Genomic Island Acquisitions in Prokaryotes
Author Information
Author(s): Roos Tom E, van Passel Mark WJ
Primary Institution: University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen
Hypothesis
When several Genomic Islands reside in a single genome, it is possible that a single donor has been responsible for multiple gene transfer events to that host.
Conclusion
Many of the resident Genomic Islands per prokaryotic genome originated from the same source, which may have implications for their regulatory interactions.
Supporting Evidence
- Up to 28% of Genomic Islands in a single genome are compositionally very similar.
- The study found that 78% of analyzed Genomic Islands were compositionally anomalous compared to their host genome.
- In 15.3% of cases, multiple acquisition events of Genomic Islands have taken place from a donor with a very similar base composition.
Takeaway
Bacteria can share big chunks of DNA with each other, and this study shows that many of these chunks come from the same source.
Methodology
The study analyzed Genomic Islands from a large collection of bacterial and archaeal species by comparing their compositional similarities.
Limitations
The database may not cover all large acquired gene clusters.
Participant Demographics
The study included 339 distinct genomes from various bacterial and archaeal species.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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