Whole-genome analysis of photosynthetic prokaryotes

Jason Raymond, Olga Zhaxybayeva, J. Peter Gogarten, Sveta Y. Gerdes, Robert E. Blankenship

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

201 Scopus citations

Abstract

The process of photosynthesis has had profound global-scale effects on Earth; however, its origin and evolution remain enigmatic. Here we report a wholegenome comparison of representatives from all five groups of photosynthetic prokaryotes and show that horizontal gene transfer has been pivotal in their evolution. Excluding a small number of orthologs that show congruent phylogenies, the genomes of these organisms represent mosaics of genes with very different evolutionary histories. We have also analyzed a subset of "photosynthesis-specific" genes that were elucidated through a differential genome comparison. Our results explain incoherencies in previous data-limited phylogenetic analyses of phototrophic bacteria and indicate that the core components of photosynthesis have been subject to lateral transfer.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)1616-1620
Number of pages5
JournalScience
Volume298
Issue number5598
DOIs
StatePublished - Nov 22 2002

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General

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