Horizontal Gene Transfer of the Non-ribosomal Peptide Synthetase Gene Among Endophytic and Epiphytic Bacteria Associated with Ethnomedicinal Plants

This study genetically screened endophytic and epiphytic bacteria associated with ethnomedicinal plants for the presence of the non-ribosomal peptide synthetase (NRPS) gene and identified horizontal gene transfer (HGT) of the NRPS gene between the bacterial species. NRPSs are large multimodular enzymes that synthesize a wide range of biologically active natural compounds that are pharmacologically important. Twenty-nine plant-associated culturable bacteria were screened for the presence of the NRPS gene, of which seven bacterial NRPS gene fragments were successfully detected. According to our findings the presence of NRPS gene among the isolates does not always equate to their antagonistic ability. Phylogenetic analysis of the NRPS and 16S rRNA-encoding genes was used to predict HGT that may have occurred during gene evolution. The occurrence of HGT was demonstrated in the isolates (one inter-phylum and four intra-phyla) and was supported by phylogenetic analysis, mol% G+C content, and tetranucleotide usage pattern and codon usage frequency. Among the four intra-phyla HGT, one isolate showed inter-class HGT and three other isolates showed intra-class HGT.