Genome divergence in two Prochlorococcus ecotypes reflects oceanic niche differentiation
- PMID: 12917642
- DOI: 10.1038/nature01947
Genome divergence in two Prochlorococcus ecotypes reflects oceanic niche differentiation
Abstract
The marine unicellular cyanobacterium Prochlorococcus is the smallest-known oxygen-evolving autotroph. It numerically dominates the phytoplankton in the tropical and subtropical oceans, and is responsible for a significant fraction of global photosynthesis. Here we compare the genomes of two Prochlorococcus strains that span the largest evolutionary distance within the Prochlorococcus lineage and that have different minimum, maximum and optimal light intensities for growth. The high-light-adapted ecotype has the smallest genome (1,657,990 base pairs, 1,716 genes) of any known oxygenic phototroph, whereas the genome of its low-light-adapted counterpart is significantly larger, at 2,410,873 base pairs (2,275 genes). The comparative architectures of these two strains reveal dynamic genomes that are constantly changing in response to myriad selection pressures. Although the two strains have 1,350 genes in common, a significant number are not shared, and these have been differentially retained from the common ancestor, or acquired through duplication or lateral transfer. Some of these genes have obvious roles in determining the relative fitness of the ecotypes in response to key environmental variables, and hence in regulating their distribution and abundance in the oceans.
Comment in
-
Genome sequences from the sea.Nature. 2003 Aug 28;424(6952):1001-2. doi: 10.1038/4241001a. Nature. 2003. PMID: 12944945 No abstract available.
Similar articles
-
Patterns and implications of gene gain and loss in the evolution of Prochlorococcus.PLoS Genet. 2007 Dec;3(12):e231. doi: 10.1371/journal.pgen.0030231. PLoS Genet. 2007. PMID: 18159947 Free PMC article.
-
Genomic potential for nitrogen assimilation in uncultivated members of Prochlorococcus from an anoxic marine zone.ISME J. 2015 May;9(5):1264-7. doi: 10.1038/ismej.2015.21. Epub 2015 Feb 20. ISME J. 2015. PMID: 25700337 Free PMC article.
-
Cyanophages infecting the oceanic cyanobacterium Prochlorococcus.Nature. 2003 Aug 28;424(6952):1047-51. doi: 10.1038/nature01929. Nature. 2003. PMID: 12944965
-
A minimum set of regulators to thrive in the ocean.FEMS Microbiol Rev. 2020 Mar 1;44(2):232-252. doi: 10.1093/femsre/fuaa005. FEMS Microbiol Rev. 2020. PMID: 32077939 Review.
-
Cyanobacterial photosynthesis in the oceans: the origins and significance of divergent light-harvesting strategies.Trends Microbiol. 2002 Mar;10(3):134-42. doi: 10.1016/s0966-842x(02)02319-3. Trends Microbiol. 2002. PMID: 11864823 Review.
Cited by
-
High-throughput profiling of metabolic responses to exogenous nutrients in Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803.mSystems. 2024 Apr 16;9(4):e0022724. doi: 10.1128/msystems.00227-24. Epub 2024 Mar 27. mSystems. 2024. PMID: 38534128 Free PMC article.
-
A redox switch allows binding of Fe(II) and Fe(III) ions in the cyanobacterial iron-binding protein FutA from Prochlorococcus.Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2024 Mar 19;121(12):e2308478121. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2308478121. Epub 2024 Mar 15. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2024. PMID: 38489389
-
Protein NirP1 regulates nitrite reductase and nitrite excretion in cyanobacteria.Nat Commun. 2024 Mar 1;15(1):1911. doi: 10.1038/s41467-024-46253-4. Nat Commun. 2024. PMID: 38429292 Free PMC article.
-
Flexible genomic island conservation across freshwater and marine Methylophilaceae.ISME J. 2024 Jan 8;18(1):wrad036. doi: 10.1093/ismejo/wrad036. ISME J. 2024. PMID: 38365254 Free PMC article.
-
Effects of dispersal and temperature variability on phytoplankton realized temperature niches.Ecol Evol. 2024 Feb 7;14(2):e10882. doi: 10.1002/ece3.10882. eCollection 2024 Feb. Ecol Evol. 2024. PMID: 38327689 Free PMC article.
Publication types
MeSH terms
Associated data
- Actions
- Actions
LinkOut - more resources
Full Text Sources
Other Literature Sources
Molecular Biology Databases
Research Materials