title: [Gene orders in genomes of alpha-proteobacteria: similarity and evolution].
abstract: The gene orders in the genomes of nine alpha-proteobacteria were compared using quantitative indices S (the relative number of common pairs of adjacent genes) and L (the mean difference between intergenic distances). A sample of 200 homologous genes, occurring in all 11 strains, was studied. In all of the genomes examined, 20 conserved, "uninterrupted" regions, including in total 63 out of 200 genes, were found. The rate of evolutionary change in the gene order widely varied in different evolutionary lineages. The highest rate (40 to 60 genome rearrangements per 100 Myr) was characteristic of the intercellular parasite Wolbachia (Rickettsiales). Computer simulation has showed that the S to L ratio observed in the sample testified that the probability of large genome rearrangements was somewhat lower than that of small ones.
authors.forename: I A
authors.initials: IA
authors.lastname: Zakharov
authors.forename: A V
authors.initials: AV
authors.lastname: Markov
mesh_terms: D001419:Bacteria / Q000235:genetics*; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D005798:Genes, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics*; D010802:Phylogeny; D012689:Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid