Origin of Chemical Diversity in Prochloron-Tunicate Symbiosis.

ABSTRACT:

Unlabelled

Diversity-generating metabolism leads to the evolution of many different chemicals in living organisms. Here, by examining a marine symbiosis, we provide a precise evolutionary model of how nature generates a family of novel chemicals, the cyanobactins. We show that tunicates and their symbiotic Prochloron cyanobacteria share congruent phylogenies, indicating that Prochloron phylogeny is related to host phylogeny and not to external habitat or geography. We observe that Prochloron exchanges discrete functional genetic modules for cyanobactin secondary metabolite biosynthesis in an otherwise conserved genetic background. The module exchange leads to gain or loss of discrete chemical functional groups. Because the underlying enzymes exhibit broad substrate tolerance, discr

SUBMITTER: Lin Z 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4959158 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature