title: Intragenic recombination has a critical role on the evolution of Legionella pneumophila virulence-related effector sidJ.
abstract: SidJ is a Dot/Icm effector involved in the trafficking or retention of ER-derived vesicles to Legionella pneumophila vacuoles whose mutation causes an observable growth defect, both in macrophage and amoeba hosts. Given the crucial role of this effector in L. pneumophila virulence we investigated the mechanisms shaping its molecular evolution. The alignment of SidJ sequences revealed several alleles with amino acid variations that may influence the protein properties. The identification of HGT events and the detection of balancing selection operating on sidJ evolution emerge as a clear result. Evidence suggests that intragenic recombination is an important strategy in the evolutionary adaptive process playing an active role on sidJ genetic plasticity. This pattern of evolution is in accordance with the life style of L. pneumophila as a broad host-range pathogen by preventing host-specialization and contributing to the resilience of the species.
authors.affiliation: Department of Life Sciences, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal; CNC - Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal.
authors.forename: Joana
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Costa
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Chalmers University of Technology, Gothenburg, Sweden.
authors.forename: Paulo Gonçalves
authors.initials: PG
authors.lastname: Teixeira
authors.affiliation: CNC - Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal.
authors.forename: Ana Filipa
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: d'Avó
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Biology and Evolutionary Genetics, Federal University of São Carlos (UFSCar), São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Célio Santos
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Júnior
authors.affiliation: Department of Life Sciences, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal; CNC - Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal.
authors.forename: António
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Veríssimo
mesh_terms: D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D022761:Gene Transfer, Horizontal; D054884:Host-Pathogen Interactions / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D016952:Legionella pneumophila / Q000235:genetics* / Q000472:pathogenicity; D007877:Legionnaires' Disease / Q000235:genetics* / Q000382:microbiology; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D010802:Phylogeny; D021381:Protein Transport / Q000235:genetics; D011995:Recombination, Genetic; D012641:Selection, Genetic; D037521:Virulence Factors / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D008565:Membrane Proteins; C000603755:SidJ protein, Legionella pneumophila; D037521:Virulence Factors