Gene transfer promotes the evolution of modular gene clusters

Abstract:
The flexible genome plays an important role in the ecology of microbial populations – determining antibiotic resistance, virulence, metabolic capabilities, among others – but our understanding of how selection shapes and structures the flexible genome is limited. We find that a substantial proportion of the flexible genome is structured into modular gene clusters that are frequently gained and lost via homologous recombination. Functionally, these regions mediate important social interactions and metabolic trade-offs within populations. The evolutionary history of these regions suggests balancing selection plays an important role in structuring flexible genome content within a population. A primary utility of this modular organization is creating a mechanism for strains to rapidly transition between fitness peaks, increasing evolvability while limiting evolutionary costs.

Speaker:

David VanInsberghe
Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Biology, Emory University

A UBC alum, Dave received his PhD in Microbiology from Massachusetts Institute of Technology under the mentorship of Martin Polz. He recently published (1) a new method of defining populations from sequencing data and (2) an association between diarrhea and long-term C. diff colonization. Currently, Dave is working with Anice Lowen and Katia Koelle to study viral co-infection and recombination.