Evolutionary Genomics of a Temperate Bacteriophage in Wolbachia
Author Information
Author(s): Kent Bethany N. Funkhouser, Lisa J. Setia, Shefali Bordenstein, Seth R.
Primary Institution: Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, United States of America
Hypothesis
Does the Modular Theory explain the genetic changes in WO genomes or do point mutations provide most of the genetic diversity?
Conclusion
The study shows that WO prophages do not have a recent history of modular exchange and instead evolve through point mutations, deletion, recombination, and purifying selection.
Supporting Evidence
- WO prophages do not have a recent history of modular exchange.
- Genetic changes of prophage WO within the niche of Wolbachia principally arose from descent with modification.
- Prophage WO genomes are modular in structure but lack mosaicism.
- Transposons are frequently found within WO genomes.
Takeaway
This study looks at how a virus that infects bacteria evolves inside a tiny bacteria called Wolbachia, showing that it doesn't mix genes like other viruses do.
Methodology
Comparative sequence analyses of 16 prophage WO genomes from Wolbachia strains were conducted to assess genetic changes and evolutionary forces.
Limitations
The study is limited to the analysis of prophage genomes from specific Wolbachia strains and may not represent all Wolbachia infections.
Statistical Information
P-Value
p<0.001
Statistical Significance
p<0.001
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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