title: Codon usage adaptation in the ferredoxin-NADP+ oxidoreductase of Cyanophora paradoxa upon translocation from cyanoplast to nucleus.
abstract: Previous investigations of the petH gene of the biflagellated autotrophic protist Cyanophora paradoxa (Cp; Glaucocystophyta), descendant of an original endocyanome (symbiotic consortium of a eukaryote with an endocytobiotic cyanobacterium), established that: (i) the gene coding for a cyanoplast protein (FNR) is located on the nuclear genome; (ii) the sequence of the mature protein shows a high degree of amino-acid conservation to cyanobacterial homologs; (iii) the sequence of the transit peptide of the pre-protein displays poor, if any, homology to counterparts in higher plants. Here, we show that the G+C content and codon usage of this gene are most similar to a genuine nuclear gene. By contrast, the G+C content and codon usage display substantial differences to a collection of 30 cyanoplast encoded genes mainly attributable to alterations in the third codon position. Correspondence analysis on codon preference parameters corroborates the claim of codon usage adaptation of the translocated gene to the nuclear pattern. As a consequence, codon usage distances of genes of Cp encoded either by the nucleus or the cyanoplasts vs. homologous genes of the cyanobacterium, Anabaena, are notably different; this result has important phylogenetic implications.
authors.affiliation: Universität Tübingen, Botanisches Institut, Germany.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lüttke
authors.forename: T L
authors.initials: TL
authors.lastname: Maier
authors.forename: H E
authors.initials: HE
authors.lastname: Schenk
mesh_terms: D000222:Adaptation, Physiological; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000201:enzymology; D056890:Eukaryota / Q000235:genetics*; D005287:Ferredoxin-NADP Reductase / Q000235:genetics*; D005420:Flavoproteins
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D005420:Flavoproteins; D005287:Ferredoxin-NADP Reductase; C082502:petH protein, Bacteria