Stochasticity, determinism, and contingency shape genome evolution of endosymbiotic bacteria.

ABSTRACT: Evolution results from the interaction of stochastic and deterministic processes that create a web of historical contingency, shaping gene content and organismal function. To understand the scope of this interaction, we examine the relative contributions of stochasticity, determinism, and contingency in shaping gene inactivation in 34 lineages of endosymbiotic bacteria, Sodalis, found in parasitic lice, Columbicola, that are independently undergoing genome degeneration. Here we show that the process of genome degeneration in this system is largely deterministic: genes involved in amino acid biosynthesis are lost while those involved in providing B-vitamins to the host are retained. In contrast, many genes encoding redundant functions, including components of the respiratory chain and DNA r

SUBMITTER: Boyd BM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11137140 | biostudies-literature | 2024 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature