Genome divergence in two Prochlorococcus ecotypes reflects oceanic niche differentiation

Gabrielle Rocap, Frank W. Larimer, Jane Lamerdin, Stephanie Malfatti, Patrick Chain, Nathan A. Ahlgren, Andrae Arellano, Maureen Coleman, Loren Hauser, Wolfgang R. Hess, Zackary I. Johnson, Miriam Land, Debbie Lindell, Anton F. Post, Warren Regala, Manesh Shah, Stephanie L. Shaw, Claudia Steglich, Matthew B. Sullivan, Claire S. Ting, Andrew Tolonen, Eric A. Webb, Erik R. Zinser and Sallie W. Chisholm ()
Additional contact information
Gabrielle Rocap: University Of Washington
Frank W. Larimer: Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Jane Lamerdin: Joint Genome Institute
Stephanie Malfatti: Joint Genome Institute
Patrick Chain: Joint Genome Institute
Nathan A. Ahlgren: University Of Washington
Andrae Arellano: Joint Genome Institute
Maureen Coleman: Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Loren Hauser: Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Wolfgang R. Hess: Humboldt-University
Zackary I. Johnson: Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Miriam Land: Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Debbie Lindell: Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Anton F. Post: Interuniversity Institute of Marine Science
Warren Regala: Joint Genome Institute
Manesh Shah: Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Stephanie L. Shaw: Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences
Claudia Steglich: Humboldt-University
Matthew B. Sullivan: Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
Claire S. Ting: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Andrew Tolonen: Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
Eric A. Webb: Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
Erik R. Zinser: Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Sallie W. Chisholm: Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering

Nature, 2003, vol. 424, issue 6952, 1042-1047

Abstract: Abstract The marine unicellular cyanobacterium Prochlorococcus is the smallest-known oxygen-evolving autotroph1. It numerically dominates the phytoplankton in the tropical and subtropical oceans2,3, and is responsible for a significant fraction of global photosynthesis. Here we compare the genomes of two Prochlorococcus strains that span the largest evolutionary distance within the Prochlorococcus lineage4 and that have different minimum, maximum and optimal light intensities for growth5. The high-light-adapted ecotype has the smallest genome (1,657,990 base pairs, 1,716 genes) of any known oxygenic phototroph, whereas the genome of its low-light-adapted counterpart is significantly larger, at 2,410,873 base pairs (2,275 genes). The comparative architectures of these two strains reveal dynamic genomes that are constantly changing in response to myriad selection pressures. Although the two strains have 1,350 genes in common, a significant number are not shared, and these have been differentially retained from the common ancestor, or acquired through duplication or lateral transfer. Some of these genes have obvious roles in determining the relative fitness of the ecotypes in response to key environmental variables, and hence in regulating their distribution and abundance in the oceans.

Date: 2003
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DOI: 10.1038/nature01947

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