Just the Two of Us? A Family of Pseudomonas Megaplasmids Offers a Rare Glimpse into the Evolution of Large Mobile Elements.

ABSTRACT: Pseudomonads are ubiquitous group of environmental proteobacteria, well known for their roles in biogeochemical cycling, in the breakdown of xenobiotic materials, as plant growth promoters, and as pathogens of a variety of host organisms. We have previously identified a large megaplasmid present within one isolate of the plant pathogen Pseudomonas syringae, and here we report that a second member of this megaplasmid family is found within an environmental Pseudomonad isolate most closely related to Pseudomonas putida. Many of the shared genes are involved in critical cellular processes like replication, transcription, translation, and DNA repair. We argue that presence of these shared pathways sheds new light on discussions about the types of genes that undergo horizontal gene transfer (i.

SUBMITTER: Smith BA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6482414 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature