Discovering functional novelty in metagenomes: examples from light-mediated processes.

ABSTRACT: The emerging coverage of diverse habitats by metagenomic shotgun data opens new avenues of discovering functional novelty using computational tools. Here, we apply three different concepts for predicting novel functions within light-mediated microbial pathways in five diverse environments. Using phylogenetic approaches, we discovered two novel deep-branching subfamilies of photolyases (involved in light-mediated repair) distributed abundantly in high-UV environments. Using neighborhood approaches, we were able to assign seven novel functional partners in luciferase synthesis, nitrogen metabolism, and quorum sensing to BLUF domain-containing proteins (involved in light sensing). Finally, by domain analysis, for RcaE proteins (involved in chromatic adaptation), we predict 16 novel domain arc

SUBMITTER: Singh AH 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2612456 | biostudies-literature | 2009 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature