Mutant Genes Could Encourage Genetic Transfer Through Taxonomic Kingdoms

Jun, 2021 - By SMI

Researchers at the Hiroshima University has gained a better perception of the genomic hat trick of bacteria, protists and fungi.

Bacterium does not carry out sexual reproduction, however that doesn’t come in their way for genetic information exchange, as it goes on evolving and adapting. The bacteria escherichia coli, commonly named as E. coli, is able to transfer minimum one gene-containing plasmid to the organisms around the taxonomic kingdom, even including protists and fungi. Today, researchers at the Hiroshima University has gained a better perception of this genomic hat trick, which comprises potential applications as a tool for promoting desired characteristics and suppressing the harmful ones through genetic hosts.

Some studies have been performed on several genes, as per the paper’s author, Kazuki Moriguchi, however, the functions of these genes wasn’t examined, and hence it was unclear about their relation to conjugation mechanism. In this study, published in Frontiers in Microbiology, the researchers carried out a survey that was genome-wide for an extensive bacteria mutant collection as donors for yeast. These mutants were designed to have particular genes "knocked out" for studying the way overall system implements without the existence of that particular gene, enabling researchers to deduce information regarding the function of the gene.

From 3,884 surveyed mutants, 3 were identified which could conjugate throughout E. coli or through E. coli to yeast minus the accumulation of genetic material, signifying that these genes worked collectively. Researchers analyzed these genes but weren’t able to clarify the precise target or conjugation mechanism targets that enables transferring cross-kingdom. However, what this analysis did reveal was the way genes appear to function.

As per Moriguchi, the collected data within this study could help in facilitating the donor strain breeding from multiple bacteria, each of which carrying high affinity for target organisms along with having a high ability of conjugation.