Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 3, 2026
09:37
An Integrated Approach for Microprotein Identification and Sequence Analysis
Published on: July 12, 2022
Community transcriptomics reveals universal patterns of protein sequence conservation in natural microbial
Frank J Stewart1, Adrian K Sharma, Jessica A Bryant
1School of Biology, Georgia Institute of Technology, Ford ES&T Building, Rm 1242, 311 Ferst Drive, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA.
Genome Biology
|March 24, 2011
Summary
Gene expression levels correlate with evolutionary rates in microbes. Highly expressed genes are more conserved, suggesting functional constraint drives microbial evolution across diverse natural environments.
Area of Science:
- Microbial Ecology
- Evolutionary Biology
- Genomics
Background:
- Metagenomic and metatranscriptomic data enable studying microbial molecular evolution in natural habitats.
- Previous studies linked gene expression to sequence conservation in model organisms.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between gene expression level and sequence conservation in diverse microbial communities.
- To determine if gene expression influences evolutionary rates in natural microbial populations.
Main Methods:
- Shotgun pyrosequencing of DNA and RNA from marine and soil microbial communities.
- Analysis of gene conservation, amino acid usage, and expression levels.
- Comparison of core and non-core genes within microbial communities.
Main Results:
- Expressed genes were significantly more conserved than non-expressed genes.
- Expressed genes showed a trend toward GC-enriched amino acids, indicating functional constraint.
- Highly expressed genes were more likely to be core genes, but non-core genes had higher normalized transcript abundance when expressed.
- Expressed genes were enriched in energy metabolism functions and depleted in cell growth functions.
Conclusions:
- Gene expression level is a primary correlate of evolutionary rate across diverse microbial taxa in natural environments.
- Meta-omic datasets can reveal broad evolutionary patterns in complex microbial communities.
Related Concept Videos
02:51Multi-species Conserved Sequences
Next-generation sequencing technologies have created large genomic databases of a variety of animals and plants. Ever since the human genome project was completed, scientists studied the genome of primates, mammals, and other phylogenetically distant living beings. Such large-scale studies have provided new insights into the evolutionary relationship between organisms.
Although the genome of each species varies greatly from each other, a few sequences are highly conserved. Such conserved DNA...
Although the genome of each species varies greatly from each other, a few sequences are highly conserved. Such conserved DNA...
01:08Evolution of Microbial Genome
Microbial genome evolution is a highly dynamic process shaped by continual gene gain and loss across species and strains. This genomic flexibility allows microorganisms to adapt rapidly to environmental pressures and interactions with other organisms. Central to understanding this diversity is the distinction between the core and pan genomes.The core genome comprises the genes shared by all sampled strains of a species, representing essential functions needed for fundamental cellular processes.
02:26Conservation of Protein Domains Over Different Proteins
Protein domains are small structurally independent units that are part of a single amino acid chain. Although these domains are often structurally independent, they may rely on synergistic effects to perform their functions as part of a larger protein. Protein domains may be conserved within the same organism, as well as across different organisms.
A limited set of protein domains often duplicate and recombine during evolution. These domains can be organized in different combinations to form...
A limited set of protein domains often duplicate and recombine during evolution. These domains can be organized in different combinations to form...
01:19Methods to Assess Microbial Communities
Microbial communities, comprising bacteria, archaea, and eukaryotic microorganisms, inhabit diverse ecosystems and play crucial roles in environmental and biological processes. Their diversity is defined by three main parameters: species richness (the number of distinct species), species abundance (the relative quantity of each species), and species evenness (how uniformly individual species are distributed in various locations). These factors together shape the structure and ecological balance...
01:29Modern Molecular Taxonomy
Advancements in molecular biology have revolutionized the identification and characterization of bacteria, with multiple methods leveraging DNA sequencing for enhanced precision. As sequencing technologies improve and costs decline, these approaches are increasingly used in clinical, environmental, and evolutionary studies.Multilocus Sequence Typing (MLST) examines several housekeeping genes, essential chromosomal genes encoding cellular functions, to distinguish strains. Approximately...
02:26Conservation of Protein Domains
Protein domains are small structurally independent units that are part of a single amino acid chain. Although these domains are often structurally independent, they may rely on synergistic effects to perform their functions as part of a larger protein. Protein domains may be conserved within the same organism, as well as across different organisms.
A limited set of protein domains often duplicate and recombine during evolution. These domains can be organized in different combinations to form...
A limited set of protein domains often duplicate and recombine during evolution. These domains can be organized in different combinations to form...