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Acquisition of 1,000 eubacterial genes physiologically transformed a methanogen at the origin of Haloarchaea.

ABSTRACT: Archaebacterial halophiles (Haloarchaea) are oxygen-respiring heterotrophs that derive from methanogens--strictly anaerobic, hydrogen-dependent autotrophs. Haloarchaeal genomes are known to have acquired, via lateral gene transfer (LGT), several genes from eubacteria, but it is yet unknown how many genes the Haloarchaea acquired in total and, more importantly, whether independent haloarchaeal lineages acquired their genes in parallel, or as a single acquisition at the origin of the group. Here we have studied 10 haloarchaeal and 1,143 reference genomes and have identified 1,089 haloarchaeal gene families that were acquired by a methanogenic recipient from eubacteria. The data suggest that these genes were acquired in the haloarchaeal common ancestor, not in parallel in independent haloarchaeal lineages, nor in the common ancestor of haloarchaeans and methanosarcinales. The 1,089 acquisitions include genes for catabolic carbon metabolism, membrane transporters, menaquinone biosynthesis, and complexes I-IV of the eubacterial respiratory chain that functions in the haloarchaeal membrane consisting of diphytanyl isoprene ether lipids. LGT on a massive scale transformed a strictly anaerobic, chemolithoautotrophic methanogen into the heterotrophic, oxygen-respiring, and bacteriorhodopsin-photosynthetic haloarchaeal common ancestor.

SUBMITTER: Nelson-Sathi S

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3528564 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Acquisition of 1,000 eubacterial genes physiologically transformed a methanogen at the origin of Haloarchaea.

Nelson-Sathi Shijulal S Dagan Tal T Landan Giddy G Janssen Arnold A Steel Mike M McInerney James O JO Deppenmeier Uwe U Martin William F WF

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 20121126 50

Archaebacterial halophiles (Haloarchaea) are oxygen-respiring heterotrophs that derive from methanogens--strictly anaerobic, hydrogen-dependent autotrophs. Haloarchaeal genomes are known to have acquired, via lateral gene transfer (LGT), several genes from eubacteria, but it is yet unknown how many genes the Haloarchaea acquired in total and, more importantly, whether independent haloarchaeal lineages acquired their genes in parallel, or as a single acquisition at the origin of the group. Here w ...[more]

PMID: 23184964

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Acquisition of 1,000 eubacterial genes physiologically transformed a methanogen at the origin of Haloarchaea.

Publications

Acquisition of 1,000 eubacterial genes physiologically transformed a methanogen at the origin of Haloarchaea.

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