Genome sequence analysis indicates that the model eukaryote Nematostella vectensis harbors bacterial consorts.

ABSTRACT: Analysis of the genome sequence of the starlet sea anemone, Nematostella vectensis, reveals many genes whose products are phylogenetically closer to proteins encoded by bacteria or bacteriophages than to any metazoan homologs. One explanation for such sequence affinities could be that these genes have been horizontally transferred from bacteria to the Nematostella lineage. We show, however, that bacterium-like and phage-like genes sequenced by the N. vectensis genome project tend to cluster on separate scaffolds, which typically do not include eukaryotic genes and differ from the latter in their GC contents. Moreover, most of the bacterium-like genes in N. vectensis either lack introns or the introns annotated in such genes are false predictions that, when translated, often restore the mis

SUBMITTER: Artamonova II 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3811558 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature