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Genome-wide Gene Deletions in Streptococcus sanguinis by High Throughput PCR
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Selection-driven gene loss in bacteria.

Sanna Koskiniemi1, Song Sun, Otto G Berg

  • 1Department of Medical Biochemistry and Microbiology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.

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|July 5, 2012
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Gene loss in bacteria, driven by deletions, can enhance fitness. This study found that many spontaneous deletions in Salmonella enterica increased bacterial fitness, suggesting selection drives genome reduction.

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Area of Science:

  • Evolutionary biology
  • Microbial genomics

Background:

  • Gene loss via deletion is a common evolutionary mechanism in bacteria, leading to smaller genomes.
  • The selective pressures driving genome reduction are not fully understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the hypothesis that gene loss is selected for due to the fitness cost of carrying non-essential genes.
  • To examine the role of selection in bacterial reductive genome evolution.

Main Methods:

  • Measured deletion rates across 11 chromosomal positions in Salmonella enterica.
  • Assessed the fitness effects of spontaneous deletions under various growth conditions.
  • Performed long-term serial passage experiments (1,000 generations) to observe fixation of deletions.

Main Results:

  • Deletion rates varied significantly across the genome, with the replication terminus region exhibiting the highest rates.
  • Approximately 25% of observed deletions resulted in a fitness increase under specific conditions.
  • Deletions that substantially enhanced bacterial fitness were observed to fix after prolonged serial passage.

Conclusions:

  • Selection can be a significant driving force for gene loss and reductive genome evolution in bacteria.
  • The fitness benefits conferred by certain gene deletions support their fixation during evolution.