Naslov
Enzymes of the shikimic acid pathway encoded in the genome of a basal metazoan, Nematostella vectensis, have microbial origins

Autori
Starcevic, Antonio ; Akthar, Shamima ; Dunlap, Walter ; Shick, Malcolm ; Hranueli, Daslav ; Cullum, John ; Long, Paul

Vrsta, podvrsta i kategorija rada
Sažeci sa skupova, sažetak, znanstveni

Izvornik
ISME12 – Abstarct CD / Hilary Lapin-Scott and Linda L. Blackall - Heteren : International Society for Microbial Ecology -ISME, 2008

Skup
The 12th International Simposium on Microbial Ecology ISME12 – Microbial diversity – Sustaining the blue planet

Mjesto i datum
Cairns, Australija, 17.08.2008. - 22.08.2008

Vrsta sudjelovanja
Poster

Vrsta recenzije
Nije recenziran

Ključne riječi
Shikimic acid pathway; Cnidaria; Nematostella vectensis; basal Metazoa; symbiosis; Tenacibaculum

Sažetak
Background and aims: Enzymes of the shikimic acid pathway catalyse the biosynthesis of many aromatic compounds by a broad range of organisms, including bacteria, fungi, plants and some protozoans. Animals are considered to lack this pathway as evinced by their dietary requirement for shikimate-derived aromatic amino acids, anthranilate and folate. We aim to challenge the universality of this traditional view by annotating genes encoding enzymes of the shikimic acid pathway in the sequenced genome of the starlet sea anemone, Nematostella vectensis. Methods: The published DNA sequence of the N. vectensis genome was downloaded from StellaBase version 1.0 and translated into all six reading frames. For profile analyses, HMMER version 2.3.2 and release 20 of the Pfam database were used. Similarity searches were performed using the BLAST service at NCBI. Results: Molecular evidence establishes the horizontal transfer of ancestral genes of the shikimic acid pathway into the Nematostella genome from both bacterial and eukaryotic (dinoflagellate) donors. In addition to dinoflagelate sequences, the published genome comprises a high content of Tenacibaculumlike gene orthologs, including a large 16S rRNA fragment that establishes these orthologs to originate from the Flavobacteriaceae. Bioinformatics analysis reveals four additional genes encoding enzyme orthologs of the shikimate pathway that are from an unrelated bacterial source, raising speculation for the existence of a previously unsuspected symbiont in this sea anemone. Conclusion: These results provide a complementary view of the biogenesis of shikimate-related metabolites in marine Cnidaria as a “ shared metabolic adaptation” between an invertebrate host and its microbial consorts.

Izvorni jezik
Engleski

Znanstvena područja
Biologija, Biotehnologija

POVEZANOST RADA