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Lateral gene transfer and gene duplication played a key role in the evolution of mastigamoeba balamuthi hydrogenosomes

Nývltová, Eva ; Stairs, Courtney W. LU orcid ; Hrdý, Ivan ; Rídl, Jakub ; Mach, Jan ; Paɥes, Jan ; Roger, Andrew J. and Tachezy, Jan (2015) In Molecular biology and evolution 32(4). p.1039-1055
Abstract

Lateral gene transfer (LGT) is an important mechanism of evolution for protists adapting to oxygen-poor environments. Specifically, modifications of energy metabolism in anaerobic forms of mitochondria (e.g., hydrogenosomes) are likely to have been associated with gene transfer from prokaryotes. An interesting question is whether the products of transferred genes were directly targeted into the ancestral organelle or initially operated in the cytosol and subsequently acquired organelle-targeting sequences. Here, we identified key enzymes of hydrogenosomal metabolism in the free-living anaerobic amoebozoan Mastigamoeba balamuthi and analyzed their cellular localizations, enzymatic activities, and evolutionary histories. Additionally, we... (More)

Lateral gene transfer (LGT) is an important mechanism of evolution for protists adapting to oxygen-poor environments. Specifically, modifications of energy metabolism in anaerobic forms of mitochondria (e.g., hydrogenosomes) are likely to have been associated with gene transfer from prokaryotes. An interesting question is whether the products of transferred genes were directly targeted into the ancestral organelle or initially operated in the cytosol and subsequently acquired organelle-targeting sequences. Here, we identified key enzymes of hydrogenosomal metabolism in the free-living anaerobic amoebozoan Mastigamoeba balamuthi and analyzed their cellular localizations, enzymatic activities, and evolutionary histories. Additionally, we characterized 1) several canonical mitochondrial components including respiratory complex II and the glycine cleavage system, 2) enzymes associated with anaerobic energy metabolism, including an unusual D-lactate dehydrogenase and acetyl CoA synthase, and 3) a sulfate activation pathway. Intriguingly, components of anaerobic energy metabolism are present in at least two gene copies. For each component, one copy possesses an mitochondrial targeting sequence (MTS), whereas the other lacks an MTS, yielding parallel cytosolic and hydrogenosomal extended glycolysis pathways. Experimentally, we confirmed that the organelle targeting of several proteins is fully dependent on the MTS. Phylogenetic analysis of all extended glycolysis components suggested that these components were acquired by LGT. We propose that the transformation from an ancestral organelle to a hydrogenosome in the M. balamuthi lineage involved the lateral acquisition of genes encoding extended glycolysis enzymes that initially operated in the cytosol and that established a parallel hydrogenosomal pathway after gene duplication and MTS acquisition.

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author
; ; ; ; ; ; and
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
keywords
acetylCoA synthetase, glycine cleavage system, hydrogenase, PFO, succinate dehydrogenase, sulfate activation pathway
in
Molecular biology and evolution
volume
32
issue
4
pages
1039 - 1055
publisher
Oxford University Press
external identifiers
  • scopus:84926637533
  • pmid:25573905
ISSN
0737-4038
DOI
10.1093/molbev/msu408
language
English
LU publication?
no
id
167f8749-4633-4aca-9b7c-7d1217927f5a
date added to LUP
2020-10-23 11:41:49
date last changed
2024-10-03 11:23:41
@article{167f8749-4633-4aca-9b7c-7d1217927f5a,
  abstract     = {{<p>Lateral gene transfer (LGT) is an important mechanism of evolution for protists adapting to oxygen-poor environments. Specifically, modifications of energy metabolism in anaerobic forms of mitochondria (e.g., hydrogenosomes) are likely to have been associated with gene transfer from prokaryotes. An interesting question is whether the products of transferred genes were directly targeted into the ancestral organelle or initially operated in the cytosol and subsequently acquired organelle-targeting sequences. Here, we identified key enzymes of hydrogenosomal metabolism in the free-living anaerobic amoebozoan Mastigamoeba balamuthi and analyzed their cellular localizations, enzymatic activities, and evolutionary histories. Additionally, we characterized 1) several canonical mitochondrial components including respiratory complex II and the glycine cleavage system, 2) enzymes associated with anaerobic energy metabolism, including an unusual D-lactate dehydrogenase and acetyl CoA synthase, and 3) a sulfate activation pathway. Intriguingly, components of anaerobic energy metabolism are present in at least two gene copies. For each component, one copy possesses an mitochondrial targeting sequence (MTS), whereas the other lacks an MTS, yielding parallel cytosolic and hydrogenosomal extended glycolysis pathways. Experimentally, we confirmed that the organelle targeting of several proteins is fully dependent on the MTS. Phylogenetic analysis of all extended glycolysis components suggested that these components were acquired by LGT. We propose that the transformation from an ancestral organelle to a hydrogenosome in the M. balamuthi lineage involved the lateral acquisition of genes encoding extended glycolysis enzymes that initially operated in the cytosol and that established a parallel hydrogenosomal pathway after gene duplication and MTS acquisition.</p>}},
  author       = {{Nývltová, Eva and Stairs, Courtney W. and Hrdý, Ivan and Rídl, Jakub and Mach, Jan and Paɥes, Jan and Roger, Andrew J. and Tachezy, Jan}},
  issn         = {{0737-4038}},
  keywords     = {{acetylCoA synthetase; glycine cleavage system; hydrogenase; PFO; succinate dehydrogenase; sulfate activation pathway}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{04}},
  number       = {{4}},
  pages        = {{1039--1055}},
  publisher    = {{Oxford University Press}},
  series       = {{Molecular biology and evolution}},
  title        = {{Lateral gene transfer and gene duplication played a key role in the evolution of mastigamoeba balamuthi hydrogenosomes}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/molbev/msu408}},
  doi          = {{10.1093/molbev/msu408}},
  volume       = {{32}},
  year         = {{2015}},
}