Dataset Information

Biogeography of the Sulfolobus islandicus pan-genome.

ABSTRACT: Variation in gene content has been hypothesized to be the primary mode of adaptive evolution in microorganisms; however, very little is known about the spatial and temporal distribution of variable genes. Through population-scale comparative genomics of 7 Sulfolobus islandicus genomes from 3 locations, we demonstrate the biogeographical structure of the pan-genome of this species, with no evidence of gene flow between geographically isolated populations. The evolutionary independence of each population allowed us to assess genome dynamics over very recent evolutionary time, beginning approximately 910,000 years ago. On this time scale, genome variation largely consists of recent strain-specific integration of mobile elements. Localized sectors of parallel gene loss are identified; however, the balance between the gain and loss of genetic material suggests that S. islandicus genomes acquire material slowly over time, primarily from closely related Sulfolobus species. Examination of the genome dynamics through population genomics in S. islandicus exposes the process of allopatric speciation in thermophilic Archaea and brings us closer to a generalized framework for understanding microbial genome evolution in a spatial context.

SUBMITTER: Reno ML

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2689034 | biostudies-literature | 2009 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Biogeography of the Sulfolobus islandicus pan-genome.

Reno Michael L ML Held Nicole L NL Fields Christopher J CJ Burke Patricia V PV Whitaker Rachel J RJ

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 20090512 21

Variation in gene content has been hypothesized to be the primary mode of adaptive evolution in microorganisms; however, very little is known about the spatial and temporal distribution of variable genes. Through population-scale comparative genomics of 7 Sulfolobus islandicus genomes from 3 locations, we demonstrate the biogeographical structure of the pan-genome of this species, with no evidence of gene flow between geographically isolated populations. The evolutionary independence of each pop ...[more]

PMID: 19435847

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Project description:We investigated the interaction between Sulfolobus spindle-shaped virus (SSV9) and its native archaeal host Sulfolobus islandicus. We show that upon exposure to SSV9, S. islandicus strain RJW002 has a significant growth delay where the majority of cells are dormant (viable but not growing) for 24 to 48 hours postinfection (hpi) compared to the growth of controls without virus. We demonstrate that in this system, dormancy (i) is induced by both active and inactive virus particles at a low multiplicity of infection (MOI), (ii) is reversible in strains with active CRISPR-Cas immunity that prevents the establishment of productive infections, and (iii) results in dramatic and rapid host death if virus persists in the culture even at low levels. Our results add a new dimension to evolutionary models of virus-host interactions, showing that the mere presence of a virus induces host cell stasis and death independent of infection. This novel, highly sensitive, and risky bet-hedging antiviral response must be integrated into models of virus-host interactions in this system so that the true ecological impact of viruses can be predicted and understood. Viruses of microbes play key roles in microbial ecology; however, our understanding of viral impact on host physiology is based on a few model bacteria that represent a small fraction of the life history strategies employed by hosts or viruses across the three domains that encompass the microbial world. We have demonstrated that rare and even inactive viruses induce dormancy in the model archaeon S. islandicus. Similar virus-induced dormancy strategies in other microbial systems may help to explain several confounding observations in other systems, including the surprising abundance of dormant cell types found in many microbial environments, the difficulty of culturing microorganisms in the laboratory, and the paradoxical virus-to-host abundances that do not match model predictions. A more accurate grasp of virus-host interactions will expand our understanding of the impact of viruses in microbial ecology.

Dataset Information

Biogeography of the Sulfolobus islandicus pan-genome.

Publications

Biogeography of the Sulfolobus islandicus pan-genome.

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