Acquisition of pcnb [poly(A) polymerase I] genes via horizontal transfer from the β, γ-proteobacteria

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: George Jones, Emory University
• Language: English
• Date: 2021-01-01
• Publisher: Emory University Libraries
• Publication Version: Final Published Version
• Copyright Statement: © 2021 The Authors
• License: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Final Published Version (URL): http://dx.doi.org/10.1099/mgen.0.000508
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: Microbial Genomics
• Volume: 7
• Issue: 2
• Grant/Funding Information: The author received no specific grant from any agency.
• Keywords: Phylogeny; polyadenylation; Bacterial Proteins; Base Composition; Betaproteobacteria; poly(A) polymerase; pcnB; Polynucleotide Adenylyltransferase; Gene Transfer, Horizontal; Evolution, Molecular; tRNA nucleotidyltransferase; Gammaproteobacteria; horizontal gene transfer; Amino Acid Sequence
• Research Categories: Biology, General

Abstract

Poly(A) polymerases (PAPs) and tRNA nucleotidyltransferases belong to a superfamily of nucleotidyltransferases and modify RNA 3′-ends. The product of the pcnB gene, PAP I, has been characterized in a few β-, γ-and δ-Proteobacteria. Using the PAP I signature sequence, putative PAPs were identified in bacterial species from the α-and ε-Proteobacteria and from four other bacterial phyla (Firmicutes, Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes and Aquificae). Phylogenetic analysis, alien index and G+C content calculations strongly suggest that the PAPs in the species identified in this study arose by horizontal gene transfer from the β-and γ-Proteobacteria.