Duplication and neofunctionalization of a horizontally-transferred xyloglucanase as a facet of the red queen co-evolutionary dynamic.

ABSTRACT: Oomycetes are heterotrophic protists that share phenotypic similarities with fungi, including the ability to cause plant diseases, but branch in a separate and distant region of the eukaryotic tree of life. It has been suggested that multiple horizontal gene transfers (HGTs) from fungi-to-oomycetes contributed to the evolution of plant-pathogenic traits. These HGTs are predicted to include secreted proteins that degrade plant cell walls. This is a key trait in the pathology of many oomycetes, as the plant cell wall represents a primary barrier to pathogen invasion and a rich source of carbohydrates. Many of the HGT gene families identified have undergone multiple rounds of duplication. Using a combination of phylogenomic analysis and functional assays, we investigate the diversification of

SUBMITTER: Attah V 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10592688 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature