Study of Archaeal Flagellum Evolution
Author Information
Author(s): Desmond Elie, Celine Brochier-Armanet, Simonetta Gribaldo
Primary Institution: Institut Pasteur
Hypothesis
How did the components of the archaeal flagellum evolve and what is the role of horizontal gene transfer in this process?
Conclusion
The components of the archaeal flagellar system have not been frequently transferred among archaeal species, indicating that gene fixation following horizontal gene transfer can be rare for genes encoding components of large macromolecular complexes.
Supporting Evidence
- The genes coding for flagellum components are co-localized in one or two well-conserved genomic clusters.
- Phylogenetic analysis supports a history of mainly vertical inheritance for the components of the archaeal flagellum.
- An ancient horizontal gene transfer event of a whole flagellum-coding gene cluster is suggested between Euryarchaeota and Crenarchaeota.
Takeaway
This study looks at how the parts of the archaeal flagellum evolved and found that they don't often swap genes with each other, which is surprising for such complex structures.
Methodology
Phylogenomic analysis of archaeal flagellum components across complete archaeal genomes.
Limitations
The study may not account for all possible horizontal gene transfer events due to the limited number of genomes analyzed.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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