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Amoebozoans Are Secretly but Ancestrally Sexual: Evidence for Sex Genes and Potential Novel Crossover Pathways in Diverse Groups of Amoebae.

ABSTRACT: Sex is beneficial in eukaryotes as it can increase genetic diversity, reshuffle their genomes, and purge deleterious mutations. Yet, its evolution remains a mystery. The eukaryotic clade supergroup Amoebozoa encompasses diverse lineages of polymorphic amoeboid forms, including both free-living and parasitic lineages. The group is generally believed to be asexual, though recent studies show that some of its members are implicated in cryptic forms of sexual cycles. In this study, we conduct a comprehensive inventory and analysis of genes involved in meiosis and related processes, in order to investigate the evolutionary history of sex in the clade. We analyzed genomic and transcriptomic data of 39 amoebozoans representing all major subclades of Amoebozoa. Our results show that Amoebozoa possess most of the genes exclusive to meiosis but lack genes encoding synaptonemal complex (SC). The absence of SC genes is discussed in the context of earlier studies that reported ultrastructural evidence of SC in some amoebae. We also find interclade and intrageneric variation in sex gene distribution, indicating diversity in sexual pathways in the group. Particularly, members of Mycetozoa engage in a novel sexual pathway independent of the universally conserved meiosis initiator gene, SPO11. Our findings strongly suggest that not only do amoebozoans possess sex genes in their genomes, but also, based on the transcriptome evidence, the present sex genes are functional. We conclude that Amoebozoa is ancestrally sexual, contrary to the long held belief that most of its members are asexual. Thus, asexuality in Amoebozoa, if confirmed to be present, is a derived-trait that appeared later in their evolution.

SUBMITTER: Tekle YI

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5381635 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Amoebozoans Are Secretly but Ancestrally Sexual: Evidence for Sex Genes and Potential Novel Crossover Pathways in Diverse Groups of Amoebae.

Tekle Yonas I YI Wood Fiona C FC Katz Laura A LA Cerón-Romero Mario A MA Gorfu Lydia A LA

Genome biology and evolution 20170201 2

Sex is beneficial in eukaryotes as it can increase genetic diversity, reshuffle their genomes, and purge deleterious mutations. Yet, its evolution remains a mystery. The eukaryotic clade supergroup Amoebozoa encompasses diverse lineages of polymorphic amoeboid forms, including both free-living and parasitic lineages. The group is generally believed to be asexual, though recent studies show that some of its members are implicated in cryptic forms of sexual cycles. In this study, we conduct a comp ...[more]

PMID: 28087686

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Project description:Here, we sought to test the resistance of human pathogens to unaltered environmental free-living amoebae. Amoebae are ubiquitous eukaryotic microorganisms and important predators of bacteria. Environmental amoebae have also been proposed to serve as both potential reservoirs and training grounds for human pathogens. However, studies addressing their relationships with human pathogens often rely on a few domesticated amoebae that have been selected to feed on rich medium, thereby possibly overestimating the resistance of pathogens to these predatory phagocytes. From an open-air composting site, we recovered over 100 diverse amoebae that were able to feed on Acinetobacter baumannii and Klebsiella pneumoniae. In a standardized and quantitative assay for predation, the isolated amoebae showed a broad predation spectrum, killing clinical isolates of A. baumannii, K. pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Staphylococcus aureus. Interestingly, A. baumannii, which was previously reported to resist predation by laboratory strains of Acanthamoeba, was efficiently consumed by closely related environmental amoebae. The isolated amoebae were capable of feeding on highly virulent carbapenem-resistant or methicillin-resistant clinical isolates. In conclusion, the natural environment is a rich source of amoebae with broad-spectrum bactericidal activities, including against antibiotic-resistant isolates. IMPORTANCE Free-living amoebae have been proposed to play an important role in hosting and disseminating various human pathogens. The resistance of human pathogens to predation by amoebae is often derived from in vitro experiments using model amoebae. Here, we sought to isolate environmental amoebae and to test their predation on diverse human pathogens, with results that challenge conclusions based on model amoebae. We found that the natural environment is a rich source of diverse amoebae with broad-spectrum predatory activities against human pathogens, including highly virulent and antibiotic-resistant clinical isolates.

Dataset Information

Amoebozoans Are Secretly but Ancestrally Sexual: Evidence for Sex Genes and Potential Novel Crossover Pathways in Diverse Groups of Amoebae.

Publications

Amoebozoans Are Secretly but Ancestrally Sexual: Evidence for Sex Genes and Potential Novel Crossover Pathways in Diverse Groups of Amoebae.

Similar Datasets

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