The phylogeny of uptake hydrogenases in Frankia

Authors

  • Melakeselam Leul Department of Plant Physiology, Umeå Plant Science Centre (UPSC), Umeå University, Umeå
  • Philippe Normand Federal Research Institute (IFR) 41 Bioenvironment and Health, Mixed Unit of Research (UMR) 5557, Department of Microbial Ecology, University of Lyon, Lyon
  • Anita Sellstedt Department of Plant Physiology, Umeå Plant Science Centre (UPSC), Umeå University, Umeå

Keywords:

Frankia, lateral gene transfer (LGT), hydrogenase synton, Frankia cluster

Abstract

Uptake hydrogenase is an enzyme that is believed to be beneficial for nitrogen fixation in bacteria. Recent studies have shown that there are two sets of uptake hydrogenase genes, named synton #1 and #2, in Frankia sp. Here, we have made a phylogenetic analysis of the structural subunits of hydrogenase synton #1 and #2, which showed a distinct clustering pattern between Frankia strains isolated from different host plants and non-Frankia organisms. The structural subunits of hydrogenase synton #1 of Frankia sp. CpI1, Frankia alni ACN14a and AvCI1 were grouped together while those of Frankia sp. CcI3, KB5, UGL140104 and UGL011102 formed another group. The structural subunits of hydrogenase synton #2 of F. alni ACN14a, Frankia sp. CcI3 and BCU110501 grouped together, but Frankia sp. KB5, CpI1, F. alni ArI3 and AvCI1 formed another group. The structural subunits of hydrogenase synton #1 and #2 of Frankia sp. EAN1pec were more closely related with those of non-Frankia bacteria Streptomyces avermitilis and Anaeromyxobacter sp., respectively, than they were to other Frankia strains, which suggested the occurrence of lateral gene transfer (LGT) involving these organisms. In addition, the accessory Hyp proteins of hydrogenase synton #1 and hydrogenase synton #2 of F. alni ACN14a and Frankia sp. CcI3 were shown to be phylogenetically more related to each other than they were to Frankia EAN1pec.

Author Biographies

Melakeselam Leul, Department of Plant Physiology, Umeå Plant Science Centre (UPSC), Umeå University, Umeå

Department of Plant Physiology, Umeå Plant Science Centre (UPSC), Umeå University, Umeå

Philippe Normand, Federal Research Institute (IFR) 41 Bioenvironment and Health, Mixed Unit of Research (UMR) 5557, Department of Microbial Ecology, University of Lyon, Lyon

Federal Research Institute (IFR) 41 Bioenvironment and Health, Mixed Unit of Research (UMR) 5557, Department of Microbial Ecology, University of Lyon, Lyon

Anita Sellstedt, Department of Plant Physiology, Umeå Plant Science Centre (UPSC), Umeå University, Umeå

Department of Plant Physiology, Umeå Plant Science Centre (UPSC), Umeå University, Umeå

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Published

2010-09-20

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Section

Research Articles