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Genome rearrangement by replication-directed translocation

Nature Genetics volume 26, pages 195–197 (2000)Cite this article

Abstract

Gene order in bacteria is poorly conserved during evolution1,2,3. For example, although many homologous genes are shared by the proteobacteria Escherichia coli, Haemophilus influenzae and Helicobacter pylori, their relative positions are very different in each genome, except local functional clusters such as operons3,4,5,6. The complete sequences of the more closely related bacterial genomes, such as pairs of Chlamydia7,8,9, H. pylori10,11 and Mycobacterium species12, now allow identification of the processes and mechanisms involved in genome evolution. Here we provide evidence that a substantial proportion of rearrangements in gene order results from recombination sites that are determined by the positions of the replication forks. Our observations suggest that replication has a major role in directing genome evolution.

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Figure 1: Plots of the position of genes in related genomes.
Figure 2: Rearrangement of gene order by translocation of genes across the replication axis.
Figure 3: Examples of translocated genes in Chlamydia.

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Acknowledgements

We thank W.F. Doolittle for discussion and B. Funnell for critical reading of the manuscript. R.A.C. is a fellow of the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIAR). This work was funded by the National Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) grant to R.A.C.

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  1. Department of Molecular and Medical Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada

    Elisabeth R.M. Tillier & Richard A. Collins

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  1. Elisabeth R.M. Tillier
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Correspondence to Elisabeth R.M. Tillier.

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Tillier, E., Collins, R. Genome rearrangement by replication-directed translocation. Nat Genet 26, 195–197 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1038/79918

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