Extreme Genome Reduction in Symbiotic Bacteria

Overview

Journal Nat Rev Microbiol

Specialties Infectious Diseases
Microbiology

Date 2011 Nov 9

PMID 22064560

Citations 680

Authors

John P McCutcheon

Nancy A Moran

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Since 2006, numerous cases of bacterial symbionts with extraordinarily small genomes have been reported. These organisms represent independent lineages from diverse bacterial groups. They have diminutive gene sets that rival some mitochondria and chloroplasts in terms of gene numbers and lack genes that are considered to be essential in other bacteria. These symbionts have numerous features in common, such as extraordinarily fast protein evolution and a high abundance of chaperones. Together, these features point to highly degenerate genomes that retain only the most essential functions, often including a considerable fraction of genes that serve the hosts. These discoveries have implications for the concept of minimal genomes, the origins of cellular organelles, and studies of symbiosis and host-associated microbiota.

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