50 million years of genomic stasis in endosymbiotic bacteria.
Journal Article (Journal Article)
Comparison of two fully sequenced genomes of Buchnera aphidicola, the obligate endosymbionts of aphids, reveals the most extreme genome stability to date: no chromosome rearrangements or gene acquisitions have occurred in the past 50 to 70 million years, despite substantial sequence evolution and the inactivation and loss of individual genes. In contrast, the genomes of their closest free-living relatives, Escherichia coli and Salmonella spp., are more than 2000-fold more labile in content and gene order. The genomic stasis of B. aphidicola, likely attributable to the loss of phages, repeated sequences, and recA, indicates that B. aphidicola is no longer a source of ecological innovation for its hosts.
Full Text
Duke Authors
Cited Authors
- Tamas, I; Klasson, L; Canbäck, B; Näslund, AK; Eriksson, A-S; Wernegreen, JJ; Sandström, JP; Moran, NA; Andersson, SGE
Published Date
- June 2002
Published In
Volume / Issue
- 296 / 5577
Start / End Page
- 2376 - 2379
PubMed ID
- 12089438
Electronic International Standard Serial Number (EISSN)
- 1095-9203
International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)
- 0036-8075
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
- 10.1126/science.1071278
Language
- eng