Defense islands in bacterial and archaeal genomes and prediction of novel defense systems.

ABSTRACT: The arms race between cellular life forms and viruses is a major driving force of evolution. A substantial fraction of bacterial and archaeal genomes is dedicated to antivirus defense. We analyzed the distribution of defense genes and typical mobilome components (such as viral and transposon genes) in bacterial and archaeal genomes and demonstrated statistically significant clustering of antivirus defense systems and mobile genes and elements in genomic islands. The defense islands are enriched in putative operons and contain numerous overrepresented gene families. A detailed sequence analysis of the proteins encoded by genes in these families shows that many of them are diverged variants of known defense system components, whereas others show features, such as characteristic operonic orga

SUBMITTER: Makarova KS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3194920 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature