Molecular Biology and Evolution, Vol 16, 98-113, Copyright © 1999 by Society for Molecular Biology and Evolution
JJ Wernegreen and MA Riley
In prokaryotes, lateral gene transfer across chromosomal lineages may be
mediated by plasmids, phages, transposable elements, and other accessory
DNA elements. However, the importance of such transfer and the evolutionary
forces that may restrict gene exchange remain largely unexplored in native
settings. In this study, tests of phylogenetic congruence are employed to
explore the range of horizontal transfer of symbiotic (sym) loci among
distinct chromosomal lineages of native rhizobia, the nitrogen-fixing
symbiont of legumes. Rhizobial strains isolated from nodules of several
host plant genera were sequenced at three loci: symbiotic nodulation genes
(nodB and nodC), the chromosomal housekeeping locus glutamine synthetase II
(GSII), and a portion of the 16S rRNA gene. Molecular phylogenetic analysis
shows that each locus generally subdivides strains into the same major
groups, which correspond to the genera Rhizobium, Sinorhizobium, and
Mesorhizobium. This broad phylogenetic congruence indicates a lack of
lateral transfer across major chromosomal subdivisions, and it contrasts
with previous studies of agricultural populations showing broad transfer of
sym loci across divergent chromosomal lineages. A general correspondence of
the three rhizobial genera with major legume groups suggests that host
plant associations may be important in the differentiation of rhizobial nod
and chromosomal loci and may restrict lateral transfer among strains. The
second major result is a significant incongruence of nod and GSII
phylogenies within rhizobial subdivisions, which strongly suggests
horizontal transfer of nod genes among congenerics. This combined evidence
for lateral gene transfer within, but not between, genetic subdivisions
supports the view that rhizobial genera are "reproductively isolated" and
diverge independently. Differences across rhizobial genera in the
specificity of host associations imply that the evolutionary dynamics of
the symbiosis vary considerably across lineages in native settings.
ORIGINAL ARTICLE
Comparison of the evolutionary dynamics of symbiotic and housekeeping loci: a case for the genetic coherence of rhizobial lineages
Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, USA. werjen@u.arizona.edu
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