Ocean bacteria surf the genome wave (original) (raw)

Genomics

Nature Reviews Genetics volume 4, page 761 (2003)Cite this article

Although the cyanobacteria Prochlorococcus and Synechococcus might look small, together they account for about one-half of the photosynthesis that occurs in our oceans. Groups from California, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and France used genome sequencing to investigate their lifestyle. For example, although Synechococcus can swim, Palenik et al. found that it does not have the standard genes that allow bacterial swimming. The bacterium also seems to be able to use organic sources of nitrogen and phosphorus from the sea, which breaks the stereotype that cyanobacteria only use inorganic forms that might be limiting.

Three different isolates of Prochlorococcus were sequenced simultaneously: two by Rocap et al. and one by Dufresne et al. These bacteria are specialists that adapt to niches in the ocean environment, so these analyses allow comparisons of low light-adapted to high light-adapted ecotypes. Some bacteria cast off many genes to conserve energy when they specialize in this way, but the process is not consistent, as only one of the low light-adapted ecotypes had a genome as small as its high light-adapted cousin. In fact, the genes that remain are not common among the ecotypes, with notable amounts from horizontal gene transfer or duplication events separating the cousins. A related paper by Bibby et al. specifically examines specialization of the antennae of low light-adapted Prochlorococcus to optimally photosynthesize in various conditions.

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References

ORIGINAL RESEARCH PAPER

  1. Palenik, B. et al. The genome of motile marine Synechococcus. Nature 424, 1037–1042 (2003)
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  2. Rocap, G. et al. Genome divergence in two Prochlorococcus ecotypes reflects oceanic niche differentiation. Nature 424, 1042–1047 (2003)
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FURTHER READING

  1. Fuhrman, J. Genome sequences from the sea. Nature 424, 1001–1002 (2003)
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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Associate Editor, Nature,
    Chris Gunter

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Gunter, C. Ocean bacteria surf the genome wave.Nat Rev Genet 4, 761 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrg1187

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