title: Occurrence and expression of gene transfer agent genes in marine bacterioplankton.
abstract: Genes with homology to the transduction-like gene transfer agent (GTA) were observed in genome sequences of three cultured members of the marine Roseobacter clade. A broader search for homologs for this host-controlled virus-like gene transfer system identified likely GTA systems in cultured Alphaproteobacteria, and particularly in marine bacterioplankton representatives. Expression of GTA genes and extracellular release of GTA particles ( approximately 50 to 70 nm) was demonstrated experimentally for the Roseobacter clade member Silicibacter pomeroyi DSS-3, and intraspecific gene transfer was documented. GTA homologs are surprisingly infrequent in marine metagenomic sequence data, however, and the role of this lateral gene transfer mechanism in ocean bacterioplankton communities remains unclear.
authors: Department of Marine Sciences, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA.
authors: Erin J
authors: EJ
authors: Biers
authors: Kui
authors: K
authors: Wang
authors: Catherine
authors: C
authors: Pennington
authors: Robert
authors: R
authors: Belas
authors: Feng
authors: F
authors: Chen
authors: Mary Ann
authors: MA
authors: Moran
mesh_terms: D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D001435:Bacteriophages / Q000235:genetics / Q000648:ultrastructure; D002876:Chromosomes, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D023061:Gene Order; D046529:Microscopy, Electron, Transmission; D010802:Phylogeny; D010933:Plankton / Q000235:genetics*; D039002:Prophages / Q000235:genetics; D041902:Rhodobacteraceae / Q000235:genetics*; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D014161:Transduction, Genetic
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D004269:DNA, Bacterial