Evolution of tryptophan biosynthetic pathway in microbial genomes: a comparative genetic study.

ABSTRACT: Biosynthetic pathway evolution needs to consider the evolution of a group of genes that code for enzymes catalysing the multiple chemical reaction steps leading to the final end product. Tryptophan biosynthetic pathway has five chemical reaction steps that are highly conserved in diverse microbial genomes, though the genes of the pathway enzymes show considerable variations in arrangements, operon structure (gene fusion and splitting) and regulation. We use a combined bioinformatic and statistical analyses approach to address the question if the pathway genes from different microbial genomes, belonging to a wide range of groups, show similar evolutionary relationships within and between them. Our analyses involved detailed study of gene organization (fusion/splitting events), base composit

SUBMITTER: Priya VK 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3933628 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature