Elevated rate of genome rearrangements in radiation-resistant bacteria
File(s)
Published version
Author(s)
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
A number of bacterial, archaeal, and eukaryotic species are known for their resistance to ionizing radiation. One of the challenges these species face is a potent environmental source of DNA double-strand breaks, potential drivers of genome structure evolution. Efficient and accurate DNA double-strand break repair systems have been demonstrated in several unrelated radiation-resistant species and are putative adaptations to the DNA damaging environment. Such adaptations are expected to compensate for the genome-destabilizing effect of environmental DNA damage and may be expected to result in a more conserved gene order in radiation-resistant species. However, here we show that rates of genome rearrangements, measured as loss of gene order conservation with time, are higher in radiation-resistant species in multiple, phylogenetically independent groups of bacteria. Comparison of indicators of selection for genome organization between radiation-resistant and phylogenetically matched, non-resistant species argues against tolerance to disruption of genome structure as a strategy for radiation resistance. Interestingly, an important mechanism affecting genome rearrangements in prokaryotes, the symmetrical inversions around origin of DNA replication, shapes genome structure of both radiation-resistant and non-resistant species. In conclusion, the opposing effects of environmental DNA damage and DNA repair result in elevated rates of genome rearrangements in radiation-resistant bacteria.
Date Issued
2017-03-30
Date Acceptance
2017-01-30
Citation
Genetics, 2017, 205 (4), pp.1677-1689
ISSN
1943-2631
Publisher
Genetics Society of America
Start Page
1677
End Page
1689
Journal / Book Title
Genetics
Volume
205
Issue
4
Copyright Statement
© 2017 Repar et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons
Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which
permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the
original work is properly cited.
Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which
permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the
original work is properly cited.
Sponsor
Imperial College London
Medical Research Council
Grant Number
Junior Research Fellowship
MC_A658_5TY40
Subjects
Deinococcus radiodurans
gamma radiation
gene order
genome stability
synteny
Developmental Biology
0604 Genetics
Publication Status
Published