法國國家科研中心3日宣布,，該機構(gòu)研究人員發(fā)現(xiàn),，一種名為“海洋浮游藻”的微藻會與一種巨型細菌交換基因,，從而獲取新的機能。
這種名為EhV的巨型細菌呈20面體結(jié)構(gòu),，研究人員將它與“海洋浮游藻”的基因組序列進行對比發(fā)現(xiàn),，它們之間進行了基因互換。更令人驚奇的是,，被交換的基因不止一個,，而是涉及7種酶的基因，后者對合成神經(jīng)酰胺至關(guān)重要,。
神經(jīng)酰胺是鞘脂類的中間代謝產(chǎn)物,，在生物合成方面發(fā)揮重要作用，它可以促進細胞的新陳代謝,，幫助角質(zhì)蛋白有規(guī)律地再生,。這種物質(zhì)目前被廣泛應(yīng)用于護膚產(chǎn)品中，起到保濕,、抑制黑色素生成和防止皮膚粗糙的作用,。
該研究由法國國家科研中心基因組與結(jié)構(gòu)信息實驗室完成。研究人員表示,，細菌之間發(fā)生基因交換十分普遍,，細菌通過這一過程獲取新的機能，比如對抗菌素產(chǎn)生抵抗力等,，但是如此大規(guī)模的基因交換卻比較少見,。該研究成果已刊登在最新一期美國《基因組研究》雜志上。（生物谷Bioon.com）
生物谷推薦原始出處：
Genome Res. 2009. 19: 1441-1449 doi:10.1101/gr.091686.109
Horizontal gene transfer of an entire metabolic pathway between a eukaryotic alga and its DNA virus
Adam Monier1,5, António Pagarete2, Colomban de Vargas2,6, Michael J. Allen3, Betsy Read4, Jean-Michel Claverie1 and Hiroyuki Ogata1,6
1 Structural and Genomic Information Laboratory, CNRS-UPR2589, Mediterranean Institute of Microbiology (IFR-88), Université de la Méditerranée, Parc Scientifique de Luminy, Marseille FR-13288, France;
2 Equipe EPPO-Evolution du Plancton et PaléoOcéans, CNRS-UMR7144, Université Pierre et Marie Curie, Roscoff FR-29682, France;
3 Plymouth Marine Laboratory, Plymouth, PL1 3DH, United Kingdom;
4 Department of Biological Science, California State University San Marcos, San Marcos, California 92096-0001, USA
Interactions between viruses and phytoplankton, the main primary producers in the oceans, affect global biogeochemical cycles and climate. Recent studies are increasingly revealing possible cases of gene transfers between cyanobacteria and phages, which might have played significant roles in the evolution of cyanobacteria/phage systems. However, little has been documented about the occurrence of horizontal gene transfer in eukaryotic phytoplankton/virus systems. Here we report phylogenetic evidence for the transfer of seven genes involved in the sphingolipid biosynthesis pathway between the cosmopolitan eukaryotic microalga Emiliania huxleyi and its large DNA virus EhV. PCR assays indicate that these genes are prevalent in E. huxleyi and EhV strains isolated from different geographic locations. Patterns of protein and gene sequence conservation support that these genes are functional in both E. huxleyi and EhV. This is the first clear case of horizontal gene transfer of multiple functionally linked enzymes in a eukaryotic phytoplankton–virus system. We examine arguments for the possible direction of the gene transfer. The virus-to-host direction suggests the existence of ancient viruses that controlled the complex metabolic pathway in order to infect primitive eukaryotic cells. In contrast, the host-to-virus direction suggests that the serial acquisition of genes involved in the same metabolic pathway might have been a strategy for the ancestor of EhVs to stay ahead of their closest relatives in the great evolutionary race for survival.
