Myxococcal Contribution to Mitochondrial Fatty Acid Beta-Oxidation
Author Information
Author(s): Agatha Schlüter, Iñaki Ruiz-Trillo, Aurora Pujol, Jonathan H. Badger
Primary Institution: Institut d'Investigació Biomèdica de Bellvitge (IDIBELL), L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain
Hypothesis
Did Myxococcales contribute to the origin of eukaryotic mitochondrial genes?
Conclusion
The study suggests that Myxococcales contributed several genes to the mitochondrial ancestor, supporting a prokaryotic origin for some mitochondrial genes.
Supporting Evidence
- Phylogenetic analysis identified 93 eukaryotic proteins with a predicted myxococcal origin.
- 15 eukaryotic proteins of myxococcal ancestry were localized to mitochondria.
- Several identified genes are involved in fatty acid β-oxidation metabolism.
Takeaway
Some tiny living things called Myxococcales helped create parts of the energy factories in our cells, called mitochondria.
Methodology
Phylogenomic analysis using homologous sequence searches against a genomic sampling of 40 eukaryotic and 357 prokaryotic genomes.
Limitations
The analysis was conservative and may not have captured all relevant genes due to the limited number of available myxococcal genomes.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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