Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 23, 2025

Enzymatic Cascade Reactions for the Synthesis of Chiral Amino Alcohols from L-lysine
Published on: February 16, 2018
Exploring the evolutionary process of alkannin/shikonin O-acyltransferases by a reliable Lithospermum erythrorhizon
1School of the Environment, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China.
Abstract:
Increasing genome data are coming out. Genome size estimation plays an essential role in guiding genome assembly. Several months ago, other researchers were the first to publish a draft genome of the red gromwell (i.e. Lithospermum erythrorhizon). However, we considered that the genome size they estimated and assembled was incorrect. This study meticulously estimated the L. erythrorhizon genome size to should be ∼708.74 Mb and further provided a reliable genome version (size ≈ 693.34 Mb; contigN50 length ≈ 238.08 Kb) to support our objection. Furthermore, according to our genome, we identified a gene family of the alkannin/shikonin O-acyltransferases (i.e. AAT/SAT) that catalysed enantiomer-specific acylations in the alkannin/shikonin biosynthesis (a characteristic metabolic pathway in L. erythrorhizon's roots) and further explored its evolutionary process. The results indicated that the existing AAT/SAT were not generated from only one round of gene duplication but three rounds; after different rounds of gene duplication, the existing AAT/SAT and their recent ancestors were under positive selection at different amino acid sites. These suggested that a combined power from gene duplication plus positive selection plausibly propelled AAT/SAT's functional differentiation in evolution.
More Related Videos
10:40Comprehensive Workflow for the Genome-wide Identification and Expression Meta-analysis of the ATL E3 Ubiquitin Ligase Gene Family in Grapevine
Published on: December 22, 2017
11:33Investigating Interactions Between Histone Modifying Enzymes and Transcription Factors in vivo by Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer
Published on: October 14, 2022
Related Concept Videos
Exon Recombination
Exon shuffling follows “splice frame rules.” Each exon...
α-Alkylation of Ketones via Enolate Ions
Reduction of Alkynes to trans-Alkenes: Sodium in Liquid Ammonia
When dissolved in liquid ammonia, an alkali metal,...
Asexual Reproduction
Alkynes to Carboxylic Acids: Oxidative Cleavage
Evolutionary Relationships through Genome Comparisons