Phylogenetic analysis indicates bacteria-to-apicoplast lateral gene transfer

Yi Chuan Xue Bao. 2004 Nov;31(11):1316-20.

Abstract

Apicomplexan protozoa contains a highly reduced plastid-like organelle termed apicoplast. Data from clpC gene in apicoplast and their homologs in other plastids and bacteria were used to reconstruct phylogeny of apicoplast. Trees were reconstructed using neighbor-joining, minimum evolution, maximum parsimony and maximum likelihood. The reconstructions robustly support the monophyly of apicoplast and B. burgdorferi. This result underpins the mixture-genome hypotheses of apicoplast, furthermore, provides a new insight into the origin of this mixture genome.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Apicomplexa / classification
  • Apicomplexa / genetics*
  • Bacteria / classification
  • Bacteria / genetics*
  • Bacterial Proteins / genetics
  • Gene Transfer, Horizontal*
  • Heat-Shock Proteins / genetics
  • Phylogeny

Substances

  • Bacterial Proteins
  • ClpC protein, Bacteria
  • Heat-Shock Proteins