Abstract
BackgroundIn eukaryotes, variation in gene copy numbers is often associated with deleterious effects, but may also have positive effects. For prokaryotes, studies on gene copy number variation are rare. Previous studies have suggested that high numbers of rRNA gene copies can be advantageous in environments with changing resource availability, but further association of gene copies and phenotypic traits are not documented. We used one of the morphologically most diverse prokaryotic phyla to test whether numbers of gene copies are associated with levels of cell differentiation.ResultsWe implemented a search algorithm that identified 44 genes with highly conserved copies across 22 fully sequenced cyanobacterial taxa. For two very basal cyanobacterial species, Gloeobacter violaceus and a thermophilic Synechococcus species, distinct phylogenetic positions previously found were supported by identical protein coding gene copy numbers. Furthermore, we found that increased ribosomal gene copy numbers showed a strong correlation to cyanobacteria capable of terminal cell differentiation. Additionally, we detected extremely low variation of 16S rRNA sequence copies within the cyanobacteria. We compared our results for 16S rRNA to three other eubacterial phyla (Chroroflexi, Spirochaetes and Bacteroidetes). Based on Bayesian phylogenetic inference and the comparisons of genetic distances, we could confirm that cyanobacterial 16S rRNA paralogs and orthologs show significantly stronger conservation than found in other eubacterial phyla.ConclusionsA higher number of ribosomal operons could potentially provide an advantage to terminally differentiated cyanobacteria. Furthermore, we suggest that 16S rRNA gene copies in cyanobacteria are homogenized by both concerted evolution and purifying selection. In addition, the small ribosomal subunit in cyanobacteria appears to evolve at extraordinary slow evolutionary rates, an observation that has been made previously for morphological characteristics of cyanobacteria.
Highlights
In eukaryotes, variation in gene copy numbers is often associated with deleterious effects, but may have positive effects
Identification of conserved gene copies and their phylogenetic relevance Aside from ribosomal RNA genes, we identified 41 protein coding genes which possess multiple conserved gene copies in at least one cyanobacterial species (Additional file 1)
Ribosomal RNA genes were the main class of genes exhibiting conserved gene copies that were significantly correlated to the cyanobacterial sections IV and V
Summary
Variation in gene copy numbers is often associated with deleterious effects, but may have positive effects. Studies on gene copy number variation are rare. We used one of the morphologically most diverse prokaryotic phyla to test whether numbers of gene copies are associated with levels of cell differentiation. Many genes originated via gene duplication in both prokaryotes and eukaryotes. One gene copy is preserved by purifying selection, while the other copy may evolve a novel function through rapid adaptation. In a process known as pseudogenization, one gene copy will lose its function due to accumulation of mutations.
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