Selection for Reducing Energy Cost of Protein Production Drives the GC Content and Amino Acid Composition Bias in Gene Transfer Agents.

ABSTRACT: Gene transfer agents (GTAs) are virus-like elements integrated into bacterial genomes, particularly, those of Alphaproteobacteria The GTAs can be induced under conditions of nutritional stress, incorporate random fragments of bacterial DNA into miniphage particles, lyse the host cells, and infect neighboring bacteria, thus enhancing horizontal gene transfer. We show that GTA genes evolve under conditions of pronounced positive selection for the reduction of the energy cost of protein production as shown by comparison of the amino acid compositions with those of both homologous viral genes and host genes. The energy saving in GTA genes is comparable to or even more pronounced than that in the genes encoding the most abundant, essential bacterial proteins. In cases in which viruses ac

SUBMITTER: Kogay R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7360931 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature