Horizontal gene transfer of a Chlamydial tRNA-guanine transglycosylase gene to eukaryotic microbes. 2016

Sam Manna, and Ashley Harman
Department of Physiology, Anatomy & Microbiology, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Electronic address: sam_manna@y7mail.com.

tRNA-guanine transglycosylases are found in all domains of life and mediate the base exchange of guanine with queuine in the anticodon loop of tRNAs. They can also regulate virulence in bacteria such as Shigella flexneri, which has prompted the development of drugs that inhibit the function of these enzymes. Here we report a group of tRNA-guanine transglycosylases in eukaryotic microbes (algae and protozoa) which are more similar to their bacterial counterparts than previously characterized eukaryotic tRNA-guanine transglycosylases. We provide evidence demonstrating that the genes encoding these enzymes were acquired by these eukaryotic lineages via horizontal gene transfer from the Chlamydiae group of bacteria. Given that the S. flexneri tRNA-guanine transglycosylase can be targeted by drugs, we propose that the bacterial-like tRNA-guanine transglycosylases could potentially be targeted in a similar fashion in pathogenic amoebae that possess these enzymes such as Acanthamoeba castellanii. This work also presents ancient prokaryote-to-eukaryote horizontal gene transfer events as an untapped resource of potential drug target identification in pathogenic eukaryotes.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D010430 Pentosyltransferases Enzymes of the transferase class that catalyze the transfer of a pentose group from one compound to another.
D010802 Phylogeny The relationships of groups of organisms as reflected by their genetic makeup. Community Phylogenetics,Molecular Phylogenetics,Phylogenetic Analyses,Phylogenetic Analysis,Phylogenetic Clustering,Phylogenetic Comparative Analysis,Phylogenetic Comparative Methods,Phylogenetic Distance,Phylogenetic Generalized Least Squares,Phylogenetic Groups,Phylogenetic Incongruence,Phylogenetic Inference,Phylogenetic Networks,Phylogenetic Reconstruction,Phylogenetic Relatedness,Phylogenetic Relationships,Phylogenetic Signal,Phylogenetic Structure,Phylogenetic Tree,Phylogenetic Trees,Phylogenomics,Analyse, Phylogenetic,Analysis, Phylogenetic,Analysis, Phylogenetic Comparative,Clustering, Phylogenetic,Community Phylogenetic,Comparative Analysis, Phylogenetic,Comparative Method, Phylogenetic,Distance, Phylogenetic,Group, Phylogenetic,Incongruence, Phylogenetic,Inference, Phylogenetic,Method, Phylogenetic Comparative,Molecular Phylogenetic,Network, Phylogenetic,Phylogenetic Analyse,Phylogenetic Clusterings,Phylogenetic Comparative Analyses,Phylogenetic Comparative Method,Phylogenetic Distances,Phylogenetic Group,Phylogenetic Incongruences,Phylogenetic Inferences,Phylogenetic Network,Phylogenetic Reconstructions,Phylogenetic Relatednesses,Phylogenetic Relationship,Phylogenetic Signals,Phylogenetic Structures,Phylogenetic, Community,Phylogenetic, Molecular,Phylogenies,Phylogenomic,Reconstruction, Phylogenetic,Relatedness, Phylogenetic,Relationship, Phylogenetic,Signal, Phylogenetic,Structure, Phylogenetic,Tree, Phylogenetic
D002689 Chlamydia A genus of the family CHLAMYDIACEAE whose species cause a variety of diseases in vertebrates including humans, mice, and swine. Chlamydia species are gram-negative and produce glycogen. The type species is CHLAMYDIA TRACHOMATIS.
D004405 Dysentery, Bacillary DYSENTERY caused by gram-negative rod-shaped enteric bacteria (ENTEROBACTERIACEAE), most often by the genus SHIGELLA. Shigella dysentery, Shigellosis, is classified into subgroups according to syndrome severity and the infectious species. Group A: SHIGELLA DYSENTERIAE (severest); Group B: SHIGELLA FLEXNERI; Group C: SHIGELLA BOYDII; and Group D: SHIGELLA SONNEI (mildest). Shigellosis,Dysentery, Shiga bacillus,Dysentery, Shigella boydii,Dysentery, Shigella dysenteriae,Dysentery, Shigella dysenteriae type 1,Dysentery, Shigella flexneri,Dysentery, Shigella sonnei,Shigella Dysentery,Shigella Infection,Bacillary Dysentery,Dysenteries, Shigella,Dysenteries, Shigella boydii,Dysenteries, Shigella dysenteriae,Dysenteries, Shigella flexneri,Dysenteries, Shigella sonnei,Dysentery, Shigella,Infection, Shigella,Infections, Shigella,Shiga bacillus Dysentery,Shigella Dysenteries,Shigella Infections,Shigella boydii Dysenteries,Shigella boydii Dysentery,Shigella dysenteriae Dysenteries,Shigella dysenteriae Dysentery,Shigella flexneri Dysenteries,Shigella flexneri Dysentery,Shigella sonnei Dysenteries,Shigella sonnei Dysentery
D000048 Acanthamoeba A genus of free-living soil amoebae that produces no flagellate stage. Its organisms are pathogens for several infections in humans and have been found in the eye, bone, brain, and respiratory tract. Acanthamoebas
D000562 Amebiasis Infection with any of various amebae. It is an asymptomatic carrier state in most individuals, but diseases ranging from chronic, mild diarrhea to fulminant dysentery may occur. Abscess, Amebic,Acanthamebiasis,Ameboma,Amoebiasis,Iodamoebiasis,Acanthamoeba Infection,Balamuthia Infection,Abscesses, Amebic,Acanthamebiases,Acanthamoeba Infections,Amebiases,Amebic Abscess,Amebic Abscesses,Amoebiases,Balamuthia Infections,Infection, Acanthamoeba,Infection, Balamuthia,Iodamoebiases
D012343 RNA, Transfer The small RNA molecules, 73-80 nucleotides long, that function during translation (TRANSLATION, GENETIC) to align AMINO ACIDS at the RIBOSOMES in a sequence determined by the mRNA (RNA, MESSENGER). There are about 30 different transfer RNAs. Each recognizes a specific CODON set on the mRNA through its own ANTICODON and as aminoacyl tRNAs (RNA, TRANSFER, AMINO ACYL), each carries a specific amino acid to the ribosome to add to the elongating peptide chains. Suppressor Transfer RNA,Transfer RNA,tRNA,RNA, Transfer, Suppressor,Transfer RNA, Suppressor,RNA, Suppressor Transfer
D012763 Shigella flexneri A bacterium which is one of the etiologic agents of bacillary dysentery (DYSENTERY, BACILLARY) and sometimes of infantile gastroenteritis.
D056890 Eukaryota One of the three domains of life (the others being BACTERIA and ARCHAEA), also called Eukarya. These are organisms whose cells are enclosed in membranes and possess a nucleus. They comprise almost all multicellular and many unicellular organisms, and are traditionally divided into groups (sometimes called kingdoms) including ANIMALS; PLANTS; FUNGI; and various algae and other taxa that were previously part of the old kingdom Protista. Eukaryotes,Eucarya,Eukarya,Eukaryotas,Eukaryote
D020564 Deltaproteobacteria A group of PROTEOBACTERIA represented by morphologically diverse, anaerobic sulfidogens. Some members of this group are considered bacterial predators, having bacteriolytic properties. delta Proteobacteria,Proteobacteria delta

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