Evolutionary responses to codon usage of horizontally transferred genes in <i>Pseudomonas aeruginosa</i>: gene retention, amelioration and compensatory evolution.

ABSTRACT: Prokaryote genome evolution is characterized by the frequent gain of genes through horizontal gene transfer (HGT). For a gene, being horizontally transferred can represent a strong change in its genomic and physiological context. If the codon usage of a transferred gene deviates from that of the receiving organism, the fitness benefits it provides can be reduced due to a mismatch with the expression machinery. Consequently, transferred genes with a deviating codon usage can be selected against or elicit evolutionary responses that enhance their integration, such as gene amelioration and compensatory evolution. Within bacterial species, the extent and relative importance of these different mechanisms has never been considered altogether. In this study, a phylogeny-based method was used to i

SUBMITTER: Callens M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8461475 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature