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Methodology for the Study of Horizontal Gene Transfer in Staphylococcus aureus
Published on: March 10, 2017
Association between translation efficiency and horizontal gene transfer within microbial communities
Tamir Tuller1, Yana Girshovich, Yael Sella
1Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science, Department of Molecular Genetics, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Blavatnik School of Computer Science, School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Ramat Aviv 69978, Israel.
Nucleic Acids Research
|February 24, 2011
Summary
Codon usage adaptation to a recipient
Area of Science:
- Microbial evolution
- Genomics
- Molecular biology
Background:
- Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) drives microbial evolution.
- Previous research identified barriers to HGT like recombination restriction and gene product toxicity.
- The role of codon usage and tRNA availability in HGT success was previously under-explored.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of codon usage adaptation on horizontal gene transfer.
- To identify the relationship between recipient tRNA pools and the frequency of HGT.
- To explore the potential of HGT as a homogenizing force in microbial communities.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of genomic sequences from over 190 microorganisms.
- Examination of documented horizontal gene transfer events.
- Statistical correlation analysis controlling for ecological and evolutionary factors.
Main Results:
- A positive correlation exists between tRNA pool similarity and the number of horizontally transferred genes.
- Genes with better codon usage adaptation to recipient tRNA pools experience more frequent HGT.
- Organisms in similar ecological niches exhibit similar tRNA pools.
- Bi-directional association found between tRNA pool similarity and HGT frequency.
Conclusions:
- Lack of co-adaptation in codon usage and tRNA pools is a significant barrier to HGT.
- Similar tRNA pools enhance the fixation probability of horizontally acquired genes.
- Frequent HGT may lead to increased tRNA pool similarity within microbial communities.
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