Community transcriptomics reveals universal patterns of protein sequence conservation in natural microbial communities.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Combined metagenomic and metatranscriptomic datasets make it possible to study the molecular evolution of diverse microbial species recovered from their native habitats. The link between gene expression level and sequence conservation was examined using shotgun pyrosequencing of microbial community DNA and RNA from diverse marine environments, and from forest soil.

Results

Across all samples, expressed genes with transcripts in the RNA sample were significantly more conserved than non-expressed gene sets relative to best matches in reference databases. This discrepancy, observed for many diverse individual genomes and across entire communities, coincided with a shift in amino acid usage between these gene fractions. Expressed genes trended toward GC-enriched amino

SUBMITTER: Stewart FJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3129676 | biostudies-literature | 2011

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature