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González-Pech RA, Li VY, Garcia V, Boville E, Mammone M, Kitano H, Ritchie KB, Medina M. The Evolution, Assembly, and Dynamics of Marine Holobionts. ANNUAL REVIEW OF MARINE SCIENCE 2024; 16:443-466. [PMID: 37552896 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-marine-022123-104345] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/10/2023]
Abstract
The holobiont concept (i.e., multiple living beings in close symbiosis with one another and functioning as a unit) is revolutionizing our understanding of biology, especially in marine systems. The earliest marine holobiont was likely a syntrophic partnership of at least two prokaryotic members. Since then, symbiosis has enabled marine organisms to conquer all ocean habitats through the formation of holobionts with a wide spectrum of complexities. However, most scientific inquiries have focused on isolated organisms and their adaptations to specific environments. In this review, we attempt to illustrate why a holobiont perspective-specifically, the study of how numerous organisms form a discrete ecological unit through symbiosis-will be a more impactful strategy to advance our understanding of the ecology and evolution of marine life. We argue that this approach is instrumental in addressing the threats to marine biodiversity posed by the current global environmental crisis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raúl A González-Pech
- Department of Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; , , , , ,
| | - Vivian Y Li
- Department of Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; , , , , ,
| | - Vanessa Garcia
- Department of Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; , , , , ,
| | - Elizabeth Boville
- Department of Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; , , , , ,
| | - Marta Mammone
- Department of Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; , , , , ,
| | | | - Kim B Ritchie
- Department of Natural Sciences, University of South Carolina, Beaufort, South Carolina, USA;
| | - Mónica Medina
- Department of Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; , , , , ,
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2
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Ruperti F, Papadopoulos N, Musser JM, Mirdita M, Steinegger M, Arendt D. Cross-phyla protein annotation by structural prediction and alignment. Genome Biol 2023; 24:113. [PMID: 37173746 PMCID: PMC10176882 DOI: 10.1186/s13059-023-02942-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2022] [Accepted: 04/18/2023] [Indexed: 05/15/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Protein annotation is a major goal in molecular biology, yet experimentally determined knowledge is typically limited to a few model organisms. In non-model species, the sequence-based prediction of gene orthology can be used to infer protein identity; however, this approach loses predictive power at longer evolutionary distances. Here we propose a workflow for protein annotation using structural similarity, exploiting the fact that similar protein structures often reflect homology and are more conserved than protein sequences. RESULTS We propose a workflow of openly available tools for the functional annotation of proteins via structural similarity (MorF: MorphologFinder) and use it to annotate the complete proteome of a sponge. Sponges are highly relevant for inferring the early history of animals, yet their proteomes remain sparsely annotated. MorF accurately predicts the functions of proteins with known homology in [Formula: see text] cases and annotates an additional [Formula: see text] of the proteome beyond standard sequence-based methods. We uncover new functions for sponge cell types, including extensive FGF, TGF, and Ephrin signaling in sponge epithelia, and redox metabolism and control in myopeptidocytes. Notably, we also annotate genes specific to the enigmatic sponge mesocytes, proposing they function to digest cell walls. CONCLUSIONS Our work demonstrates that structural similarity is a powerful approach that complements and extends sequence similarity searches to identify homologous proteins over long evolutionary distances. We anticipate this will be a powerful approach that boosts discovery in numerous -omics datasets, especially for non-model organisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabian Ruperti
- Developmental Biology Unit, European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Heidelberg, Germany
- Faculty of Biosciences, Collaboration for joint Ph.D. degree between EMBL and Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Nikolaos Papadopoulos
- Developmental Biology Unit, European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Heidelberg, Germany
- Department for Evolutionary Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Jacob M Musser
- Developmental Biology Unit, European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Milot Mirdita
- School of Biological Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Martin Steinegger
- School of Biological Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul, South Korea
- Artificial Intelligence Institute, Seoul National University, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Detlev Arendt
- Developmental Biology Unit, European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Heidelberg, Germany.
- Centre for Organismal Studies, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany.
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Shimpi GG, Bentlage B. Ancient endosymbiont-mediated transmission of a selfish gene provides a model for overcoming barriers to gene transfer into animal mitochondrial genomes. Bioessays 2023; 45:e2200190. [PMID: 36412071 DOI: 10.1002/bies.202200190] [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: 09/24/2022] [Revised: 11/09/2022] [Accepted: 11/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
In contrast to bilaterian animals, non-bilaterian mitochondrial genomes contain atypical genes, often attributed to horizontal gene transfer (HGT) as an ad hoc explanation. Although prevalent in plants, HGT into animal mitochondrial genomes is rare, lacking suitable explanatory models for their occurrence. HGT of the mismatch DNA repair gene (mtMutS) from giant viruses to octocoral (soft corals and their kin) mitochondrial genomes provides a model for how barriers to HGT to animal mitochondria may be overcome. A review of the available literature suggests that this HGT was mediated by an alveolate endosymbiont infected with a lysogenic phycodnavirus that enabled insertion of the homing endonuclease containing mtMutS into octocoral mitochondrial genomes. We posit that homing endonuclease domains and similar selfish elements play a crucial role in such inter-domain gene transfers. Understanding the role of selfish genetic elements in HGT has the potential to aid development of tools for manipulating animal mitochondrial DNA.
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HGT is widespread in insects and contributes to male courtship in lepidopterans. Cell 2022; 185:2975-2987.e10. [PMID: 35853453 PMCID: PMC9357157 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2022.06.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2022] [Revised: 05/04/2022] [Accepted: 06/08/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) is an important evolutionary force shaping prokaryotic and eukaryotic genomes. HGT-acquired genes have been sporadically reported in insects, a lineage containing >50% of animals. We systematically examined HGT in 218 high-quality genomes of diverse insects and found that they acquired 1,410 genes exhibiting diverse functions, including many not previously reported, via 741 distinct transfers from non-metazoan donors. Lepidopterans had the highest average number of HGT-acquired genes. HGT-acquired genes containing introns exhibited substantially higher expression levels than genes lacking introns, suggesting that intron gains were likely involved in HGT adaptation. Lastly, we used the CRISPR-Cas9 system to edit the prevalent unreported gene LOC105383139, which was transferred into the last common ancestor of moths and butterflies. In diamondback moths, males lacking LOC105383139 courted females significantly less. We conclude that HGT has been a major contributor to insect adaptation.
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Yi X, Cha M. Gut Dysbiosis Has the Potential to Reduce the Sexual Attractiveness of Mouse Female. Front Microbiol 2022; 13:916766. [PMID: 35677910 PMCID: PMC9169628 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.916766] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2022] [Accepted: 04/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Increasing evidence has shown that the gut microbiome has significant effects on mate preferences of insects; however, whether gut microbiota composition affects sexual attractiveness and mate preference in mammals remains largely unknown. Here, we showed that antibiotic treatment significantly restructured the gut microbiota composition of both mouse males and females. Males, regardless of antibiotic treatment, exhibited a higher propensity to interact with the control females than the antibiotic-treated females. The data clearly showed that gut microbiota dysbiosis reduced the sexual attractiveness of females to males, implying that commensal gut microbiota influences female attractiveness to males. The reduced sexual attractiveness of the antibiotic-treated females may be beneficial to discriminating males by avoiding disorders of immunity and sociability in offspring that acquire maternal gut microbiota via vertical transmission. We suggest further work should be oriented to increase our understanding of the interactions between gut microbiota dysbiosis, sexual selection, and mate choice of wild animals at the population level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xianfeng Yi
- College of Life Sciences, Qufu Normal University, Qufu, China
| | - Muha Cha
- College of Life Sciences, Qufu Normal University, Qufu, China.,Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Chifeng University, Chifeng, China
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Ishaq SL, Turner SM, Tudor MS, MacRae JD, Hamlin H, Kilchenmann J, Lee G, Bouchard D. Many Questions Remain Unanswered About the Role of Microbial Transmission in Epizootic Shell Disease in American Lobsters (Homarus americanus). Front Microbiol 2022; 13:824950. [PMID: 35602067 PMCID: PMC9121004 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.824950] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2021] [Accepted: 04/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite decades of research on lobster species’ biology, ecology, and microbiology, there are still unresolved questions about the microbial communities which associate in or on lobsters under healthy or diseased states, microbial acquisition, as well as microbial transmission between lobsters and between lobsters and their environment. There is an untapped opportunity for metagenomics, metatranscriptomics, and metabolomics to be added to the existing wealth of knowledge to more precisely track disease transmission, etiology, and host-microbe dynamics. Moreover, we need to gain this knowledge of wild lobster microbiomes before climate change alters environmental and host-microbial communities more than it likely already has, throwing a socioeconomically critical industry into disarray. As with so many animal species, the effects of climate change often manifest as changes in movement, and in this perspective piece, we consider the movement of the American lobster (Homarus americanus), Atlantic Ocean currents, and the microorganisms associated with either.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suzanne L. Ishaq
- School of Food and Agriculture, University of Maine, Orono, ME, United States
- Aquaculture Research Institute, Orono, ME, United States
- *Correspondence: Suzanne L. Ishaq,
| | - Sarah M. Turner
- Aquaculture Research Institute, Orono, ME, United States
- Cooperative Extension, University of Maine, Orono, ME, United States
| | - M. Scarlett Tudor
- Aquaculture Research Institute, Orono, ME, United States
- Cooperative Extension, University of Maine, Orono, ME, United States
| | - Jean D. MacRae
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Maine, Orono, ME, United States
| | - Heather Hamlin
- Aquaculture Research Institute, Orono, ME, United States
- School of Marine Sciences, University of Maine, Orono, ME, United States
| | - Joelle Kilchenmann
- School of Marine Sciences, University of Maine, Orono, ME, United States
| | - Grace Lee
- Department of Neuroscience, Bowdoin College, Brunswick, ME, United States
| | - Deborah Bouchard
- Aquaculture Research Institute, Orono, ME, United States
- Cooperative Extension, University of Maine, Orono, ME, United States
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Marine Sponge Endosymbionts: Structural and Functional Specificity of the Microbiome within
Euryspongia arenaria
Cells. Microbiol Spectr 2022; 10:e0229621. [PMID: 35499324 PMCID: PMC9241883 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.02296-21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Sponge microbiomes are typically profiled by analyzing the community DNA of whole tissues, which does not distinguish the taxa residing within sponge cells from extracellular microbes. To uncover the endosymbiotic microbiome, we separated the sponge cells to enrich the intracellular microbes. The intracellular bacterial community of sponge Euryspongia arenaria was initially assessed by amplicon sequencing, which indicated that it hosts three unique phyla not found in the extracellular and bulk tissue microbiomes. These three phyla account for 66% of the taxonomically known genera in the intracellular microbiome. The shotgun metagenomic analysis extended the taxonomic coverage to viruses and eukaryotes, revealing the most abundant signature taxa specific to the intracellular microbiome. Functional KEGG pathway annotation demonstrated that the endosymbiotic microbiome hosted the greatest number of unique gene orthologs. The pathway profiles distinguished the intra- and extracellular microbiomes from the tissue and seawater microbiomes. Carbohydrate-active enzyme analysis further discriminated each microbiome based on their representative and dominant enzyme families. One pathway involved in digestion system and family esterase had a consistently higher level in intracellular microbiome and could statistically differentiate the intracellular microbiome from the others, suggesting that triacylglycerol lipases could be the key functional component peculiar to the endosymbionts. The identified higher abundance of lipase-related eggNOG categories further supported the lipid-hydrolyzing metabolism of endosymbiotic microbiota. Pseudomonas members, reported as lipase-producing bacteria, were only in the endosymbiotic microbiome, meanwhile Pseudomonas also showed a greater abundance intracellularly. Our study aided a comprehensive sponge microbiome that demonstrated the taxonomic and functional specificity of endosymbiotic microbiota. IMPORTANCE Sponges host abundant microbial symbionts that can produce an impressive number of novel bioactive metabolites. However, knowledge on intracellular (endosymbiotic) microbiota is scarce. We characterize the composition and function of the endosymbiotic microbiome by separation of sponge cells and enrichment of intracellular microbes. We uncover a noteworthy number of taxa exclusively in the endosymbiotic microbiome. We unlock the unique pathways and enzymes of endosymbiotic taxa. This study achieves a more comprehensive sponge microbial community profile, which demonstrates the structural and functional specificity of the endosymbiotic microbiome. Our findings not only open the possibility to reveal the low abundant and the likely missed microbiota when directly sequencing the sponge bulk tissues, but also warrant future in-depth exploration within single sponge cells.
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Medina M, Baker DM, Baltrus DA, Bennett GM, Cardini U, Correa AMS, Degnan SM, Christa G, Kim E, Li J, Nash DR, Marzinelli E, Nishiguchi M, Prada C, Roth MS, Saha M, Smith CI, Theis KR, Zaneveld J. Grand Challenges in Coevolution. Front Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2021.618251] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
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9
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Freitas-Silva J, de Oliveira BFR, Vigoder FDM, Muricy G, Dobson ADW, Laport MS. Peeling the Layers Away: The Genomic Characterization of Bacillus pumilus 64-1, an Isolate With Antimicrobial Activity From the Marine Sponge Plakina cyanorosea (Porifera, Homoscleromorpha). Front Microbiol 2021; 11:592735. [PMID: 33488540 PMCID: PMC7820076 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2020.592735] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2020] [Accepted: 12/09/2020] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Bacillus pumilus 64-1, a bacterial strain isolated from the marine sponge Plakina cyanorosea, which exhibits antimicrobial activity against both pathogenic and drug-resistant Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. This study aimed to conduct an in-depth genomic analysis of this bioactive sponge-derived strain. The nearly complete genome of strain 64-1 consists of 3.6 Mbp (41.5% GC), which includes 3,705 coding sequences (CDS). An open pangenome was observed when limiting to the type strains of the B. pumilus group and aquatic-derived B. pumilus representatives. The genome appears to encode for at least 12 potential biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs), including both types I and III polyketide synthases (PKS), non-ribosomal peptide synthetases (NRPS), and one NRPS-T1PKS hybrid, among others. In particular, bacilysin and other bacteriocin-coding genes were found and may be associated with the detected antimicrobial activity. Strain 64-1 also appears to possess a broad repertoire of genes encoding for plant cell wall-degrading carbohydrate-active enzymes (CAZymes). A myriad of genes which may be involved in various process required by the strain in its marine habitat, such as those encoding for osmoprotectory transport systems and the biosynthesis of compatible solutes were also present. Several heavy metal tolerance genes are also present, together with various mobile elements including a region encoding for a type III-B Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPR) region, four prophage segments and transposase elements. This is the first report on the genomic characterization of a cultivable bacterial member of the Plakina cyanorosea holobiont.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jéssyca Freitas-Silva
- Institute of Microbiology Paulo de Góes, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Bruno Francesco Rodrigues de Oliveira
- Institute of Microbiology Paulo de Góes, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.,School of Microbiology, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
| | - Felipe de Mello Vigoder
- Department of Genetics, Institute of Biology, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Guilherme Muricy
- Department of Invertebrates, National Museum, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Alan D W Dobson
- School of Microbiology, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland.,Environmental Research Institute, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
| | - Marinella Silva Laport
- Institute of Microbiology Paulo de Góes, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
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10
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Daugavet MA, Shabelnikov SV, Podgornaya OI. Amino acid sequence associated with bacteriophage recombination site helps to reveal genes potentially acquired through horizontal gene transfer. BMC Bioinformatics 2020; 21:305. [PMID: 32703190 PMCID: PMC7379824 DOI: 10.1186/s12859-020-03599-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2020] [Accepted: 06/10/2020] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Horizontal gene transfer, i.e. the acquisition of genetic material from nonparent organism, is considered an important force driving species evolution. Many cases of horizontal gene transfer from prokaryotes to eukaryotes have been registered, but no transfer mechanism has been deciphered so far, although viruses were proposed as possible vectors in several studies. In agreement with this idea, in our previous study we discovered that in two eukaryotic proteins bacteriophage recombination site (AttP) was adjacent to the regions originating via horizontal gene transfer. In one of those cases AttP site was present inside the introns of cysteine-rich repeats. In the present study we aimed to apply computational tools for finding multiple horizontal gene transfer events in large genome databases. For that purpose we used a sequence of cysteine-rich repeats to identify genes potentially acquired through horizontal transfer. Results HMMER remote similarity search significantly detected 382 proteins containing cysteine-rich repeats. All of them, except 8 sequences, belong to eukaryotes. In 124 proteins the presence of conserved structural domains was predicted. In spite of the fact that cysteine-rich repeats are found almost exclusively in eukaryotic proteins, many predicted domains are most common for prokaryotes or bacteriophages. Ninety-eight proteins out of 124 contain typical prokaryotic domains. In those cases proteins were considered as potentially originating via horizontal transfer. In addition, HHblits search revealed that two domains of the same fungal protein, Glycoside hydrolase and Peptidase M15, have high similarity with proteins of two different prokaryotic species, hinting at independent horizontal gene transfer events. Conclusions Cysteine-rich repeats in eukaryotic proteins are usually accompanied by conserved domains typical for prokaryotes or bacteriophages. These proteins, containing both cysteine-rich repeats, and characteristic prokaryotic domains, might represent multiple independent horizontal gene transfer events from prokaryotes to eukaryotes. We believe that the presence of bacteriophage recombination site inside cysteine-rich repeat coding sequence may facilitate horizontal genes transfer. Thus computational approach, described in the present study, can help finding multiple sequences originated from horizontal transfer in eukaryotic genomes.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Olga I Podgornaya
- Institute of Cytology, St. Petersburg, Russia, 194064.,School of Biomedicine, Far Eastern Federal University, Vladivostok, Russia, 690090.,Department of Cytology and Histology, St. Pb State University, St. Petersburg, Russia, 199034
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11
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Feng JM, Jiang CQ, Sun ZY, Hua CJ, Wen JF, Miao W, Xiong J. Single-cell transcriptome sequencing of rumen ciliates provides insight into their molecular adaptations to the anaerobic and carbohydrate-rich rumen microenvironment. Mol Phylogenet Evol 2019; 143:106687. [PMID: 31740334 DOI: 10.1016/j.ympev.2019.106687] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2019] [Revised: 11/11/2019] [Accepted: 11/13/2019] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
Rumen ciliates are a specialized group of ciliates exclusively found in the anaerobic, carbohydrate-rich rumen microenvironment. However, the molecular and mechanistic basis of the physiological and behavioral adaptation of ciliates to the rumen microenvironment is undefined. We used single-cell transcriptome sequencing to explore the adaptive evolution of three rumen ciliates: two entodiniomorphids, Entodinium furca and Diplodinium dentatum; and one vestibuliferid, Isotricha intestinalis. We found that all three species are members of monophyletic orders within the class Litostomatea, with E. furca and D. dentatum in Entodiniomorphida and I. intestinalis in Vestibuliferida. The two entodiniomorphids might use H2-producing mitochondria and the vestibuliferid might use anaerobic mitochondria to survive under strictly anaerobic conditions. Moreover, carbohydrate-active enzyme (CAZyme) genes were identified in all three species, including cellulases, hemicellulases, and pectinases. The evidence that all three species have acquired prokaryote-derived genes by horizontal gene transfer (HGT) to digest plant biomass includes a significant enrichment of gene ontology categories such as cell wall macromolecule catabolic process and carbohydrate catabolic process and the identification of genes in common between CAZyme and HGT groups. These findings suggest that HGT might be an important mechanism in the adaptive evolution of ciliates to the rumen microenvironment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jin-Mei Feng
- Department of Pathogenic Biology, School of Medicine, Jianghan University, Wuhan 430056, China
| | - Chuan-Qi Jiang
- Shenzhen Institute of Guangdong Ocean University, Shenzhen 518120, China; Guangdong Provincial Engineering Research Center for Aquatic Animal Health Assessment, Shenzhen 518120, China; Shenzhen Dapeng New District Science and Technology Innovation Service Center, Shenzhen 518119, China; Key Laboratory of Aquatic Biodiversity and Conservation, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430072, China
| | - Zong-Yi Sun
- Key Laboratory of Aquatic Biodiversity and Conservation, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430072, China
| | - Cong-Jie Hua
- Department of Pathogenic Biology, School of Medicine, Jianghan University, Wuhan 430056, China
| | - Jian-Fan Wen
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Resources and Evolution, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan 650223, China
| | - Wei Miao
- Key Laboratory of Aquatic Biodiversity and Conservation, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430072, China; State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology of China, Wuhan 430072, China; CAS Center for Excellence in Animal Evolution and Genetics, Kunming 650223, China.
| | - Jie Xiong
- Key Laboratory of Aquatic Biodiversity and Conservation, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430072, China.
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12
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Cooke I, Mead O, Whalen C, Boote C, Moya A, Ying H, Robbins S, Strugnell JM, Darling A, Miller D, Voolstra CR, Adamska M. Molecular techniques and their limitations shape our view of the holobiont. ZOOLOGY 2019; 137:125695. [PMID: 31759226 DOI: 10.1016/j.zool.2019.125695] [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: 03/29/2019] [Revised: 07/08/2019] [Accepted: 07/12/2019] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
It is now recognised that the biology of almost any organism cannot be fully understood without recognising the existence and potential functional importance of associated microbes. Arguably, the emergence of this holistic viewpoint may never have occurred without the development of a crucial molecular technique, 16S rDNA amplicon sequencing, which allowed microbial communities to be easily profiled across a broad range of contexts. A diverse array of molecular techniques are now used to profile microbial communities, infer their evolutionary histories, visualise them in host tissues, and measure their molecular activity. In this review, we examine each of these categories of measurement and inference with a focus on the questions they make tractable, and the degree to which their capabilities and limitations shape our view of the holobiont.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ira Cooke
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD, 4811, Australia; Centre for Tropical Bioinformatics and Molecular Biology, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD, 4811, Australia.
| | - Oliver Mead
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, 2601, Australia; Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, 2601, Australia
| | - Casey Whalen
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD, 4811, Australia; Centre for Tropical Bioinformatics and Molecular Biology, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD, 4811, Australia; ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD, 4811, Australia
| | - Chloë Boote
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD, 4811, Australia; Centre for Tropical Bioinformatics and Molecular Biology, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD, 4811, Australia; ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD, 4811, Australia
| | - Aurelie Moya
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD, 4811, Australia; Centre for Tropical Bioinformatics and Molecular Biology, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD, 4811, Australia; ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD, 4811, Australia
| | - Hua Ying
- Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, 2601, Australia
| | - Steven Robbins
- Australian Center for Ecogenomics, University of Queensland, St. Lucia, QLD, 4072, Australia
| | - Jan M Strugnell
- Centre for Tropical Bioinformatics and Molecular Biology, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD, 4811, Australia; Centre of Sustainable Tropical Fisheries and Aquaculture, James Cook University, Townsville, 4810, QLD, Australia; Department of Ecology, Environment and Evolution, School of Life Sciences, La Trobe University, Melbourne, 3083, Australia
| | - Aaron Darling
- The ithree institute, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, NSW, 2007, Australia
| | - David Miller
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD, 4811, Australia; Centre for Tropical Bioinformatics and Molecular Biology, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD, 4811, Australia; ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD, 4811, Australia
| | | | - Maja Adamska
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, 2601, Australia; Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, 2601, Australia
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13
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Ayala‐Ruano S, Santander‐Gordón D, Tejera E, Perez‐Castillo Y, Armijos-Jaramillo V. A putative antimicrobial peptide from Hymenoptera in the megaplasmid pSCL4 of Streptomyces clavuligerus ATCC 27064 reveals a singular case of horizontal gene transfer with potential applications. Ecol Evol 2019; 9:2602-2614. [PMID: 30891203 PMCID: PMC6406012 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.4924] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2018] [Revised: 12/31/2018] [Accepted: 01/02/2019] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Streptomyces clavuligerus is a Gram-positive bacterium that is a high producer of secondary metabolites with industrial applications. The production of antibiotics such as clavulanic acid or cephamycin has been extensively studied in this species; nevertheless, other aspects, such as evolution or ecology, have received less attention. Furthermore, genes that arise from ancient events of lateral transfer have been demonstrated to be implicated in important functions of host species. This approximation discovered relevant genes that genomic analyses overlooked. Thus, we studied the impact of horizontal gene transfer in the S. clavuligerus genome. To perform this task, we applied whole-genome analysis to identify a laterally transferred sequence from different domains. The most relevant result was a putative antimicrobial peptide (AMP) with a clear origin in the Hymenoptera order of insects. Next, we determined that two copies of these genes were present in the megaplasmid pSCL4 but absent in the S. clavuligerus ATCC 27064 chromosome. Additionally, we found that these sequences were exclusive to the ATCC 27064 strain (and so were not present in any other bacteria) and we also verified the expression of the genes using RNAseq data. Next, we used several AMP predictors to validate the original annotation extracted from Hymenoptera sequences and explored the possibility that these proteins had post-translational modifications using peptidase cleavage prediction. We suggest that Hymenoptera AMP-like proteins of S. clavuligerus ATCC 27064 may be useful for both species adaptation and as an antimicrobial molecule with industrial applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sebastián Ayala‐Ruano
- Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Colegio de Ciencias Biológicas y Ambientales (COCIBA‐USFQ)QuitoEcuador
| | - Daniela Santander‐Gordón
- Carrera de Ingeniería en Biotecnología, Facultad de Ingeniería y Ciencias AplicadasUniversidad de Las AméricasQuitoEcuador
| | - Eduardo Tejera
- Carrera de Ingeniería en Biotecnología, Facultad de Ingeniería y Ciencias AplicadasUniversidad de Las AméricasQuitoEcuador
- Grupo de Bio‐QuimioinformáticaUniversidad de Las AméricasQuitoEcuador
| | - Yunierkis Perez‐Castillo
- Grupo de Bio‐QuimioinformáticaUniversidad de Las AméricasQuitoEcuador
- Ciencias Físicas y Matemáticas‐Facultad de Formación GeneralUniversidad de Las AméricasQuitoEcuador
| | - Vinicio Armijos-Jaramillo
- Carrera de Ingeniería en Biotecnología, Facultad de Ingeniería y Ciencias AplicadasUniversidad de Las AméricasQuitoEcuador
- Grupo de Bio‐QuimioinformáticaUniversidad de Las AméricasQuitoEcuador
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Carrington Y, Guo J, Le CH, Fillo A, Kwon J, Tran LT, Ehlting J. Evolution of a secondary metabolic pathway from primary metabolism: shikimate and quinate biosynthesis in plants. THE PLANT JOURNAL : FOR CELL AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2018; 95:823-833. [PMID: 29894016 DOI: 10.1111/tpj.13990] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2018] [Revised: 05/23/2018] [Accepted: 05/29/2018] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Abstract
The shikimate pathway synthesizes aromatic amino acids essential for protein biosynthesis. Shikimate dehydrogenase (SDH) is a central enzyme of this primary metabolic pathway, producing shikimate. The structurally similar quinate is a secondary metabolite synthesized by quinate dehydrogenase (QDH). SDH and QDH belong to the same gene family, which diverged into two phylogenetic clades after a defining gene duplication just prior to the angiosperm/gymnosperm split. Non-seed plants that diverged before this duplication harbour only a single gene of this family. Extant representatives from the chlorophytes (Chlamydomonas reinhardtii), bryophytes (Physcomitrella patens) and lycophytes (Selaginella moellendorfii) encoded almost exclusively SDH activity in vitro. A reconstructed ancestral sequence representing the node just prior to the gene duplication also encoded SDH activity. Quinate dehydrogenase activity was gained only in seed plants following gene duplication. Quinate dehydrogenases of gymnosperms, represented here by Pinus taeda, may be reminiscent of an evolutionary intermediate since they encode equal SDH and QDH activities. The second copy in P. taeda maintained specificity for shikimate similar to the activity found in the angiosperm SDH sister clade. The codon for a tyrosine residue within the active site displayed a signature of positive selection at the node defining the QDH clade, where it changed to a glycine. Replacing the tyrosine with a glycine in a highly shikimate-specific angiosperm SDH was sufficient to gain some QDH function. Thus, very few mutations were necessary to facilitate the evolution of QDH genes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuriko Carrington
- Department of Biology and Centre for Forest Biology, University of Victoria, PO Box 1700, Station CSC, Victoria, BC, V8W 2Y2, Canada
| | - Jia Guo
- Department of Biology and Centre for Forest Biology, University of Victoria, PO Box 1700, Station CSC, Victoria, BC, V8W 2Y2, Canada
| | - Cuong H Le
- Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology and Centre for Forest Biology, University of Victoria, PO Box 1700, Station CSC, Victoria, BC, V8W 2Y2, Canada
| | - Alexander Fillo
- Department of Biology and Centre for Forest Biology, University of Victoria, PO Box 1700, Station CSC, Victoria, BC, V8W 2Y2, Canada
| | - Junsu Kwon
- Department of Biology and Centre for Forest Biology, University of Victoria, PO Box 1700, Station CSC, Victoria, BC, V8W 2Y2, Canada
| | - Lan T Tran
- Department of Botany, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Jürgen Ehlting
- Department of Biology and Centre for Forest Biology, University of Victoria, PO Box 1700, Station CSC, Victoria, BC, V8W 2Y2, Canada
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Beyond Agrobacterium-Mediated Transformation: Horizontal Gene Transfer from Bacteria to Eukaryotes. Curr Top Microbiol Immunol 2018; 418:443-462. [DOI: 10.1007/82_2018_82] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
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17
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Guan Z, Cai T, Liu Z, Dou Y, Hu X, Zhang P, Sun X, Li H, Kuang Y, Zhai Q, Ruan H, Li X, Li Z, Zhu Q, Mai J, Wang Q, Lai L, Ji J, Liu H, Xia B, Jiang T, Luo SJ, Wang HW, Xie C. Origin of the Reflectin Gene and Hierarchical Assembly of Its Protein. Curr Biol 2017; 27:2833-2842.e6. [PMID: 28889973 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2017.07.061] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2016] [Revised: 04/10/2017] [Accepted: 07/27/2017] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
Cephalopods, the group of animals including octopus, squid, and cuttlefish, have remarkable ability to instantly modulate body coloration and patterns so as to blend into surrounding environments [1, 2] or send warning signals to other animals [3]. Reflectin is expressed exclusively in cephalopods, filling the lamellae of intracellular Bragg reflectors that exhibit dynamic iridescence and structural color change [4]. Here, we trace the possible origin of the reflectin gene back to a transposon from the symbiotic bioluminescent bacterium Vibrio fischeri and report the hierarchical structural architecture of reflectin protein. Intrinsic self-assembly, and higher-order assembly tightly modulated by aromatic compounds, provide insights into the formation of multilayer reflectors in iridophores and spherical microparticles in leucophores and may form the basis of structural color change in cephalopods. Self-assembly and higher-order assembly in reflectin originated from a core repeating octapeptide (here named protopeptide), which may be from the same symbiotic bacteria. The origin of the reflectin gene and assembly features of reflectin protein are of considerable biological interest. The hierarchical structural architecture of reflectin and its domain and protopeptide not only provide insights for bioinspired photonic materials but also serve as unique "assembly tags" and feasible molecular platforms in biotechnology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhe Guan
- State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics, School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Tiantian Cai
- State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics, School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Zhongmin Liu
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Protein Science, Center for Structural Biology, Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Yunfeng Dou
- State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics, School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Xuesong Hu
- School of Life Sciences, Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Peng Zhang
- Center for Systems Medicine, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Suzhou Institute of Systems Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100005, China; Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Xin Sun
- School of Life Sciences, Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Hongwei Li
- Beijing Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Center, College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Yao Kuang
- Beijing Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Center, College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Qiran Zhai
- Beijing Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Center, College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Hao Ruan
- College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Xuanxuan Li
- Beijing Computational Science Research Center, The Chinese Academy of Engineering Physics, Beijing 100084, China; Department of Engineering Physics, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100086, China
| | - Zeyang Li
- The State Laboratory of Protein Engineering and Plant Genetic Engineering, School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Qihui Zhu
- The Robotics Research Group, College of Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Jingeng Mai
- The Robotics Research Group, College of Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Qining Wang
- The Robotics Research Group, College of Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Luhua Lai
- College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Jianguo Ji
- The State Laboratory of Protein Engineering and Plant Genetic Engineering, School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Haiguang Liu
- Beijing Computational Science Research Center, The Chinese Academy of Engineering Physics, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Bin Xia
- Beijing Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Center, College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Taijiao Jiang
- Center for Systems Medicine, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Suzhou Institute of Systems Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100005, China; Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Shu-Jin Luo
- School of Life Sciences, Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Hong-Wei Wang
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Protein Science, Center for Structural Biology, Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Can Xie
- State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics, School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China; Beijing Computational Science Research Center, The Chinese Academy of Engineering Physics, Beijing 100084, China.
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Nakao R, Abe T, Funayama S, Sugimoto C. Horizontally Transferred Genetic Elements in the Tsetse Fly Genome: An Alignment-Free Clustering Approach Using Batch Learning Self-Organising Map (BLSOM). BIOMED RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2016; 2016:3164624. [PMID: 28074180 PMCID: PMC5198169 DOI: 10.1155/2016/3164624] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2016] [Revised: 09/26/2016] [Accepted: 11/08/2016] [Indexed: 12/02/2022]
Abstract
Tsetse flies (Glossina spp.) are the primary vectors of trypanosomes, which can cause human and animal African trypanosomiasis in Sub-Saharan African countries. The objective of this study was to explore the genome of Glossina morsitans morsitans for evidence of horizontal gene transfer (HGT) from microorganisms. We employed an alignment-free clustering method, that is, batch learning self-organising map (BLSOM), in which sequence fragments are clustered based on the similarity of oligonucleotide frequencies independently of sequence homology. After an initial scan of HGT events using BLSOM, we identified 3.8% of the tsetse fly genome as HGT candidates. The predicted donors of these HGT candidates included known symbionts, such as Wolbachia, as well as bacteria that have not previously been associated with the tsetse fly. We detected HGT candidates from diverse bacteria such as Bacillus and Flavobacteria, suggesting a past association between these taxa. Functional annotation revealed that the HGT candidates encoded loci in various functional pathways, such as metabolic and antibiotic biosynthesis pathways. These findings provide a basis for understanding the coevolutionary history of the tsetse fly and its microbes and establish the effectiveness of BLSOM for the detection of HGT events.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryo Nakao
- Unit of Risk Analysis and Management, Hokkaido University Research Center for Zoonosis Control, Kita 20, Nishi 10, Kita-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido 001-0020, Japan
- Laboratory of Parasitology, Department of Disease Control, Graduate School of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University, Kita 18, Nishi 9, Kita-Ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido 060-0818, Japan
| | - Takashi Abe
- Graduate School of Science & Technology, Niigata University, No. 8050, Igarashi 2-no-cho, Nishi-ku, Niigata 950-2181, Japan
| | - Shunsuke Funayama
- Graduate School of Science & Technology, Niigata University, No. 8050, Igarashi 2-no-cho, Nishi-ku, Niigata 950-2181, Japan
| | - Chihiro Sugimoto
- Division of Collaboration and Education, Hokkaido University Research Center for Zoonosis Control, Kita 20, Nishi 10, Kita-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido 001-0020, Japan
- Global Station for Zoonosis Control, Global Institution for Collaborative Research and Education (GI-CoRE), Hokkaido University, Kita 20, Nishi 10, Kita-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido 001-0020, Japan
- Department of Disease Control, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zambia, P.O. Box 32379, Lusaka, Zambia
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Katz LA. Recent events dominate interdomain lateral gene transfers between prokaryotes and eukaryotes and, with the exception of endosymbiotic gene transfers, few ancient transfer events persist. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2016; 370:20140324. [PMID: 26323756 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2014.0324] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
While there is compelling evidence for the impact of endosymbiotic gene transfer (EGT; transfer from either mitochondrion or chloroplast to the nucleus) on genome evolution in eukaryotes, the role of interdomain transfer from bacteria and/or archaea (i.e. prokaryotes) is less clear. Lateral gene transfers (LGTs) have been argued to be potential sources of phylogenetic information, particularly for reconstructing deep nodes that are difficult to recover with traditional phylogenetic methods. We sought to identify interdomain LGTs by using a phylogenomic pipeline that generated 13 465 single gene trees and included up to 487 eukaryotes, 303 bacteria and 118 archaea. Our goals include searching for LGTs that unite major eukaryotic clades, and describing the relative contributions of LGT and EGT across the eukaryotic tree of life. Given the difficulties in interpreting single gene trees that aim to capture the approximately 1.8 billion years of eukaryotic evolution, we focus on presence-absence data to identify interdomain transfer events. Specifically, we identify 1138 genes found only in prokaryotes and representatives of three or fewer major clades of eukaryotes (e.g. Amoebozoa, Archaeplastida, Excavata, Opisthokonta, SAR and orphan lineages). The majority of these genes have phylogenetic patterns that are consistent with recent interdomain LGTs and, with the notable exception of EGTs involving photosynthetic eukaryotes, we detect few ancient interdomain LGTs. These analyses suggest that LGTs have probably occurred throughout the history of eukaryotes, but that ancient events are not maintained unless they are associated with endosymbiotic gene transfer among photosynthetic lineages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura A Katz
- Department of Biological Sciences, Smith College, Northampton, MA 01063, USA Program in Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, UMass-Amherst, Amherst, MA 01003, USA
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20
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Conaco C, Tsoulfas P, Sakarya O, Dolan A, Werren J, Kosik KS. Detection of Prokaryotic Genes in the Amphimedon queenslandica Genome. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0151092. [PMID: 26959231 PMCID: PMC4784904 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0151092] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2015] [Accepted: 02/22/2016] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) is common between prokaryotes and phagotrophic eukaryotes. In metazoans, the scale and significance of HGT remains largely unexplored but is usually linked to a close association with parasites and endosymbionts. Marine sponges (Porifera), which host many microorganisms in their tissues and lack an isolated germ line, are potential carriers of genes transferred from prokaryotes. In this study, we identified a number of potential horizontally transferred genes within the genome of the sponge, Amphimedon queenslandica. We further identified homologs of some of these genes in other sponges. The transferred genes, most of which possess catalytic activity for carbohydrate or protein metabolism, have assimilated host genome characteristics and are actively expressed. The diversity of functions contributed by the horizontally transferred genes is likely an important factor in the adaptation and evolution of A. queenslandica. These findings highlight the potential importance of HGT on the success of sponges in diverse ecological niches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cecilia Conaco
- Marine Science Institute, University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City, Philippines
| | - Pantelis Tsoulfas
- University of Miami School of Medicine, Departments of Neurosurgery and Cell Biology, Miami, Florida, United States of America
| | - Onur Sakarya
- Natera, San Carlos, California, United States of America
| | - Amanda Dolan
- Biology Department, University of Rochester, New York, United States of America
| | - John Werren
- Biology Department, University of Rochester, New York, United States of America
| | - Kenneth S. Kosik
- Neuroscience Research Institute and Department of Molecular Cellular and Developmental Biology, University of California, Santa Barbara, United States of America
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21
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Bao Z, Gao X, Zhang Q, Lin J, Hu W, Yu H, Chen J, Yang Q, Yu Q. The Effects of GH Transgenic Goats on the Microflora of the Intestine, Feces and Surrounding Soil. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0139822. [PMID: 26445136 PMCID: PMC4596820 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0139822] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2015] [Accepted: 09/16/2015] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The development of genetically engineered animals has brought with it increasing concerns about biosafety issues. We therefore evaluated the risks of growth hormone from transgenic goats, including the probability of horizontal gene transfer and the impact on the microbial community of the goats’ gastrointestinal tracts, feces and the surrounding soil. The results showed that neither the GH nor the neoR gene could be detected in the samples. Moreover, there was no significant change in the microbial community of the gastrointestinal tracts, feces and soil, as tested with PCR-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis and 16S rDNA sequencing. Finally, phylogenetic analysis showed that the intestinal content, feces and soil samples all contained the same dominant group of bacteria. These results demonstrated that expression of goat growth hormone in the mammary of GH transgenic goat does not influence the microflora of the intestine, feces and surrounding soil.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zekun Bao
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
| | - Xue Gao
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
| | - Qiang Zhang
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
| | - Jian Lin
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
| | - Weiwei Hu
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
| | - Huiqing Yu
- Shanghai Transgenic Research Center, 88 Cai-Lun Road, Shanghai, 201210, People’s Republic of China
| | - Jianquan Chen
- Shanghai Transgenic Research Center, 88 Cai-Lun Road, Shanghai, 201210, People’s Republic of China
| | - Qian Yang
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
| | - Qinghua Yu
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
- * E-mail:
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22
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Mueller U, Sachs J. Engineering Microbiomes to Improve Plant and Animal Health. Trends Microbiol 2015; 23:606-617. [DOI: 10.1016/j.tim.2015.07.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 252] [Impact Index Per Article: 28.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2015] [Revised: 07/08/2015] [Accepted: 07/22/2015] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
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23
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Stairs CW, Leger MM, Roger AJ. Diversity and origins of anaerobic metabolism in mitochondria and related organelles. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2015; 370:20140326. [PMID: 26323757 PMCID: PMC4571565 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2014.0326] [Citation(s) in RCA: 97] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/15/2015] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Across the diversity of life, organisms have evolved different strategies to thrive in hypoxic environments, and microbial eukaryotes (protists) are no exception. Protists that experience hypoxia often possess metabolically distinct mitochondria called mitochondrion-related organelles (MROs). While there are some common metabolic features shared between the MROs of distantly related protists, these organelles have evolved independently multiple times across the breadth of eukaryotic diversity. Until recently, much of our knowledge regarding the metabolic potential of different MROs was limited to studies in parasitic lineages. Over the past decade, deep-sequencing studies of free-living anaerobic protists have revealed novel configurations of metabolic pathways that have been co-opted for life in low oxygen environments. Here, we provide recent examples of anaerobic metabolism in the MROs of free-living protists and their parasitic relatives. Additionally, we outline evolutionary scenarios to explain the origins of these anaerobic pathways in eukaryotes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Courtney W Stairs
- Centre for Comparative Genomics and Evolutionary Bioinformatics, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Dalhousie University, Sir Charles Tupper Medical Building, 5850 College Street, PO Box 15000, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada B3H 4R2
| | - Michelle M Leger
- Centre for Comparative Genomics and Evolutionary Bioinformatics, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Dalhousie University, Sir Charles Tupper Medical Building, 5850 College Street, PO Box 15000, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada B3H 4R2
| | - Andrew J Roger
- Centre for Comparative Genomics and Evolutionary Bioinformatics, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Dalhousie University, Sir Charles Tupper Medical Building, 5850 College Street, PO Box 15000, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada B3H 4R2
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Egan S, Thomas T. Editorial for: Microbial symbiosis of marine sessile hosts- diversity and function. Front Microbiol 2015; 6:585. [PMID: 26136729 PMCID: PMC4468920 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2015.00585] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2015] [Accepted: 05/27/2015] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Suhelen Egan
- School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Science and Centre for Marine Bio-Innovation, The University of New South Wales Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Torsten Thomas
- School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Science and Centre for Marine Bio-Innovation, The University of New South Wales Sydney, NSW, Australia
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