1. BRC Science Highlight
Survey of fungal genomes reveals functional adaptation of a set of borrowed bacterial genes
Objective Survey a broad range of fungal genomes to identify functions acquired by horizontal operon transfer.
Approach
Conduct phylogenetic studies using a broad range of fungal genomes to identify biochemical functions not typically associated with fungi.
Conduct phylogenetic hypothesis testing to identify how these pathway genes were acquired.
Conduct mRNA studies to identify how the transferred genes are expressed.
Conduct biochemical testing of yeast culture extracts for product formation.
Results/Impacts
Some yeast species harbor enterobactin bio-synthesis genes, unseen in other fungi, resulting from an ancient horizontal operon transfer from bacteria to a group of yeasts.
Transferred pathway genes are actively expressed in a manner consistent with canonical eukaryotic transcription.
Such acquisition and adaptive change may provide new biochemical functions that could be harnessed to develop new strategies to produce valuable bioproducts.
Notes:
text
Kominek, J. et al. “Eukaryotic Acquisition of a Bacterial Operon.” Cell 176, (2019) [DOI: /j.cell ].
GLBRC March 2019