Phylogenetic evidence for lateral gene transfer in the intestine of marine iguanas.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Lateral gene transfer (LGT) appears to promote genotypic and phenotypic variation in microbial communities in a range of environments, including the mammalian intestine. However, the extent and mechanisms of LGT in intestinal microbial communities of non-mammalian hosts remains poorly understood.

Methodology/principal findings

We sequenced two fosmid inserts obtained from a genomic DNA library derived from an agar-degrading enrichment culture of marine iguana fecal material. The inserts harbored 16S rRNA genes that place the organism from which they originated within Clostridium cluster IV, a well documented group that habitats the mammalian intestinal tract. However, sequence analysis indicates that 52% of the protein-coding genes on the fosmids have top BLASTX h

SUBMITTER: Nelson DM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2875401 | biostudies-literature | 2010 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature