Journal
TRENDS IN GENETICS
Volume 17, Issue 10, Pages 589-596Publisher
ELSEVIER SCIENCE LONDON
DOI: 10.1016/S0168-9525(01)02447-7
Keywords
-
Categories
Funding
- NIGMS NIH HHS [GM56120, GM55535] Funding Source: Medline
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Although bacteria increase their DNA content through horizontal transfer and gene duplication, their genomes remain small and, in particular, lack nonfunctional sequences. This pattern is most readily explained by a pervasive bias towards higher numbers of deletions than insertions. When selection is not strong enough to maintain them, genes are lost in large deletions or inactivated and subsequently eroded. Gene inactivation and loss are particularly apparent in obligate parasites and symbionts, in which dramatic reductions in genome size can result not from selection to lose DNA, but from decreased selection to maintain gene functionality. Here we discuss the evidence showing that deletional bias is a major force that shapes bacterial genomes.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available