Journal
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
Volume 6, Issue -, Pages -Publisher
NATURE PUBLISHING GROUP
DOI: 10.1038/srep26388
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Funding
- National Science Foundation (USA) Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Biology [DBI-1402883]
- Max Planck Society (Germany)
- University of California, Davis (USA)
- 1KITE Project
- China National GeneBank and BGI-Shenzhen, China
- German Research Foundation [NI 1387/1-1, MI 649/6, MI 649/10, RE 345/1-2, BE1789/8-1, BE 1789/10-1, STA 860/4]
- German Research Foundation (Heisenberg grant) [WA 1496/8-1]
- Austria Science Fund FWF
- NSF [DEB 0816865]
- Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan [B 22770090]
- Japan Society for the Promotion of Science [P14071]
- Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron [I-20120065]
- Paul Scherrer Institute [20110069]
- Schlinger Endowment
- Heidelberg Institute for Theoretical Studies
- University of Memphis-FedEx Institute of Technology
- Rutgers University
- Direct For Biological Sciences
- Div Of Biological Infrastructure [1402883] Funding Source: National Science Foundation
- Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research [22770090] Funding Source: KAKEN
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Genes acquired by horizontal transfer are increasingly being found in animal genomes. Understanding their origin and evolution requires knowledge about the phylogenetic relationships from both source and recipient organisms. We used RNASeq data and respective assembled transcript libraries to trace the evolutionary history of polygalacturonase (pectinase) genes in stick insects (Phasmatodea). By mapping the distribution of pectinase genes on a Polyneoptera phylogeny, we identified the transfer of pectinase genes from known phasmatodean gut microbes into the genome of an early euphasmatodean ancestor that took place between 60 and 100 million years ago. This transfer preceded the rapid diversification of the suborder, enabling symbiont-free pectinase production that would increase the insects' digestive efficiency and reduce dependence on microbes. Bacteria-to-insect gene transfer was thought to be uncommon, however the increasing availability of large-scale genomic data may change this prevailing notion.
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