepted: 04/03/2024] [Indexed: 04/11/2024]
Abstract
Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) is an important evolutionary force in the formation of prokaryotic and eukaryotic genomes. In recent years, many HGT genes horizontally transferred from prokaryotes to eukaryotes have been reported, and most of them are present in arthropods. The Pacific white shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei, an important economic species of arthropod, has close relationships with bacteria, providing a platform for horizontal gene transfer (HGT). In this study, we analyzed bacteria-derived HGT based on a high-quality genome of L. vannamei via a homology search and phylogenetic analysis, and six HGT genes were identified. Among these six horizontally transferred genes, we found one gene (LOC113799989) that contains a bacterial chondroitinase AC structural domain and encodes an unknown glycosaminoglycan (GAG) lyase in L. vannamei. The real-time quantitative PCR results showed that the mRNA expression level of LOC113799989 was highest in the hepatopancreas and heart, and after stimulation by Vibrio parahaemolyticus, its mRNA expression level was rapidly up-regulated within 12 h. Furthermore, after injecting si-RNA and stimulation by V. parahaemolyticus, we found that the experimental group had a higher cumulative mortality rate in 48 h than the control group, indicating that the bacteria-derived GAG lyase can reduce the mortality of shrimp with respect to infection by V. parahaemolyticus and might be related to the resistance of shrimp to bacterial diseases. Our findings contribute to the study of the function of GAGs and provide new insights into GAG-related microbial pathogenesis and host defense mechanisms in arthropods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bo Zheng
- MOE Key Laboratory of Marine Genetics and Breeding, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, 266003, China; Key Laboratory of Tropical Aquatic Germplasm of Hainan Province, Sanya Oceanographic Institution, Ocean University of China, Sanya, 572024, China
| | - Gengzhuo Wang
- MOE Key Laboratory of Marine Genetics and Breeding, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, 266003, China; Key Laboratory of Tropical Aquatic Germplasm of Hainan Province, Sanya Oceanographic Institution, Ocean University of China, Sanya, 572024, China
| | - Zhe Qu
- MOE Key Laboratory of Marine Genetics and Breeding, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, 266003, China; Key Laboratory of Tropical Aquatic Germplasm of Hainan Province, Sanya Oceanographic Institution, Ocean University of China, Sanya, 572024, China.
| | - Jingjie Hu
- MOE Key Laboratory of Marine Genetics and Breeding, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, 266003, China; Key Laboratory of Tropical Aquatic Germplasm of Hainan Province, Sanya Oceanographic Institution, Ocean University of China, Sanya, 572024, China; Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), Guangzhou, 511458, China
| | - Zhenmin Bao
- MOE Key Laboratory of Marine Genetics and Breeding, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, 266003, China; Key Laboratory of Tropical Aquatic Germplasm of Hainan Province, Sanya Oceanographic Institution, Ocean University of China, Sanya, 572024, China; Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), Guangzhou, 511458, China
| | - Mengqiang Wang
- MOE Key Laboratory of Marine Genetics and Breeding, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, 266003, China; Key Laboratory of Tropical Aquatic Germplasm of Hainan Province, Sanya Oceanographic Institution, Ocean University of China, Sanya, 572024, China; Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), Guangzhou, 511458, China.
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Caetano-Anollés G. Are Viruses Taxonomic Units? A Protein Domain and Loop-Centric Phylogenomic Assessment. Viruses 2024; 16:1061. [PMID: 39066224 PMCID: PMC11281659 DOI: 10.3390/v16071061] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2024] [Revised: 06/26/2024] [Accepted: 06/27/2024] [Indexed: 07/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Virus taxonomy uses a Linnaean-like subsumption hierarchy to classify viruses into taxonomic units at species and higher rank levels. Virus species are considered monophyletic groups of mobile genetic elements (MGEs) often delimited by the phylogenetic analysis of aligned genomic or metagenomic sequences. Taxonomic units are assumed to be independent organizational, functional and evolutionary units that follow a 'natural history' rationale. Here, I use phylogenomic and other arguments to show that viruses are not self-standing genetically-driven systems acting as evolutionary units. Instead, they are crucial components of holobionts, which are units of biological organization that dynamically integrate the genetics, epigenetic, physiological and functional properties of their co-evolving members. Remarkably, phylogenomic analyses show that viruses share protein domains and loops with cells throughout history via massive processes of reticulate evolution, helping spread evolutionary innovations across a wider taxonomic spectrum. Thus, viruses are not merely MGEs or microbes. Instead, their genomes and proteomes conduct cellularly integrated processes akin to those cataloged by the GO Consortium. This prompts the generation of compositional hierarchies that replace the 'is-a-kind-of' by a 'is-a-part-of' logic to better describe the mereology of integrated cellular and viral makeup. My analysis demands a new paradigm that integrates virus taxonomy into a modern evolutionarily centered taxonomy of organisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gustavo Caetano-Anollés
- Evolutionary Bioinformatics Laboratory, Department of Crop Sciences, C. R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
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3
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Aguirre-Carvajal K, Munteanu CR, Armijos-Jaramillo V. Database Bias in the Detection of Interdomain Horizontal Gene Transfer Events in Pezizomycotina. BIOLOGY 2024; 13:469. [PMID: 39056664 PMCID: PMC11273514 DOI: 10.3390/biology13070469] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2024] [Revised: 06/06/2024] [Accepted: 06/07/2024] [Indexed: 07/28/2024]
Abstract
Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) is a widely acknowledged phenomenon in prokaryotes for generating genetic diversity. However, the impact of this process in eukaryotes, particularly interdomain HGT, is a topic of debate. Although there have been observed biases in interdomain HGT detection, little exploration has been conducted on the effects of imbalanced databases. In our study, we conducted experiments to assess how different databases affect the detection of interdomain HGT using proteomes from the Pezizomycotina fungal subphylum as our focus group. Our objective was to simulate the database imbalance commonly found in public biological databases, where bacterial and eukaryotic sequences are unevenly represented, and demonstrate that an increase in uploaded eukaryotic sequences leads to a decrease in predicted HGTs. For our experiments, four databases with varying proportions of eukaryotic sequences but consistent proportions of bacterial sequences were utilized. We observed a significant reduction in detected interdomain HGT candidates as the proportion of eukaryotes increased within the database. Our data suggest that the imbalance in databases bias the interdomain HGT detection and highlights challenges associated with confirming the presence of interdomain HGT among Pezizomycotina fungi and potentially other groups within Eukarya.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kevin Aguirre-Carvajal
- Department of Computer Science and Information Technologies, Faculty of Computer Science, University of A Coruña, Campus Elviña s/n, 15071 Coruña, Spain; (K.A.-C.); (C.R.M.)
- Bio-Cheminformatics Research Group, Universidad de Las Américas, Quito 170513, Ecuador
| | - Cristian R. Munteanu
- Department of Computer Science and Information Technologies, Faculty of Computer Science, University of A Coruña, Campus Elviña s/n, 15071 Coruña, Spain; (K.A.-C.); (C.R.M.)
| | - Vinicio Armijos-Jaramillo
- Bio-Cheminformatics Research Group, Universidad de Las Américas, Quito 170513, Ecuador
- Carrera de Ingeniería en Biotecnología, Facultad de Ingeniería y Ciencias Aplicadas, Universidad de Las Américas, Quito 170513, Ecuador
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4
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Sheinman M, Arndt PF, Massip F. Modeling the mosaic structure of bacterial genomes to infer their evolutionary history. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2024; 121:e2313367121. [PMID: 38517978 PMCID: PMC10990148 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2313367121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2023] [Accepted: 01/30/2024] [Indexed: 03/24/2024] Open
Abstract
The chronology and phylogeny of bacterial evolution are difficult to reconstruct due to a scarce fossil record. The analysis of bacterial genomes remains challenging because of large sequence divergence, the plasticity of bacterial genomes due to frequent gene loss, horizontal gene transfer, and differences in selective pressure from one locus to another. Therefore, taking advantage of the rich and rapidly accumulating genomic data requires accurate modeling of genome evolution. An important technical consideration is that loci with high effective mutation rates may diverge beyond the detection limit of the alignment algorithms used, biasing the genome-wide divergence estimates toward smaller divergences. In this article, we propose a novel method to gain insight into bacterial evolution based on statistical properties of genome comparisons. We find that the length distribution of sequence matches is shaped by the effective mutation rates of different loci, by the horizontal transfers, and by the aligner sensitivity. Based on these inputs, we build a model and show that it accounts for the empirically observed distributions, taking the Enterobacteriaceae family as an example. Our method allows to distinguish segments of vertical and horizontal origins and to estimate the time divergence and exchange rate between any pair of taxa from genome-wide alignments. Based on the estimated time divergences, we construct a time-calibrated phylogenetic tree to demonstrate the accuracy of the method.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Sheinman
- Institute for Advanced Studies, Sevastopol State University, Sevastopol299053, Crimea
| | - Peter F. Arndt
- Department of Computational Molecular Biology, Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, Berlin12163, Germany
| | - Florian Massip
- Department U900, Centre for Computational Biology, Mines Paris, PSL University, Paris75006, France
- Department U900, Institut Curie, Université Paris Sciences et Lettres, Paris75005, France
- INSERM, U900, Paris75005, France
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5
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Singh S, Hu X, Dixelius C. Dynamics of nucleic acid mobility. Genetics 2023; 225:iyad132. [PMID: 37491977 PMCID: PMC10471207 DOI: 10.1093/genetics/iyad132] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2023] [Accepted: 07/10/2023] [Indexed: 07/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Advances in sequencing technologies and bioinformatic analyses are accelerating the quantity and quality of data from all domains of life. This rich resource has the potential to reveal a number of important incidences with respect to possible exchange of nucleic acids. Ancient events have impacted species evolution and adaptation to new ecological niches. However, we still lack a full picture of processes ongoing within and between somatic cells, gametes, and different organisms. We propose that events linked to acceptance of alien nucleic acids grossly could be divided into 2 main routes in plants: one, when plants are exposed to extreme challenges and, the second level, a more everyday or season-related stress incited by biotic or abiotic factors. Here, many events seem to comprise somatic cells. Are the transport and acceptance processes of alien sequences random or are there specific regulatory systems not yet fully understood? Following entrance into a new cell, a number of intracellular processes leading to chromosomal integration and function are required. Modification of nucleic acids and possibly exchange of sequences within a cell may also occur. Such fine-tune events are most likely very common. There are multiple questions that we will discuss concerning different types of vesicles and their roles in nucleic acid transport and possible intracellular sequence exchange between species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shailja Singh
- Department of Plant Biology, Uppsala BioCenter, Linnéan Center for Plant Biology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, P.O. Box 7080, Uppsala, SE-75007, Sweden
| | - Xinyi Hu
- Department of Plant Biology, Uppsala BioCenter, Linnéan Center for Plant Biology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, P.O. Box 7080, Uppsala, SE-75007, Sweden
| | - Christina Dixelius
- Department of Plant Biology, Uppsala BioCenter, Linnéan Center for Plant Biology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, P.O. Box 7080, Uppsala, SE-75007, Sweden
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Tekle YI, Tran H, Wang F, Singla M, Udu I. Omics of an Enigmatic Marine Amoeba Uncovers Unprecedented Gene Trafficking from Giant Viruses and Provides Insights into Its Complex Life Cycle. MICROBIOLOGY RESEARCH 2023; 14:656-672. [PMID: 37752971 PMCID: PMC10521059 DOI: 10.3390/microbiolres14020047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Amoebozoa include lineages of diverse ecology, behavior, and morphology. They are assumed to encompass members with the largest genome sizes of all living things, yet genomic studies in the group are limited. Trichosphaerium, a polymorphic, multinucleate, marine amoeba with a complicated life cycle, has puzzled experts for over a century. In an effort to explore the genomic diversity and investigate extraordinary behavior observed among the Amoebozoa, we used integrated omics approaches to study this enigmatic marine amoeba. Omics data, including single-cell transcriptomics and cytological data, demonstrate that Trichosphaerium sp. possesses the complete meiosis toolkit genes. These genes are expressed in life stages of the amoeba including medium and large cells. The life cycle of Trichosphaerium sp. involves asexual processes via binary fission and multiple fragmentation of giant cells, as well as sexual-like processes involving genes implicated in sexual reproduction and polyploidization. These findings are in stark contrast to a life cycle previously reported for this amoeba. Despite the extreme morphological plasticity observed in Trichosphaerium, our genomic data showed that populations maintain a species-level intragenomic variation. A draft genome of Trichosphaerium indicates elevated lateral gene transfer (LGT) from bacteria and giant viruses. Gene trafficking in Trichosphaerium is the highest within Amoebozoa and among the highest in microbial eukaryotes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yonas I. Tekle
- Department of Biology, Spelman College, 350 Spelman Lane Southwest, Atlanta, GA 30314, USA
| | - Hanh Tran
- Department of Biology, Spelman College, 350 Spelman Lane Southwest, Atlanta, GA 30314, USA
| | - Fang Wang
- Department of Biology, Spelman College, 350 Spelman Lane Southwest, Atlanta, GA 30314, USA
| | - Mandakini Singla
- Department of Biology, Spelman College, 350 Spelman Lane Southwest, Atlanta, GA 30314, USA
| | - Isimeme Udu
- Department of Biology, Spelman College, 350 Spelman Lane Southwest, Atlanta, GA 30314, USA
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Van Etten J, Cho CH, Yoon HS, Bhattacharya D. Extremophilic red algae as models for understanding adaptation to hostile environments and the evolution of eukaryotic life on the early earth. Semin Cell Dev Biol 2023; 134:4-13. [PMID: 35339358 DOI: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2022.03.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2021] [Revised: 02/20/2022] [Accepted: 03/04/2022] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Extremophiles have always garnered great interest because of their exotic lifestyles and ability to thrive at the physical limits of life. In hot springs environments, the Cyanidiophyceae red algae are the only photosynthetic eukaryotes able to live under extremely low pH (0-5) and relatively high temperature (35ºC to 63ºC). These extremophiles live as biofilms in the springs, inhabit acid soils near the hot springs, and form endolithic populations in the surrounding rocks. Cyanidiophyceae represent a remarkable source of knowledge about the evolution of extremophilic lifestyles and their genomes encode specialized enzymes that have applied uses. Here we review the evolutionary origin, taxonomy, genome biology, industrial applications, and use of Cyanidiophyceae as genetic models. Currently, Cyanidiophyceae comprise a single order (Cyanidiales), three families, four genera, and nine species, including the well-known Cyanidioschyzon merolae and Galdieria sulphuraria. These algae have small, gene-rich genomes that are analogous to those of prokaryotes they live and compete with. There are few spliceosomal introns and evidence exists for horizontal gene transfer as a driver of local adaptation to gain access to external fixed carbon and to extrude toxic metals. Cyanidiophyceae offer a variety of commercial opportunities such as phytoremediation to detoxify contaminated soils or waters and exploitation of their mixotrophic lifestyles to support the efficient production of bioproducts such as phycocyanin and floridosides. In terms of exobiology, Cyanidiophyceae are an ideal model system for understanding the evolutionary effects of foreign gene acquisition and the interactions between different organisms inhabiting the same harsh environment on the early Earth. Finally, we describe ongoing research with C. merolae genetics and summarize the unique insights they offer to the understanding of algal biology and evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia Van Etten
- Graduate Program in Ecology and Evolution, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, USA.
| | - Chung Hyun Cho
- Department of Biological Sciences, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 16419, South Korea.
| | - Hwan Su Yoon
- Department of Biological Sciences, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 16419, South Korea.
| | - Debashish Bhattacharya
- Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, USA.
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Yuasa HJ. Metazoan tryptophan indole-lyase: Are they still active? Comp Biochem Physiol B Biochem Mol Biol 2023; 263:110801. [PMID: 36228898 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpb.2022.110801] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2022] [Revised: 10/03/2022] [Accepted: 10/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Tryptophan indole-lyase (TIL), also known as tryptophanase, is a pyridoxal-5'-phosphate dependent bacterial enzyme that catalyzes the reversible hydrolytic cleavage of l-tryptophan (l-Trp) to indole and ammonium pyruvate. TIL is also found in some metazoans, and they may have been acquired by horizontal gene transfer. In this study, two metazoans, Nematostella vectensis (starlet sea anemone) and Bradysia coprophila (fungus gnat) TILs were bacterially expressed and characterized. The kcat values of metazoan TILs were low, < 1/200 of the kcat of Escherichia coli TIL. By contrast, metazoan TILs showed lower Km values than the TILs of common bacteria, indicating that their affinity for l-Trp is higher than that of bacterial TILs. Analysis of a series of chimeric enzymes based on B. coprophila and bacterial TILs revealed that the low Km value of B. coprophila TIL is not accidental due to the substitution of a single residue, but is due to the cooperative effect of multiple residues. This suggests that high affinity for l-Trp was positively selected during the molecular evolution of metazoan TIL. This is the first report that metazoan TILs have low but obvious activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hajime Julie Yuasa
- Laboratory of Biochemistry, Department of Chemistry and Biotechnology, Faculty of Science and Technology, National University Corporation Kochi University, Kochi 780-8520, Japan.
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Liu L, Yu X, Wu D, Su J. Antibiotic resistance gene profile in aerobic granular reactor under antibiotic stress: Can eukaryotic microalgae act as inhibiting factor? ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2022; 304:119221. [PMID: 35358636 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2022.119221] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2021] [Revised: 03/19/2022] [Accepted: 03/24/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Antibiotic resistance gene (ARG) pollution is critical environmental problem, and horizontal gene transfer acts as a driving evolutionary force. In theory, due to the phylogenetic distance between eukaryotes and prokaryotes, eukaryotic microalgae can be a natural barrier that plays a negative role in ARG transfer among the symbiotic bacteria to decrease ARG abundance in sludge during wastewater treatment. However, this hypothesis is far from proven and needs to be tested experimentally, so this study investigated the influence of eukaryote microalgae (Scenedesmus) on the ARG profile of symbiotic bacteria based on aerobic granular reactor. The results indicated that Scenedesmus symbiosis could affect ARG diversity of bacteria, and the detected numbers of ARG in aerobic granular sludge (AG) group and algae-bacteria granular consortia (AAG) group were 45-53 and 44-47, respectively. In terms of relative abundance, after target microalgae symbiosis, the total abundance of ARGs significantly decreased from 1.17 × 10°, 2.69 × 10° and 1.36 × 10-1 to 6.53 × 10-1, 9.64 × 10-1 and 1.04 × 10-1 in the systems with the addition of streptomycin, azithromycin and vancomycin, respectively (P < 0.05), yet there was no significant difference between AG and AAG under the stress of ampicillin, sulfamethazine and tetracycline (P > 0.05). Redundancy analysis showed that the eukaryotic microalgae were significant factor explaining the change in ARG relative abundance (P < 0.05), which contributed 15.3% of ARG variation. Furthermore, the results show that, except for the tetracycline treatment system, the total relative abundances of MGEs in the AAG under the stress of the other five antibiotics were 3.54 × 10-2-7.13 × 10-1, which were all significantly lower than those in the AG (8.38 × 10-2-1.59 × 10°). There was a more significant positive correlation relationship between ARGs and mobile genetic elements (MGEs) than that between ARGs and dominated bacteria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lin Liu
- Key Laboratory of Urban Pollutant Conversion, Key Laboratory of Urban Environment and Health, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiamen, 361021, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China.
| | - Xin Yu
- Key Laboratory of Urban Pollutant Conversion, Key Laboratory of Urban Environment and Health, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiamen, 361021, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Daizhuo Wu
- Key Laboratory of Urban Pollutant Conversion, Key Laboratory of Urban Environment and Health, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiamen, 361021, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Jianqiang Su
- Key Laboratory of Urban Pollutant Conversion, Key Laboratory of Urban Environment and Health, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiamen, 361021, China
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Williams BAP, Williams TA, Trew J. Comparative Genomics of Microsporidia. EXPERIENTIA SUPPLEMENTUM (2012) 2022; 114:43-69. [PMID: 35543998 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-93306-7_2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The microsporidia are a phylum of intracellular parasites that represent the eukaryotic cell in a state of extreme reduction, with genomes and metabolic capabilities embodying eukaryotic cells in arguably their most streamlined state. Over the past 20 years, microsporidian genomics has become a rapidly expanding field starting with sequencing of the genome of Encephalitozoon cuniculi, one of the first ever sequenced eukaryotes, to the current situation where we have access to the data from over 30 genomes across 20+ genera. Reaching back further in evolutionary history, to the point where microsporidia diverged from other eukaryotic lineages, we now also have genomic data for some of the closest known relatives of the microsporidia such as Rozella allomycis, Metchnikovella spp. and Amphiamblys sp. Data for these organisms allow us to better understand the genomic processes that shaped the emergence of the microsporidia as a group. These intensive genomic efforts have revealed some of the processes that have shaped microsporidian cells and genomes including patterns of genome expansions and contractions through gene gain and loss, whole genome duplication, differential patterns of invasion and purging of transposable elements. All these processes have been shown to occur across short and longer time scales to give rise to a phylum of parasites with dynamic genomes with a diversity of sizes and organisations.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Tom A Williams
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | - Jahcub Trew
- School of Biosciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
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11
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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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12
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Tria FDK, Brueckner J, Skejo J, Xavier JC, Kapust N, Knopp M, Wimmer JLE, Nagies FSP, Zimorski V, Gould SB, Garg SG, Martin WF. Gene Duplications Trace Mitochondria to the Onset of Eukaryote Complexity. Genome Biol Evol 2021; 13:evab055. [PMID: 33739376 PMCID: PMC8175051 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evab055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/14/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
The last eukaryote common ancestor (LECA) possessed mitochondria and all key traits that make eukaryotic cells more complex than their prokaryotic ancestors, yet the timing of mitochondrial acquisition and the role of mitochondria in the origin of eukaryote complexity remain debated. Here, we report evidence from gene duplications in LECA indicating an early origin of mitochondria. Among 163,545 duplications in 24,571 gene trees spanning 150 sequenced eukaryotic genomes, we identify 713 gene duplication events that occurred in LECA. LECA's bacterial-derived genes include numerous mitochondrial functions and were duplicated significantly more often than archaeal-derived and eukaryote-specific genes. The surplus of bacterial-derived duplications in LECA most likely reflects the serial copying of genes from the mitochondrial endosymbiont to the archaeal host's chromosomes. Clustering, phylogenies and likelihood ratio tests for 22.4 million genes from 5,655 prokaryotic and 150 eukaryotic genomes reveal no evidence for lineage-specific gene acquisitions in eukaryotes, except from the plastid in the plant lineage. That finding, and the functions of bacterial genes duplicated in LECA, suggests that the bacterial genes in eukaryotes are acquisitions from the mitochondrion, followed by vertical gene evolution and differential loss across eukaryotic lineages, flanked by concomitant lateral gene transfer among prokaryotes. Overall, the data indicate that recurrent gene transfer via the copying of genes from a resident mitochondrial endosymbiont to archaeal host chromosomes preceded the onset of eukaryotic cellular complexity, favoring mitochondria-early over mitochondria-late hypotheses for eukaryote origin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fernando D K Tria
- Institute for Molecular Evolution, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Julia Brueckner
- Institute for Molecular Evolution, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Josip Skejo
- Institute for Molecular Evolution, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Germany
- Faculty of Science, University of Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Joana C Xavier
- Institute for Molecular Evolution, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Nils Kapust
- Institute for Molecular Evolution, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Michael Knopp
- Institute for Molecular Evolution, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Jessica L E Wimmer
- Institute for Molecular Evolution, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Falk S P Nagies
- Institute for Molecular Evolution, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Verena Zimorski
- Institute for Molecular Evolution, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Sven B Gould
- Institute for Molecular Evolution, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Sriram G Garg
- Institute for Molecular Evolution, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - William F Martin
- Institute for Molecular Evolution, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Germany
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13
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Abstract
The advent of comparative genomics in the late 1990s led to the discovery of extensive lateral gene transfer in prokaryotes. The resulting debate over whether life as a whole is best represented as a tree or a network has since given way to a general consensus in which trees and networks co-exist rather than stand in opposition. Embracing this consensus allows us to move beyond the question of which is true or false. The future of the tree of life debate lies in asking what trees and networks can, and should, do for science.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cédric Blais
- Centre for Comparative Genomics and Evolutionary Bioinformatics, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada; Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada.
| | - John M Archibald
- Centre for Comparative Genomics and Evolutionary Bioinformatics, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada; Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada.
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14
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Park T, Wijeratne S, Meulia T, Firkins JL, Yu Z. The macronuclear genome of anaerobic ciliate Entodinium caudatum reveals its biological features adapted to the distinct rumen environment. Genomics 2021; 113:1416-1427. [PMID: 33722656 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygeno.2021.03.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2020] [Revised: 02/02/2021] [Accepted: 03/05/2021] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Entodinium caudatum is an anaerobic binucleated ciliate representing the most dominant protozoal species in the rumen. However, its biological features are largely unknown due to the inability to establish an axenic culture. In this study, we primally sequenced its macronucleus (MAC) genome to aid the understanding of its metabolism, physiology, ecology. We isolated the MAC of E. caudatum strain MZG-1 and sequenced the MAC genome using Illumina MiSeq, MinION, and PacBio RSII systems. De novo assembly of the MiSeq sequence reads followed with subsequent scaffolding with MinION and PacBio reads resulted in a draft MAC genome about 117 Mbp. A large number of carbohydrate-active enzymes were likely acquired through horizontal gene transfer. About 8.74% of the E. caudatum predicted proteome was predicted as proteases. The MAC genome of E. caudatum will help better understand its important roles in rumen carbohydrate metabolism, and interaction with other members of the rumen microbiome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tansol Park
- Department of Animal Sciences, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, 43210, USA
| | - Saranga Wijeratne
- Molecular and Cellular Imaging Center, Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center, The Ohio State University, Wooster, OH, 44691, USA
| | - Tea Meulia
- Molecular and Cellular Imaging Center, Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center, The Ohio State University, Wooster, OH, 44691, USA; Department of Plant Pathology, The Ohio State University, Wooster, OH, 44691, USA
| | - Jeffrey L Firkins
- Department of Animal Sciences, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, 43210, USA
| | - Zhongtang Yu
- Department of Animal Sciences, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, 43210, USA.
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15
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Jones GH. Acquisition of pcnB [poly(A) polymerase I] genes via horizontal transfer from the β, γ- Proteobacteria. Microb Genom 2021; 7. [PMID: 33502308 PMCID: PMC8208693 DOI: 10.1099/mgen.0.000508] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Poly(A) polymerases (PAPs) and tRNA nucleotidyltransferases belong to a superfamily of nucleotidyltransferases and modify RNA 3'-ends. The product of the pcnB gene, PAP I, has been characterized in a few β-, γ- and δ-Proteobacteria. Using the PAP I signature sequence, putative PAPs were identified in bacterial species from the α- and ε-Proteobacteria and from four other bacterial phyla (Firmicutes, Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes and Aquificae). Phylogenetic analysis, alien index and G+C content calculations strongly suggest that the PAPs in the species identified in this study arose by horizontal gene transfer from the β- and γ-Proteobacteria.
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Affiliation(s)
- George H Jones
- Department of Biology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
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16
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Li HS, Tang XF, Huang YH, Xu ZY, Chen ML, Du XY, Qiu BY, Chen PT, Zhang W, Ślipiński A, Escalona HE, Waterhouse RM, Zwick A, Pang H. Horizontally acquired antibacterial genes associated with adaptive radiation of ladybird beetles. BMC Biol 2021; 19:7. [PMID: 33446206 PMCID: PMC7807722 DOI: 10.1186/s12915-020-00945-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2020] [Accepted: 12/22/2020] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) has been documented in many herbivorous insects, conferring the ability to digest plant material and promoting their remarkable ecological diversification. Previous reports suggest HGT of antibacterial enzymes may have contributed to the insect immune response and limit bacterial growth. Carnivorous insects also display many evolutionary successful lineages, but in contrast to the plant feeders, the potential role of HGTs has been less well-studied. RESULTS Using genomic and transcriptomic data from 38 species of ladybird beetles, we identified a set of bacterial cell wall hydrolase (cwh) genes acquired by this group of beetles. Infection with Bacillus subtilis led to upregulated expression of these ladybird cwh genes, and their recombinantly produced proteins limited bacterial proliferation. Moreover, RNAi-mediated cwh knockdown led to downregulation of other antibacterial genes, indicating a role in antibacterial immune defense. cwh genes are rare in eukaryotes, but have been maintained in all tested Coccinellinae species, suggesting that this putative immune-related HGT event played a role in the evolution of this speciose subfamily of predominant predatory ladybirds. CONCLUSION Our work demonstrates that, in a manner analogous to HGT-facilitated plant feeding, enhanced immunity through HGT might have played a key role in the prey adaptation and niche expansion that promoted the diversification of carnivorous beetle lineages. We believe that this represents the first example of immune-related HGT in carnivorous insects with an association with a subsequent successful species radiation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hao-Sen Li
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences / School of Ecology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, China
| | - Xue-Fei Tang
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences / School of Ecology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, China
| | - Yu-Hao Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences / School of Ecology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, China
| | - Ze-Yu Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences / School of Ecology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, China
| | - Mei-Lan Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences / School of Ecology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, China
- School of Environment and Life Science, Nanning Normal University, Nanning, 530001, China
| | - Xue-Yong Du
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences / School of Ecology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, China
| | - Bo-Yuan Qiu
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences / School of Ecology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, China
| | - Pei-Tao Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences / School of Ecology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, China
| | - Wei Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences / School of Ecology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, China
| | - Adam Ślipiński
- Australian National Insect Collection, CSIRO, GPO Box 1700, Canberra, ACT, 2601, Australia
| | - Hermes E Escalona
- Australian National Insect Collection, CSIRO, GPO Box 1700, Canberra, ACT, 2601, Australia
| | - Robert M Waterhouse
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Lausanne and Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, 1015, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Andreas Zwick
- Australian National Insect Collection, CSIRO, GPO Box 1700, Canberra, ACT, 2601, Australia
| | - Hong Pang
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences / School of Ecology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, China.
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17
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Cai H, Liu Y, Guo C. Contribution of plant–bacteria interactions to horizontal gene transfer in plants. BIOTECHNOL BIOTEC EQ 2021. [DOI: 10.1080/13102818.2021.1985612] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Hongsheng Cai
- Key Laboratory of Molecular and Cytogenetics, Heilongjiang Province, College of Life Science and Technology, Harbin Normal University, Harbin, Heilongjiang, PR China
- Center of Biological, Harbin Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Harbin, Heilongjiang, PR China
| | - Yingying Liu
- Key Laboratory of Molecular and Cytogenetics, Heilongjiang Province, College of Life Science and Technology, Harbin Normal University, Harbin, Heilongjiang, PR China
| | - Changhong Guo
- Key Laboratory of Molecular and Cytogenetics, Heilongjiang Province, College of Life Science and Technology, Harbin Normal University, Harbin, Heilongjiang, PR China
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18
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Horizontal Gene Transfer in Eukaryotes: Not if, but How Much? Trends Genet 2020; 36:915-925. [DOI: 10.1016/j.tig.2020.08.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2020] [Revised: 07/31/2020] [Accepted: 08/10/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
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19
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Comparative Genomics Reveals Novel Target Genes towards Specific Control of Plant-Parasitic Nematodes. Genes (Basel) 2020; 11:genes11111347. [PMID: 33202889 PMCID: PMC7696266 DOI: 10.3390/genes11111347] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2020] [Revised: 11/06/2020] [Accepted: 11/10/2020] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Plant-parasitic nematodes cause extensive annual yield losses to worldwide agricultural production. Most cultivated plants have no known resistance against nematodes and the few bearing a resistance gene can be overcome by certain species. Chemical methods that have been deployed to control nematodes have largely been banned from use due to their poor specificity and high toxicity. Hence, there is an urgent need for the development of cleaner and more specific control methods. Recent advances in nematode genomics, including in phytoparasitic species, provide an unprecedented opportunity to identify genes and functions specific to these pests. Using phylogenomics, we compared 61 nematode genomes, including 16 for plant-parasitic species and identified more than 24,000 protein families specific to these parasites. In the genome of Meloidogyne incognita, one of the most devastating plant parasites, we found ca. 10,000 proteins with orthologs restricted only to phytoparasitic species and no further homology in protein databases. Among these phytoparasite-specific proteins, ca. 1000 shared the same properties as known secreted effectors involved in essential parasitic functions. Of these, 68 were novel and showed strong expression during the endophytic phase of the nematode life cycle, based on both RNA-seq and RT-qPCR analyses. Besides effector candidates, transcription-related and neuro-perception functions were enriched in phytoparasite-specific proteins, revealing interesting targets for nematode control methods. This phylogenomics analysis constitutes a unique resource for the further understanding of the genetic basis of nematode adaptation to phytoparasitism and for the development of more efficient control methods.
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20
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Nagies FSP, Brueckner J, Tria FDK, Martin WF. A spectrum of verticality across genes. PLoS Genet 2020; 16:e1009200. [PMID: 33137105 PMCID: PMC7660906 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1009200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2020] [Revised: 11/12/2020] [Accepted: 10/16/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Lateral gene transfer (LGT) has impacted prokaryotic genome evolution, yet the extent to which LGT compromises vertical evolution across individual genes and individual phyla is unknown, as are the factors that govern LGT frequency across genes. Estimating LGT frequency from tree comparisons is problematic when thousands of genomes are compared, because LGT becomes difficult to distinguish from phylogenetic artefacts. Here we report quantitative estimates for verticality across all genes and genomes, leveraging a well-known property of phylogenetic inference: phylogeny works best at the tips of trees. From terminal (tip) phylum level relationships, we calculate the verticality for 19,050,992 genes from 101,422 clusters in 5,655 prokaryotic genomes and rank them by their verticality. Among functional classes, translation, followed by nucleotide and cofactor biosynthesis, and DNA replication and repair are the most vertical. The most vertically evolving lineages are those rich in ecological specialists such as Acidithiobacilli, Chlamydiae, Chlorobi and Methanococcales. Lineages most affected by LGT are the α-, β-, γ-, and δ- classes of Proteobacteria and the Firmicutes. The 2,587 eukaryotic clusters in our sample having prokaryotic homologues fail to reject eukaryotic monophyly using the likelihood ratio test. The low verticality of α-proteobacterial and cyanobacterial genomes requires only three partners-an archaeal host, a mitochondrial symbiont, and a plastid ancestor-each with mosaic chromosomes, to directly account for the prokaryotic origin of eukaryotic genes. In terms of phylogeny, the 100 most vertically evolving prokaryotic genes are neither representative nor predictive for the remaining 97% of an average genome. In search of factors that govern LGT frequency, we find a simple but natural principle: Verticality correlates strongly with gene distribution density, LGT being least likely for intruding genes that must replace a preexisting homologue in recipient chromosomes. LGT is most likely for novel genetic material, intruding genes that encounter no competing copy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Falk S. P. Nagies
- Institute for Molecular Evolution, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Julia Brueckner
- Institute for Molecular Evolution, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Fernando D. K. Tria
- Institute for Molecular Evolution, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - William F. Martin
- Institute for Molecular Evolution, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
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21
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Phan NT, Orjuela J, Danchin EGJ, Klopp C, Perfus‐Barbeoch L, Kozlowski DK, Koutsovoulos GD, Lopez‐Roques C, Bouchez O, Zahm M, Besnard G, Bellafiore S. Genome structure and content of the rice root-knot nematode ( Meloidogyne graminicola). Ecol Evol 2020; 10:11006-11021. [PMID: 33144944 PMCID: PMC7593179 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.6680] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2020] [Revised: 07/04/2020] [Accepted: 07/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Discovered in the 1960s, Meloidogyne graminicola is a root-knot nematode species considered as a major threat to rice production. Yet, its origin, genomic structure, and intraspecific diversity are poorly understood. So far, such studies have been limited by the unavailability of a sufficiently complete and well-assembled genome. In this study, using a combination of Oxford Nanopore Technologies and Illumina sequencing data, we generated a highly contiguous reference genome (283 scaffolds with an N50 length of 294 kb, totaling 41.5 Mb). The completeness scores of our assembly are among the highest currently published for Meloidogyne genomes. We predicted 10,284 protein-coding genes spanning 75.5% of the genome. Among them, 67 are identified as possibly originating from horizontal gene transfers (mostly from bacteria), which supposedly contribute to nematode infection, nutrient processing, and plant defense manipulation. Besides, we detected 575 canonical transposable elements (TEs) belonging to seven orders and spanning 2.61% of the genome. These TEs might promote genomic plasticity putatively related to the evolution of M. graminicola parasitism. This high-quality genome assembly constitutes a major improvement regarding previously available versions and represents a valuable molecular resource for future phylogenomic studies of Meloidogyne species. In particular, this will foster comparative genomic studies to trace back the evolutionary history of M. graminicola and its closest relatives.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ngan Thi Phan
- IRD‐CIRAD‐University of MontpellierUMR Interactions Plantes Microorganismes Environnement (IPME)MontpellierFrance
| | - Julie Orjuela
- IRD‐CIRAD‐University of MontpellierUMR Interactions Plantes Microorganismes Environnement (IPME)MontpellierFrance
| | | | - Christophe Klopp
- Plateforme BioInfo GenotoulUR875INRAECastanet‐Tolosan cedexFrance
| | | | - Djampa K. Kozlowski
- Institut Sophia AgrobiotechINRAECNRSUniversité Côte d’AzurSophia AntipolisFrance
| | | | | | | | - Margot Zahm
- Plateforme BioInfo GenotoulUR875INRAECastanet‐Tolosan cedexFrance
| | | | - Stéphane Bellafiore
- IRD‐CIRAD‐University of MontpellierUMR Interactions Plantes Microorganismes Environnement (IPME)MontpellierFrance
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22
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Whitefly genomes contain ribotoxin coding genes acquired from plants. Sci Rep 2020; 10:15503. [PMID: 32968092 PMCID: PMC7511414 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-72267-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2020] [Accepted: 08/28/2020] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Ribosome inactivating proteins (RIPs) are RNA N-glycosidases that depurinate a specific adenine residue in the conserved sarcin/ricin loop of 28S rRNA. These enzymes are widely distributed among plants and bacteria. Previously, we have described for the first time RIP genes in mosquitoes belonging to the Culicidae family. We showed that these genes are derived from a single event of horizontal gene transfer (HGT) from a prokaryotic donor. Mosquito RIP genes are evolving under purifying selection, strongly suggesting that these toxins have acquired a functional role. In this work, we show the existence of two RIP encoding genes in the genome of the whitefly Bemisia tabaci, a hemiptera species belonging to the Aleyrodidae family distantly related to mosquitoes. Contamination artifacts were ruled out analyzing three independent B. tabaci genome databases. In contrast to mosquito RIPs, whitefly genes harbor introns and according to transcriptomic evidence are transcribed and spliced. Phylogeny and the taxonomic distribution strongly support that whitefly RIP genes are derived from an independent HGT event from a plant source. These results, along with our previous description of RIPs in Diptera, suggest that the acquired genes are functional in these insects and confer some fitness advantage.
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23
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Papik J, Folkmanova M, Polivkova-Majorova M, Suman J, Uhlik O. The invisible life inside plants: Deciphering the riddles of endophytic bacterial diversity. Biotechnol Adv 2020; 44:107614. [PMID: 32858117 DOI: 10.1016/j.biotechadv.2020.107614] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2020] [Revised: 07/14/2020] [Accepted: 08/15/2020] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
Endophytic bacteria often promote plant growth and protect their host plant against pathogens, herbivores, and abiotic stresses including drought, increased salinity or pollution. Current agricultural practices are being challenged in terms of climate change and the ever-increasing demand for food. Therefore, the rational exploitation of bacterial endophytes to increase the productivity and resistance of crops appears to be very promising. However, the efficient and larger-scale use of bacterial endophytes for more effective and sustainable agriculture is hindered by very little knowledge on molecular aspects of plant-endophyte interactions and mechanisms driving bacterial communities in planta. In addition, since most of the information on bacterial endophytes has been obtained through culture-dependent techniques, endophytic bacterial diversity and its full biotechnological potential still remain highly unexplored. In this study, we discuss the diversity and role of endophytic populations as well as complex interactions that the endophytes have with the plant and vice versa, including the interactions leading to plant colonization. A description of biotic and abiotic factors influencing endophytic bacterial communities is provided, along with a summary of different methodologies suitable for determining the diversity of bacterial endophytes, mechanisms governing the assembly and structure of bacterial communities in the endosphere, and potential biotechnological applications of endophytes in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jakub Papik
- University of Chemistry and Technology, Prague, Faculty of Food and Biochemical Technology, Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Magdalena Folkmanova
- University of Chemistry and Technology, Prague, Faculty of Food and Biochemical Technology, Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Marketa Polivkova-Majorova
- University of Chemistry and Technology, Prague, Faculty of Food and Biochemical Technology, Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Jachym Suman
- University of Chemistry and Technology, Prague, Faculty of Food and Biochemical Technology, Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Ondrej Uhlik
- University of Chemistry and Technology, Prague, Faculty of Food and Biochemical Technology, Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, Prague, Czech Republic.
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Testing the “(Neo-)Darwinian” Principles against Reticulate Evolution: How Variation, Adaptation, Heredity and Fitness, Constraints and Affordances, Speciation, and Extinction Surpass Organisms and Species. INFORMATION 2020. [DOI: 10.3390/info11070352] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Variation, adaptation, heredity and fitness, constraints and affordances, speciation, and extinction form the building blocks of the (Neo-)Darwinian research program, and several of these have been called “Darwinian principles”. Here, we suggest that caution should be taken in calling these principles Darwinian because of the important role played by reticulate evolutionary mechanisms and processes in also bringing about these phenomena. Reticulate mechanisms and processes include symbiosis, symbiogenesis, lateral gene transfer, infective heredity mediated by genetic and organismal mobility, and hybridization. Because the “Darwinian principles” are brought about by both vertical and reticulate evolutionary mechanisms and processes, they should be understood as foundational for a more pluralistic theory of evolution, one that surpasses the classic scope of the Modern and the Neo-Darwinian Synthesis. Reticulate evolution moreover demonstrates that what conventional (Neo-)Darwinian theories treat as intra-species features of evolution frequently involve reticulate interactions between organisms from very different taxonomic categories. Variation, adaptation, heredity and fitness, constraints and affordances, speciation, and extinction therefore cannot be understood as “traits” or “properties” of genes, organisms, species, or ecosystems because the phenomena are irreducible to specific units and levels of an evolutionary hierarchy. Instead, these general principles of evolution need to be understood as common goods that come about through interactions between different units and levels of evolutionary hierarchies, and they are exherent rather than inherent properties of individuals.
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25
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Li X, Fang C, Zhao JP, Zhou XY, Ni Z, Niu DK. Desiccation does not drastically increase the accessibility of exogenous DNA to nuclear genomes: evidence from the frequency of endosymbiotic DNA transfer. BMC Genomics 2020; 21:452. [PMID: 32611311 PMCID: PMC7329468 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-020-06865-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2019] [Accepted: 06/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Although horizontal gene transfer (HGT) is a widely accepted force in the evolution of prokaryotic genomes, its role in the evolution of eukaryotic genomes remains hotly debated. Some bdelloid rotifers that are resistant to extreme desiccation and radiation undergo a very high level of HGT, whereas in another desiccation-resistant invertebrate, the tardigrade, the pattern does not exist. Overall, the DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) induced by prolonged desiccation have been postulated to open a gateway to the nuclear genome for exogenous DNA integration and thus to facilitate the HGT process, thereby enhancing the rate of endosymbiotic DNA transfer (EDT). Results We first surveyed the abundance of nuclear mitochondrial DNAs (NUMTs) and nuclear plastid DNAs (NUPTs) in five eukaryotes that are highly resistant to desiccation: the bdelloid rotifers Adineta vaga and Adineta ricciae, the tardigrade Ramazzottius varieornatus, and the resurrection plants Dorcoceras hygrometricum and Selaginella tamariscina. Excessive NUMTs or NUPTs were not detected. Furthermore, we compared 24 groups of desiccation-tolerant organisms with their relatively less desiccation-tolerant relatives but did not find a significant difference in NUMT/NUPT contents. Conclusions Desiccation may induce DSBs, but it is unlikely to dramatically increase the frequency of exogenous sequence integration in most eukaryotes. The capture of exogenous DNA sequences is possible only when DSBs are repaired through a subtype of non-homologous end joining, named alternative end joining (alt-EJ). Due to the deleterious effects of the resulting insertion mutations, alt-EJ is less frequently initiated than other mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xixi Li
- MOE Key Laboratory for Biodiversity Science and Ecological Engineering and Beijing Key Laboratory of Gene Resource and Molecular Development, College of Life Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China
| | - Cheng Fang
- MOE Key Laboratory for Biodiversity Science and Ecological Engineering and Beijing Key Laboratory of Gene Resource and Molecular Development, College of Life Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China
| | - Jun-Peng Zhao
- MOE Key Laboratory for Biodiversity Science and Ecological Engineering and Beijing Key Laboratory of Gene Resource and Molecular Development, College of Life Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China
| | - Xiao-Yu Zhou
- MOE Key Laboratory for Biodiversity Science and Ecological Engineering and Beijing Key Laboratory of Gene Resource and Molecular Development, College of Life Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China
| | - Zhihua Ni
- MOE Key Laboratory for Biodiversity Science and Ecological Engineering and Beijing Key Laboratory of Gene Resource and Molecular Development, College of Life Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China.,College of Life Sciences, Hebei University, Baoding, 071002, China
| | - Deng-Ke Niu
- MOE Key Laboratory for Biodiversity Science and Ecological Engineering and Beijing Key Laboratory of Gene Resource and Molecular Development, College of Life Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China.
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26
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Exploration of space to achieve scientific breakthroughs. Biotechnol Adv 2020; 43:107572. [PMID: 32540473 DOI: 10.1016/j.biotechadv.2020.107572] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2020] [Revised: 05/05/2020] [Accepted: 05/29/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Living organisms adapt to changing environments using their amazing flexibility to remodel themselves by a process called evolution. Environmental stress causes selective pressure and is associated with genetic and phenotypic shifts for better modifications, maintenance, and functioning of organismal systems. The natural evolution process can be used in complement to rational strain engineering for the development of desired traits or phenotypes as well as for the production of novel biomaterials through the imposition of one or more selective pressures. Space provides a unique environment of stressors (e.g., weightlessness and high radiation) that organisms have never experienced on Earth. Cells in the outer space reorganize and develop or activate a range of molecular responses that lead to changes in cellular properties. Exposure of cells to the outer space will lead to the development of novel variants more efficiently than on Earth. For instance, natural crop varieties can be generated with higher nutrition value, yield, and improved features, such as resistance against high and low temperatures, salt stress, and microbial and pest attacks. The review summarizes the literature on the parameters of outer space that affect the growth and behavior of cells and organisms as well as complex colloidal systems. We illustrate an understanding of gravity-related basic biological mechanisms and enlighten the possibility to explore the outer space environment for application-oriented aspects. This will stimulate biological research in the pursuit of innovative approaches for the future of agriculture and health on Earth.
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Lapadula WJ, Marcet PL, Taracena ML, Lenhart A, Juri Ayub M. Characterization of horizontally acquired ribotoxin encoding genes and their transcripts in Aedes aegypti. Gene 2020; 754:144857. [PMID: 32512159 DOI: 10.1016/j.gene.2020.144857] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2020] [Revised: 06/01/2020] [Accepted: 06/04/2020] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
Ribosome Inactivating Proteins (RIPs) are RNA N-glycosidases that depurinate a specific adenine residue in the conserved sarcin/ricin loop of the 28S rRNA. The occurrence of RIP genes has been described in a wide range of plant taxa, as well as in several species of bacteria and fungi. A remarkable case is the presence of these genes in metazoans belonging to the Culicinae subfamily. We reported that these genes are derived from a single horizontal gene transfer event, most likely from a bacterial donor species. Moreover, we have shown evidence that mosquito RIP genes are evolving under purifying selection, suggesting that these toxins have acquired a functional role in these organisms. In the present work, we characterized the intra-specific sequence variability of Aedes aegypti RIP genes (RIPAe1, RIPAe2, and RIPAe3) and tested their expression at the mRNA level. Our results show that RIPAe2 and RIPAe3 are transcribed and polyadenylated, and their expression levels are modulated across the developmental stages. Varibility among genes was observed, including the existence of null alleles for RIPAe1 and RIPAe2, with variants showing partial deletions. These results further support the existence of a physiological function for these foreign genes in mosquitoes. The possible nature of this functionality is discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Walter J Lapadula
- Instituto Multidisciplinario de Investigaciones Biológicas de San Luis, IMIBIO-SL-CONICET and Facultad de Química, Bioquímica y Farmacia, Universidad Nacional de San Luis, Ejercito de Los Andes, 950, D5700HHW San Luis, Argentina
| | - Paula L Marcet
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Division of Parasitic Diseases and Malaria, Entomology Branch. 1600 Clifton Road, Atlanta, GA 30333, USA.
| | - Mabel L Taracena
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Division of Parasitic Diseases and Malaria, Entomology Branch. 1600 Clifton Road, Atlanta, GA 30333, USA
| | - Audrey Lenhart
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Division of Parasitic Diseases and Malaria, Entomology Branch. 1600 Clifton Road, Atlanta, GA 30333, USA
| | - Maximiliano Juri Ayub
- Instituto Multidisciplinario de Investigaciones Biológicas de San Luis, IMIBIO-SL-CONICET and Facultad de Química, Bioquímica y Farmacia, Universidad Nacional de San Luis, Ejercito de Los Andes, 950, D5700HHW San Luis, Argentina.
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Fan X, Qiu H, Han W, Wang Y, Xu D, Zhang X, Bhattacharya D, Ye N. Phytoplankton pangenome reveals extensive prokaryotic horizontal gene transfer of diverse functions. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2020; 6:eaba0111. [PMID: 32494685 PMCID: PMC7190310 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aba0111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2019] [Accepted: 02/03/2020] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
The extent and role of horizontal gene transfer (HGT) in phytoplankton and, more broadly, eukaryotic evolution remain controversial topics. Recent studies substantiate the importance of HGT in modifying or expanding functions such as metal or reactive species detoxification and buttressing halotolerance. Yet, the potential of HGT to significantly alter the fate of species in a major eukaryotic assemblage remains to be established. We provide such an example for the ecologically important lineages encompassed by cryptophytes, rhizarians, alveolates, stramenopiles, and haptophytes ("CRASH" taxa). We describe robust evidence of prokaryotic HGTs in these taxa affecting functions such as polysaccharide biosynthesis. Numbers of HGTs range from 0.16 to 1.44% of CRASH species gene inventories, comparable to the ca. 1% prokaryote-derived HGTs found in the genomes of extremophilic red algae. Our results substantially expand the impact of HGT in eukaryotes and define a set of general principles for prokaryotic gene fixation in phytoplankton genomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiao Fan
- Yellow Sea Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Qingdao, China
- Function Laboratory for Marine Fisheries Science and Food Production Processes, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao, China
- Key Laboratory of Exploration and Utilization of Aquatic Genetic Resources, Ministry of Education, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai 201306, China
- National Demonstration Center for Experimental Fisheries Science Education, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai 201306, China
- International Research Center for Marine Biosciences, Ministry of Science and Technology, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai 201306, China
| | - Huan Qiu
- Independent scholar, 121 Goucher Terrace, Gaithersburg, MD 20877, USA
| | - Wentao Han
- Yellow Sea Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Qingdao, China
| | - Yitao Wang
- Yellow Sea Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Qingdao, China
| | - Dong Xu
- Yellow Sea Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Qingdao, China
| | - Xiaowen Zhang
- Yellow Sea Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Qingdao, China
| | - Debashish Bhattacharya
- Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, Rutgers University, 59 Dudley Road, Foran Hall 102, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, USA
| | - Naihao Ye
- Yellow Sea Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Qingdao, China
- Function Laboratory for Marine Fisheries Science and Food Production Processes, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao, China
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Obata D, Takabayashi A, Tanaka R, Tanaka A, Ito H. Horizontal Transfer of Promiscuous Activity from Nonphotosynthetic Bacteria Contributed to Evolution of Chlorophyll Degradation Pathway. Mol Biol Evol 2020; 36:2830-2841. [PMID: 31432082 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msz193] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
The relationship between enzymes and substrates does not perfectly match the "lock and key" model, because enzymes act on molecules other than their true substrate in different catalytic reactions. Such biologically nonfunctional reactions are called "promiscuous activities." Promiscuous activities are apparently useless, but they can be an important starting point for enzyme evolution. It has been hypothesized that enzymes with low promiscuous activity will show enhanced promiscuous activity under selection pressure and become new specialists through gene duplication. Although this is the prevailing scenario, there are two major problems: 1) it would not apply to prokaryotes because horizontal gene transfer is more significant than gene duplication and 2) there is no direct evidence that promiscuous activity is low without selection pressure. We propose a new scenario including various levels of promiscuous activity throughout a clade and horizontal gene transfer. STAY-GREEN (SGR), a chlorophyll a-Mg dechelating enzyme, has homologous genes in bacteria lacking chlorophyll. We found that some bacterial SGR homologs have much higher Mg-dechelating activities than those of green plant SGRs, while others have no activity, indicating that the level of promiscuous activity varies. A phylogenetic analysis suggests that a bacterial SGR homolog with high dechelating activity was horizontally transferred to a photosynthetic eukaryote. Some SGR homologs acted on various chlorophyll molecules that are not used as substrates by green plant SGRs, indicating that SGR acquired substrate specificity after transfer to eukaryotes. We propose that horizontal transfer of high promiscuous activity is one process of new enzyme acquisition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daichi Obata
- Institute of Low Temperature Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
| | | | - Ryouichi Tanaka
- Institute of Low Temperature Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Ayumi Tanaka
- Institute of Low Temperature Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Hisashi Ito
- Institute of Low Temperature Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
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30
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Abstract
Traditional evolutionary scenarios posit that land plants emerged from land plant-like relatives, the charophytes. New phylogenies suggest a closer affinity to simpler pond scum relatives, and evidence the gradual assembly of the land plant genome, revealing a phenotypic simplification from the complex ancestors envisaged by traditional scenarios.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philip Donoghue
- School of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol, Life Sciences Building, Tyndall Avenue, Bristol BS8 1TQ, UK.
| | - Jordi Paps
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Life Sciences Building, Tyndall Avenue, Bristol BS8 1TQ, UK
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31
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Wickell DA, Li FW. On the evolutionary significance of horizontal gene transfers in plants. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2020; 225:113-117. [PMID: 31347197 DOI: 10.1111/nph.16022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2019] [Accepted: 06/04/2019] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) has long been seen as a crucial process in the evolution of prokaryotic species, but until recently it was thought to have little, if any, effect on the evolution of eukaryotic life forms. Detecting and describing HGT events in eukaryotes is difficult, making this phenomenon at times controversial. However, modern advances in genomics and bioinformatics have radically altered our view of HGT in eukaryotes, especially in plants. It now appears that HGT to and from plant lineages is more common than previously suspected. Importantly, the transfer of functional nuclear genes with adaptive significance has been reported in numerous taxa. Here we review several recent studies that have found evidence of the horizontal transfer of nuclear genes, and argue that HGT has undoubtedly had profound impacts on plant evolution as a whole.
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Affiliation(s)
- David A Wickell
- Boyce Thompson Institute, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA
- Plant Biology Section, Cornell University, New York, NY, 14853, USA
| | - Fay-Wei Li
- Boyce Thompson Institute, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA
- Plant Biology Section, Cornell University, New York, NY, 14853, USA
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32
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Ahlgren NA, Belisle BS, Lee MD. Genomic mosaicism underlies the adaptation of marine Synechococcus ecotypes to distinct oceanic iron niches. Environ Microbiol 2019; 22:1801-1815. [PMID: 31840403 DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.14893] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2019] [Revised: 11/04/2019] [Accepted: 11/30/2019] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Phytoplankton are limited by iron (Fe) in ~40% of the world's oceans including high-nutrient low-chlorophyll (HNLC) regions. While low-Fe adaptation has been well-studied in large eukaryotic diatoms, less is known for small, prokaryotic marine picocyanobacteria. This study reveals key physiological and genomic differences underlying Fe adaptation in marine picocyanobacteria. HNLC ecotype CRD1 strains have greater physiological tolerance to low Fe congruent with their expanded repertoire of Fe transporter, storage and regulatory genes compared to other ecotypes. From metagenomic analysis, genes encoding ferritin, flavodoxin, Fe transporters and siderophore uptake genes were more abundant in low-Fe waters, mirroring paradigms of low-Fe adaptation in diatoms. Distinct Fe-related gene repertories of HNLC ecotypes CRD1 and CRD2 also highlight how coexisting ecotypes have evolved independent approaches to life in low-Fe habitats. Synechococcus and Prochlorococcus HNLC ecotypes likewise exhibit independent, genome-wide reductions of predicted Fe-requiring genes. HNLC ecotype CRD1 interestingly was most similar to coastal ecotype I in Fe physiology and Fe-related gene content, suggesting populations from these different biomes experience similar Fe-selective conditions. This work supports an improved perspective that phytoplankton are shaped by more nuanced Fe niches in the oceans than previously implied from mostly binary comparisons of low- versus high-Fe habitats and populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathan A Ahlgren
- Biology Department, Clark University, 950 Main Street, Worcester, MA, 01610, USA
| | | | - Michael D Lee
- NASA Ames Research Center, Exobiology Branch, PO Box 1, Moffett Field, CA, 94035, USA.,Blue Marble Space Institute of Science, Seattle, WA, 98154, USA
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33
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Fang Y, Liu C, Lin J, Li X, Alavian KN, Yang Y, Niu Y. PhySpeTree: an automated pipeline for reconstructing phylogenetic species trees. BMC Evol Biol 2019; 19:219. [PMID: 31791235 PMCID: PMC6889546 DOI: 10.1186/s12862-019-1541-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2019] [Accepted: 11/13/2019] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Phylogenetic species trees are widely used in inferring evolutionary relationships. Existing software and algorithms mainly focus on phylogenetic inference. However, less attention has been paid to intermediate steps, such as processing extremely large sequences and preparing configure files to connect multiple software. When the species number is large, the intermediate steps become a bottleneck that may seriously affect the efficiency of tree building. Results Here, we present an easy-to-use pipeline named PhySpeTree to facilitate the reconstruction of species trees across bacterial, archaeal, and eukaryotic organisms. Users need only to input the abbreviations of species names; PhySpeTree prepares complex configure files for different software, then automatically downloads genomic data, cleans sequences, and builds trees. PhySpeTree allows users to perform critical steps such as sequence alignment and tree construction by adjusting advanced options. PhySpeTree provides two parallel pipelines based on concatenated highly conserved proteins and small subunit ribosomal RNA sequences, respectively. Accessory modules, such as those for inserting new species, generating visualization configurations, and combining trees, are distributed along with PhySpeTree. Conclusions Together with accessory modules, PhySpeTree significantly simplifies tree reconstruction. PhySpeTree is implemented in Python running on modern operating systems (Linux, macOS, and Windows). The source code is freely available with detailed documentation (https://github.com/yangfangs/physpetools).
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Affiliation(s)
- Yang Fang
- Key Laboratory of Bio-Resources and Eco-Environment of Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Sichuan University, Chengdu, People's Republic of China
| | - Chengcheng Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases & National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases &Department of Periodontics, West China Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Jiangyi Lin
- Wu YuZhang Honors College of Sichuan University, Chengdu, People's Republic of China
| | - Xufeng Li
- Key Laboratory of Bio-Resources and Eco-Environment of Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Sichuan University, Chengdu, People's Republic of China
| | - Kambiz N Alavian
- Department of Medicine, Division of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, London, UK.,Department of Internal Medicine, Endocrinology, Yale University, New Haven, USA
| | - Yi Yang
- Key Laboratory of Bio-Resources and Eco-Environment of Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Sichuan University, Chengdu, People's Republic of China.
| | - Yulong Niu
- Key Laboratory of Bio-Resources and Eco-Environment of Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Sichuan University, Chengdu, People's Republic of China.
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34
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Cheng S, Xian W, Fu Y, Marin B, Keller J, Wu T, Sun W, Li X, Xu Y, Zhang Y, Wittek S, Reder T, Günther G, Gontcharov A, Wang S, Li L, Liu X, Wang J, Yang H, Xu X, Delaux PM, Melkonian B, Wong GKS, Melkonian M. Genomes of Subaerial Zygnematophyceae Provide Insights into Land Plant Evolution. Cell 2019; 179:1057-1067.e14. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2019.10.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 154] [Impact Index Per Article: 30.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2019] [Revised: 08/27/2019] [Accepted: 10/21/2019] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
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Koonin EV, Makarova KS, Wolf YI, Krupovic M. Evolutionary entanglement of mobile genetic elements and host defence systems: guns for hire. Nat Rev Genet 2019; 21:119-131. [PMID: 31611667 DOI: 10.1038/s41576-019-0172-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 114] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/02/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
All cellular life forms are afflicted by diverse genetic parasites, including viruses and other types of mobile genetic elements (MGEs), and have evolved multiple, diverse defence systems that protect them from MGE assault via different mechanisms. Here, we provide our perspectives on how recent evidence points to tight evolutionary connections between MGEs and defence systems that reach far beyond the proverbial arms race. Defence systems incur a fitness cost for the hosts; therefore, at least in prokaryotes, horizontal mobility of defence systems, mediated primarily by MGEs, is essential for their persistence. Moreover, defence systems themselves possess certain features of selfish elements. Common components of MGEs, such as site-specific nucleases, are 'guns for hire' that can also function as parts of defence mechanisms and are often shuttled between MGEs and defence systems. Thus, evolutionary and molecular factors converge to mould the multifaceted, inextricable connection between MGEs and anti-MGE defence systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eugene V Koonin
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Library of Medicine, Bethesda, MD, USA.
| | - Kira S Makarova
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Library of Medicine, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Yuri I Wolf
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Library of Medicine, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Mart Krupovic
- Department of Microbiology, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France.
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Corsaro D, Venditti D. Putative group I introns in the eukaryote nuclear internal transcribed spacers. Curr Genet 2019; 66:373-384. [PMID: 31463775 DOI: 10.1007/s00294-019-01027-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2019] [Revised: 08/05/2019] [Accepted: 08/17/2019] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Group I introns are mobile genetic elements that interrupt genes encoding proteins and RNAs. In the rRNA operon, introns can insert in the small subunit (SSU) and large subunit (LSU) of a wide variety of protists and various prokaryotes, but they were never found in the ITS region. In this study, unusually long ITS regions of fungi and closely related unicellular organisms (Polychytrium aggregatum, Mitosporidium daphniae, Amoeboaphelidium occidentale and Nuclearia simplex) were analysed. While the insertion of repeats is responsible for long ITS in other eukaryotes, the increased size of the sequences analysed herein seems rather due to the presence of introns in ITS-1 or ITS-2. The identified insertions can be folded in secondary structures according to group I intron models, and they cluster within introns in conserved core-based phylogeny. In addition, for Mitosporidium, Amoeboaphelidium and Nuclearia, more conventional ITS-2 structures can be deduced once spacer introns are removed. Sequences of five shark species were also analysed for their structure and included in phylogeny because of unpublished work reporting introns in their ITS, obtaining congruent results. Overall, the data presented herein indicate that spacer regions may contain introns.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniele Corsaro
- CHLAREAS, 12 rue du Maconnais, Vandoeuvre-lès-Nancy, 54500, France.
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37
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Phylogeny and Evolution of RNA 3'-Nucleotidyltransferases in Bacteria. J Mol Evol 2019; 87:254-270. [PMID: 31435688 DOI: 10.1007/s00239-019-09907-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2019] [Accepted: 08/07/2019] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
The tRNA nucleotidyltransferases and poly(A) polymerases belong to a superfamily of nucleotidyltransferases. The amino acid sequences of a number of bacterial tRNA nucleotidyltransferases and poly(A) polymerases have been used to construct a rooted, neighbor-joining phylogenetic tree. Using information gleaned from that analysis, along with data from the rRNA-based phylogenetic tree, structural data available on a number of members of the superfamily and other biochemical information on the superfamily, it is possible to suggest a scheme for the evolution of the bacterial tRNA nucleotidyltransferases and poly(A) polymerases from ancestral species. Elements of that scheme are discussed along with questions arising from the scheme which can be explored experimentally.
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Kobras CM, Falush D. Adapting for life in the extreme. eLife 2019; 8:48999. [PMID: 31305242 PMCID: PMC6629370 DOI: 10.7554/elife.48999] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2019] [Accepted: 07/10/2019] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Red algae have adapted to extreme environments by acquiring genes from bacteria and archaea.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carolin M Kobras
- Milner Centre for Evolution, University of Bath, Bath, United Kingdom
| | - Daniel Falush
- Milner Centre for Evolution, University of Bath, Bath, United Kingdom
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39
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Abstract
The amount and evolutionary impact of horizontal gene transfer in eukaryotes remain contentious issues. A new phylogenomic study suggests that gene transfer from prokaryotes has contributed significantly to the adaptation and metabolic evolution of Blastocystis, the most widespread human gut eukaryotic parasite.
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40
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Rossoni AW, Price DC, Seger M, Lyska D, Lammers P, Bhattacharya D, Weber APM. The genomes of polyextremophilic cyanidiales contain 1% horizontally transferred genes with diverse adaptive functions. eLife 2019; 8:e45017. [PMID: 31149898 PMCID: PMC6629376 DOI: 10.7554/elife.45017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2019] [Accepted: 05/30/2019] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
The role and extent of horizontal gene transfer (HGT) in eukaryotes are hotly disputed topics that impact our understanding of the origin of metabolic processes and the role of organelles in cellular evolution. We addressed this issue by analyzing 10 novel Cyanidiales genomes and determined that 1% of their gene inventory is HGT-derived. Numerous HGT candidates share a close phylogenetic relationship with prokaryotes that live in similar habitats as the Cyanidiales and encode functions related to polyextremophily. HGT candidates differ from native genes in GC-content, number of splice sites, and gene expression. HGT candidates are more prone to loss, which may explain the absence of a eukaryotic pan-genome. Therefore, the lack of a pan-genome and cumulative effects fail to provide substantive arguments against our hypothesis of recurring HGT followed by differential loss in eukaryotes. The maintenance of 1% HGTs, even under selection for genome reduction, underlines the importance of non-endosymbiosis related foreign gene acquisition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessandro W Rossoni
- Institute of Plant Biochemistry, Cluster of Excellence on Plant Sciences (CEPLAS)Heinrich Heine UniversityDüsseldorfGermany
| | - Dana C Price
- Department of Plant BiologyRutgers UniversityNew BrunswickUnited States
| | - Mark Seger
- Arizona Center for Algae Technology and InnovationArizona State UniversityMesaUnited States
| | - Dagmar Lyska
- Institute of Plant Biochemistry, Cluster of Excellence on Plant Sciences (CEPLAS)Heinrich Heine UniversityDüsseldorfGermany
| | - Peter Lammers
- Arizona Center for Algae Technology and InnovationArizona State UniversityMesaUnited States
| | | | - Andreas PM Weber
- Institute of Plant Biochemistry, Cluster of Excellence on Plant Sciences (CEPLAS)Heinrich Heine UniversityDüsseldorfGermany
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Heller D, Szklarczyk D, Mering CV. Tree reconciliation combined with subsampling improves large scale inference of orthologous group hierarchies. BMC Bioinformatics 2019; 20:228. [PMID: 31060495 PMCID: PMC6501302 DOI: 10.1186/s12859-019-2828-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2018] [Accepted: 04/17/2019] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND An orthologous group (OG) comprises a set of orthologous and paralogous genes that share a last common ancestor (LCA). OGs are defined with respect to a chosen taxonomic level, which delimits the position of the LCA in time to a specified speciation event. A hierarchy of OGs expands on this notion, connecting more general OGs, distant in time, to more recent, fine-grained OGs, thereby spanning multiple levels of the tree of life. Large scale inference of OG hierarchies with independently computed taxonomic levels can suffer from inconsistencies between successive levels, such as the position in time of a duplication event. This can be due to confounding genetic signal or algorithmic limitations. Importantly, inconsistencies limit the potential use of OGs for functional annotation and third-party applications. RESULTS Here we present a new methodology to ensure hierarchical consistency of OGs across taxonomic levels. To resolve an inconsistency, we subsample the protein space of the OG members and perform gene tree-species tree reconciliation for each sampling. Differently from previous approaches, by subsampling the protein space, we avoid the notoriously difficult task of accurately building and reconciling very large phylogenies. We implement the method into a high-throughput pipeline and apply it to the eggNOG database. We use independent protein domain definitions to validate its performance. CONCLUSION The presented consistency pipeline shows that, contrary to previous limitations, tree reconciliation can be a useful instrument for the construction of OG hierarchies. The key lies in the combination of sampling smaller trees and aggregating their reconciliations for robustness. Results show comparable or greater performance to previous pipelines. The code is available on Github at: https://github.com/meringlab/og_consistency_pipeline .
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Affiliation(s)
- Davide Heller
- Institute of Molecular Life Sciences, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, Zurich, 8057 Switzerland
- SIB Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, Quartier Sorge, Batiment Genopode, Lausanne, 1015 Switzerland
| | - Damian Szklarczyk
- Institute of Molecular Life Sciences, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, Zurich, 8057 Switzerland
- SIB Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, Quartier Sorge, Batiment Genopode, Lausanne, 1015 Switzerland
| | - Christian von Mering
- Institute of Molecular Life Sciences, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, Zurich, 8057 Switzerland
- SIB Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, Quartier Sorge, Batiment Genopode, Lausanne, 1015 Switzerland
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Abstract
The concept of the species ‘pan-genome’, the union of ‘core’ conserved genes and all ‘accessory’ non-conserved genes across all strains of a species, was first proposed in prokaryotes to account for intraspecific variability. Species pan-genomes have been extensively studied in prokaryotes, but evidence of species pan-genomes has also been demonstrated in eukaryotes such as plants and fungi. Using a previously published methodology based on sequence homology and conserved microsynteny, in addition to bespoke pipelines, we have investigated the pan-genomes of four model fungal species: Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Candida albicans, Cryptococcus neoformans var. grubii and Aspergillus fumigatus. Between 80 and 90 % of gene models per strain in each of these species are core genes that are highly conserved across all strains of that species, many of which are involved in housekeeping and conserved survival processes. In many of these species, the remaining ‘accessory’ gene models are clustered within subterminal regions and may be involved in pathogenesis and antimicrobial resistance. Analysis of the ancestry of species core and accessory genomes suggests that fungal pan-genomes evolve by strain-level innovations such as gene duplication as opposed to wide-scale horizontal gene transfer. Our findings lend further supporting evidence to the existence of species pan-genomes in eukaryote taxa.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charley G P McCarthy
- 1Genome Evolution Laboratory, Department of Biology, Maynooth University, Maynooth, Co. Kildare, Ireland.,2Human Health Research Institute, Maynooth University, Maynooth, Co. Kildare, Ireland
| | - David A Fitzpatrick
- 1Genome Evolution Laboratory, Department of Biology, Maynooth University, Maynooth, Co. Kildare, Ireland.,2Human Health Research Institute, Maynooth University, Maynooth, Co. Kildare, Ireland
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43
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Dong X, Chaisiri K, Xia D, Armstrong SD, Fang Y, Donnelly MJ, Kadowaki T, McGarry JW, Darby AC, Makepeace BL. Genomes of trombidid mites reveal novel predicted allergens and laterally transferred genes associated with secondary metabolism. Gigascience 2018; 7:5160133. [PMID: 30445460 PMCID: PMC6275457 DOI: 10.1093/gigascience/giy127] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2018] [Accepted: 10/18/2018] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Trombidid mites have a unique life cycle in which only the larval stage is ectoparasitic. In the superfamily Trombiculoidea ("chiggers"), the larvae feed preferentially on vertebrates, including humans. Species in the genus Leptotrombidium are vectors of a potentially fatal bacterial infection, scrub typhus, that affects 1 million people annually. Moreover, chiggers can cause pruritic dermatitis (trombiculiasis) in humans and domesticated animals. In the Trombidioidea (velvet mites), the larvae feed on other arthropods and are potential biological control agents for agricultural pests. Here, we present the first trombidid mites genomes, obtained both for a chigger, Leptotrombidium deliense, and for a velvet mite, Dinothrombium tinctorium. Results Sequencing was performed using Illumina technology. A 180 Mb draft assembly for D. tinctorium was generated from two paired-end and one mate-pair library using a single adult specimen. For L. deliense, a lower-coverage draft assembly (117 Mb) was obtained using pooled, engorged larvae with a single paired-end library. Remarkably, both genomes exhibited evidence of ancient lateral gene transfer from soil-derived bacteria or fungi. The transferred genes confer functions that are rare in animals, including terpene and carotenoid synthesis. Thirty-seven allergenic protein families were predicted in the L. deliense genome, of which nine were unique. Preliminary proteomic analyses identified several of these putative allergens in larvae. Conclusions Trombidid mite genomes appear to be more dynamic than those of other acariform mites. A priority for future research is to determine the biological function of terpene synthesis in this taxon and its potential for exploitation in disease control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaofeng Dong
- Institute of Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 7ZB, United Kingdom.,Department of Biological Sciences, Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, Suzhou 215123, China.,School of Life Sciences, Jiangsu Normal University, Xuzhou 221116, China.,Institute of Infection & Global Health, University of Liverpool, L3 5RF, United Kingdom
| | - Kittipong Chaisiri
- Institute of Infection & Global Health, University of Liverpool, L3 5RF, United Kingdom.,Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Ratchathewi Bangkok 10400, Thailand
| | - Dong Xia
- Institute of Infection & Global Health, University of Liverpool, L3 5RF, United Kingdom.,The Royal Veterinary College, London NW1 0TU, United Kingdom
| | - Stuart D Armstrong
- Institute of Infection & Global Health, University of Liverpool, L3 5RF, United Kingdom
| | - Yongxiang Fang
- Institute of Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 7ZB, United Kingdom
| | - Martin J Donnelly
- Department of Vector Biology, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool L3 5QA, United Kingdom
| | - Tatsuhiko Kadowaki
- Department of Biological Sciences, Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, Suzhou 215123, China
| | - John W McGarry
- Institute of Veterinary Science, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L3 5RP, United Kingdom
| | - Alistair C Darby
- Institute of Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 7ZB, United Kingdom
| | - Benjamin L Makepeace
- Institute of Infection & Global Health, University of Liverpool, L3 5RF, United Kingdom
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44
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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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45
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Abstract
All known life forms trace back to a last universal common ancestor (LUCA) that witnessed the onset of Darwinian evolution. One can ask questions about LUCA in various ways, the most common way being to look for traits that are common to all cells, like ribosomes or the genetic code. With the availability of genomes, we can, however, also ask what genes are ancient by virtue of their phylogeny rather than by virtue of being universal. That approach, undertaken recently, leads to a different view of LUCA than we have had in the past, one that fits well with the harsh geochemical setting of early Earth and resembles the biology of prokaryotes that today inhabit the Earth's crust.
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46
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Woehle C, Roy AS, Glock N, Wein T, Weissenbach J, Rosenstiel P, Hiebenthal C, Michels J, Schönfeld J, Dagan T. A Novel Eukaryotic Denitrification Pathway in Foraminifera. Curr Biol 2018; 28:2536-2543.e5. [PMID: 30078568 PMCID: PMC6783311 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2018.06.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2018] [Revised: 05/22/2018] [Accepted: 06/14/2018] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Benthic foraminifera are unicellular eukaryotes inhabiting sediments of aquatic environments. Several species were shown to store and use nitrate for complete denitrification, a unique energy metabolism among eukaryotes. The population of benthic foraminifera reaches high densities in oxygen-depleted marine habitats, where they play a key role in the marine nitrogen cycle. However, the mechanisms of denitrification in foraminifera are still unknown, and the possibility of a contribution of associated bacteria is debated. Here, we present evidence for a novel eukaryotic denitrification pathway that is encoded in foraminiferal genomes. Large-scale genome and transcriptomes analyses reveal the presence of a denitrification pathway in foraminifera species of the genus Globobulimina. This includes the enzymes nitrite reductase (NirK) and nitric oxide reductase (Nor) as well as a wide range of nitrate transporters (Nrt). A phylogenetic reconstruction of the enzymes' evolutionary history uncovers evidence for an ancient acquisition of the foraminiferal denitrification pathway from prokaryotes. We propose a model for denitrification in foraminifera, where a common electron transport chain is used for anaerobic and aerobic respiration. The evolution of hybrid respiration in foraminifera likely contributed to their ecological success, which is well documented in palaeontological records since the Cambrian period.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian Woehle
- Institute of Microbiology, Kiel University, Am Botanischen Garten 11, Kiel 24118, Germany.
| | - Alexandra-Sophie Roy
- Institute of Microbiology, Kiel University, Am Botanischen Garten 11, Kiel 24118, Germany.
| | - Nicolaas Glock
- GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, Wischhofstrasse, Kiel 24148, Germany
| | - Tanita Wein
- Institute of Microbiology, Kiel University, Am Botanischen Garten 11, Kiel 24118, Germany
| | - Julia Weissenbach
- Institute of Microbiology, Kiel University, Am Botanischen Garten 11, Kiel 24118, Germany
| | - Philip Rosenstiel
- Institute of Clinical Molecular Biology, Kiel University, Am Botanischen Garten 11, Kiel 24118, Germany
| | - Claas Hiebenthal
- GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, Wischhofstrasse, Kiel 24148, Germany
| | - Jan Michels
- Institute of Zoology, Kiel University, Am Botanischen Garten 1-9, Kiel 24118, Germany
| | - Joachim Schönfeld
- GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, Wischhofstrasse, Kiel 24148, Germany
| | - Tal Dagan
- Institute of Microbiology, Kiel University, Am Botanischen Garten 11, Kiel 24118, Germany
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47
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de Santis B, Stockhofe N, Wal JM, Weesendorp E, Lallès JP, van Dijk J, Kok E, De Giacomo M, Einspanier R, Onori R, Brera C, Bikker P, van der Meulen J, Kleter G. Case studies on genetically modified organisms (GMOs): Potential risk scenarios and associated health indicators. Food Chem Toxicol 2018; 117:36-65. [DOI: 10.1016/j.fct.2017.08.033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2017] [Revised: 07/03/2017] [Accepted: 08/22/2017] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
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48
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Wybouw N, Van Leeuwen T, Dermauw W. A massive incorporation of microbial genes into the genome of Tetranychus urticae, a polyphagous arthropod herbivore. INSECT MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2018; 27:333-351. [PMID: 29377385 DOI: 10.1111/imb.12374] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
A number of horizontal gene transfers (HGTs) have been identified in the spider mite Tetranychus urticae, a chelicerate herbivore. However, the genome of this mite species has at present not been thoroughly mined for the presence of HGT genes. Here, we performed a systematic screen for HGT genes in the T. urticae genome using the h-index metric. Our results not only validated previously identified HGT genes but also uncovered 25 novel HGT genes. In addition to HGT genes with a predicted biochemical function in carbohydrate, lipid and folate metabolism, we also identified the horizontal transfer of a ketopantoate hydroxymethyltransferase and a pantoate β-alanine ligase gene. In plants and bacteria, both genes are essential for vitamin B5 biosynthesis and their presence in the mite genome strongly suggests that spider mites, similar to Bemisia tabaci and nematodes, can synthesize their own vitamin B5. We further show that HGT genes were physically embedded within the mite genome and were expressed in different life stages. By screening chelicerate genomes and transcriptomes, we were able to estimate the evolutionary histories of these HGTs during chelicerate evolution. Our study suggests that HGT has made a significant and underestimated impact on the metabolic repertoire of plant-feeding spider mites.
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Affiliation(s)
- N Wybouw
- Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
- Laboratory of Agrozoology, Department of Plants and Crops, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - T Van Leeuwen
- Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
- Laboratory of Agrozoology, Department of Plants and Crops, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - W Dermauw
- Laboratory of Agrozoology, Department of Plants and Crops, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
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49
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Comparative analyses of whole-genome protein sequences from multiple organisms. Sci Rep 2018; 8:6800. [PMID: 29717164 PMCID: PMC5931523 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-25090-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2017] [Accepted: 04/16/2018] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Phylogenies based on entire genomes are a powerful tool for reconstructing the Tree of Life. Several methods have been proposed, most of which employ an alignment-free strategy. Average sequence similarity methods are different than most other whole-genome methods, because they are based on local alignments. However, previous average similarity methods fail to reconstruct a correct phylogeny when compared against other whole-genome trees. In this study, we developed a novel average sequence similarity method. Our method correctly reconstructs the phylogenetic tree of in silico evolved E. coli proteomes. We applied the method to reconstruct a whole-proteome phylogeny of 1,087 species from all three domains of life, Bacteria, Archaea, and Eucarya. Our tree was automatically reconstructed without any human decisions, such as the selection of organisms. The tree exhibits a concentric circle-like structure, indicating that all the organisms have similar total branch lengths from their common ancestor. Branching patterns of the members of each phylum of Bacteria and Archaea are largely consistent with previous reports. The topologies are largely consistent with those reconstructed by other methods. These results strongly suggest that this approach has sufficient taxonomic resolution and reliability to infer phylogeny, from phylum to strain, of a wide range of organisms.
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50
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Boto L. Are There Really Too Many Eukaryote LGTs? A Reply To William Martin. Bioessays 2018; 40. [DOI: 10.1002/bies.201800001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2018] [Accepted: 01/10/2018] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Luis Boto
- Departamento de Biodiversidad y Biología Evolutiva, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (CSIC); C/ José Gutierrez Abascal 2 28006 Madrid Spain
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