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Related Experiment Videos

New methods ring changes for the tree of life.

James O McInerney1, Mark Wilkinson

  • 1Bioinformatics Laboratory, Department of Biology, National University of Ireland, Maynooth, Co. Kildare, Ireland. James.O.Mcinerney@may.ie

Trends in Ecology & Evolution
|May 17, 2006
PubMed
Summary

Reconstructing life's history is challenging due to extensive gene transfer. New methods suggest a ring, not a tree, may better represent early life evolution, impacting our understanding of prokaryotic and eukaryotic origins.

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Area of Science:

  • Evolutionary biology
  • Genomics
  • Phylogenetics

Background:

  • Inferring deep evolutionary relationships, such as those among prokaryotes and the origin of eukaryotes, is historically challenging.
  • Results often vary based on the specific gene sequences and analytical methods employed.
  • Extensive horizontal gene transfer (HGT) is a significant complicating factor in reconstructing ancient phylogenetic histories.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To introduce novel methodologies for phylogenetic reconstruction that account for horizontal gene transfer.
  • To re-evaluate the evolutionary history of early life, particularly the relationships between prokaryotes and eukaryotes.
  • To explore alternative models, beyond the traditional tree of life, for representing evolutionary pathways.

Main Methods:

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  • Development of new computational methods designed to handle datasets with significant HGT.
  • Application of these methods to analyze genomic data for inferring deep evolutionary relationships.
  • Comparative analysis of results obtained using traditional phylogenetic methods versus the new approaches.

    • Main Results:

    • The newly developed methods provide a robust framework for phylogenetic inference in the presence of HGT.
    • Analysis suggests that a 'ring of life' model may be a more accurate representation than a bifurcating tree for certain aspects of early evolutionary history.
    • These findings challenge conventional tree-based models of life's origins and diversification.

    Conclusions:

    • Horizontal gene transfer significantly impacts our understanding of early life's evolutionary pathways.
    • A ring-like model offers a potentially more accurate depiction of evolutionary relationships in some deep phylogenetic contexts.
    • This work necessitates a re-evaluation of established models for the origin of eukaryotes and prokaryotic diversification.