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Lookup NU author(s): Dr Paul Dean, Dr Kacper Sendra, Dr Tom Williams, Andrew Watson, Dr Peter Major, Dr Sirintra Nakjang, Ekaterina Kozhevnikova, Professor Robert HirtORCiD, Emeritus Professor T. Martin Embley FMedSci FRSORCiD
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).
The acquisition of genes by horizontal transfer can impart entirely new biological functions and provide an important route to major evolutionary innovation. Here we have used ancient gene reconstruction and functional assays to investigate the impact of a single horizontally transferred nucleotide transporter into the common ancestor of the Microsporidia, a major radiation of intracellular parasites of animals and humans. We show that this transporterprovided early microsporidians with the ability to steal host ATP and to become energy parasites. Gene duplication enabled the diversification of nucleotide transporter function to transport new substrates, including GTP and NAD+, and to evolve the proton-energised net import of nucleotides for nucleic acid biosynthesis, growth and replication. These innovations have allowed the loss of pathways for mitochondrial and cytosolic energy generation and nucleotide biosynthesis that are otherwise essential for free-living eukaryotes, resulting in the highly unusual and reduced cells and genomes of contemporary Microsporidia.
Author(s): Dean P, Sendra KM, Williams TA, Watson AK, Major P, Nakjang S, Kozhevnikova E, Goldberg AV, Kunji ERS, Hirt RP, Embley TM
Publication type: Article
Publication status: Published
Journal: Nature Communications
Year: 2018
Volume: 9
Online publication date: 27/04/2018
Acceptance date: 22/03/2018
Date deposited: 01/05/2018
ISSN (electronic): 2041-1723
Publisher: Nature Publishing Group
URL: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-018-03923-4
DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-03923-4
PubMed id: 29703975
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