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Origin and Evolution of Rickettsial Plasmids.

Khalid El Karkouri1, Pierre Pontarotti2, Didier Raoult1

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Rickettsia bacteria plasmids evolved through vertical inheritance and gene loss, gaining complexity via horizontal gene transfer and duplication. These dynamic structures may have roles distinct from their host chromosomes.

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Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Genomics
  • Evolutionary Biology

Background:

  • Rickettsia species are obligate intracellular bacteria with reductive genomes.
  • Despite their lifestyle, many Rickettsia species possess plasmids.
  • The origin and function of these plasmids remain incompletely understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • Investigate the evolutionary history of Rickettsia plasmids.
  • Determine the origin and phylogenetic relationships of rickettsial plasmids.
  • Explore the potential roles of plasmids in Rickettsia adaptation.

Main Methods:

  • Comparative genomics analysis of 20 plasmids from 11 Rickettsia species.
  • Phylogenetic analysis integrating rickettsial, microbial, and non-microbial genomes.
  • Reconstruction of the ancestral rickettsial plasmid (pRICO).

Main Results:

  • Rickettsial plasmids exhibit differential presence and sizes (12-83 kb), with 1-4 plasmids per species.
  • pRICO, the ancestral plasmid, was vertically inherited and evolved into species-specific plasmids through vertical divergence and reductive evolution.
  • Plasmids show evidence of gene duplication, ORFans, and horizontal gene transfer (HGT) with various bacterial lineages, particularly α/γ-proteobacteria.

Conclusions:

  • Rickettsial plasmids possess a complex evolutionary trajectory involving vertical inheritance, reductive evolution, gene duplication, and HGT.
  • These plasmids are dynamic, mosaic structures potentially contributing unique or overlapping functions to their obligate intracellular hosts.
  • Understanding plasmid evolution provides insights into bacterial adaptation and genome plasticity.