New prospects for deducing the evolutionary history of metabolic pathways in prokaryotes: Aromatic biosynthesis as a case-in-point

1988 ◽  
Vol 18 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 41-57 ◽  
Author(s):  
Suhail Ahmad ◽  
Roy A. Jensen
Keyword(s):  
Metabolic Pathways ◽  
Evolutionary History ◽  
Aromatic Biosynthesis ◽  
History Of

scholarly journals Nephromyces represents a diverse and novel lineage of the Apicomplexa that has retained apicoplasts

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sergio A Muñoz-Gómez ◽  
Keira Durnin ◽  
Laura Eme ◽  
Christopher Paight ◽  
Christopher E Lane ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Life Style ◽  
Metabolic Pathways ◽  
Evolutionary History ◽  
Phylogenetic Analyses ◽  
Phylogenetic Position ◽  
Biosynthetic Pathways ◽  
History Of ◽  
Sea Squirts ◽  
Shed Light ◽  
Apicoplast Genome

Abstract A most interesting exception within the parasitic Apicomplexa is Nephromyces, an extracellular, probably mutualistic, endosymbiont found living inside molgulid ascidian tunicates (i.e., sea squirts). Even though Nephromyces is now known to be an apicomplexan, many other questions about its nature remain unanswered. To gain further insights into the biology and evolutionary history of this unusual apicomplexan, we aimed to (1) find the precise phylogenetic position of Nephromyces within the Apicomplexa, (2) search for the apicoplast genome of Nephromyces, and (3) infer the major metabolic pathways in the apicoplast of Nephromyces. To do this, we sequenced a metagenome and a metatranscriptome from the molgulid renal sac, the specialized habitat where Nephromyces thrives. Our phylogenetic analyses of conserved nucleus-encoded genes robustly suggest that Nephromyces is a novel lineage sister to the Hematozoa, which comprises both the Haemosporidia (e.g., Plasmodium) and the Piroplasmida (e.g., Babesia and Theileria). Furthermore, a survey of the renal sac metagenome revealed 13 small contigs that closely resemble the genomes of the non-photosynthetic reduced plastids, or apicoplasts, of other apicomplexans. We show that these apicoplast genomes correspond to a diverse set of most closely related but genetically divergent Nephromyces lineages that co-inhabit a single tunicate host. In addition, the apicoplast of Nephromyces appears to have retained all biosynthetic pathways inferred to have been ancestral to parasitic apicomplexans. Our results shed light on the evolutionary history of the only probably mutualistic apicomplexan known, Nephromyces, and provide context for a better understanding of its life style and intricate symbiosis.

scholarly journals Expansion, retention and loss in the Acyl-CoA Synthetase “Bubblegum” (Acsbg) gene family in vertebrate history

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mónica Lopes-Marques ◽  
André M. Machado ◽  
Raquel Ruivo ◽  
Elza Fonseca ◽  
Estela Carvalho ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gene Family ◽  
Metabolic Pathways ◽  
Evolutionary History ◽  
Gene Families ◽  
Gene Repertoire ◽  
Physiological Processes ◽  
Complex Lipid ◽  
History Of ◽  
Enzyme Families ◽  
Rate Limiting

AbstractFatty acids (FAs) constitute a considerable fraction of all lipid molecules with a fundamental role in numerous physiological processes. In animals, the majority of complex lipid molecules are derived from the transformation of FAs through several biochemical pathways. Yet, for FAs to enroll in these pathways they require an activation step. FA activation is catalyzed by the rate limiting action of Acyl-CoA synthases. Several Acyl-CoA enzyme families have been previously described and classified according to the chain length of FA they process. Here, we address the evolutionary history of the ACSBG gene family which activates, FA with more than 16 carbons. Currently, two different ACSBG gene families, ACSBG1 and ACSBG2, are recognized in vertebrates. We provide evidence that a wider and unequal ACSBG gene repertoire is present in vertebrate lineages. We identify a novel ACSBG-like gene lineage which occurs specifically in amphibians, ray finned fish, coelacanths and chondrichthyes named ACSBG3. Also, we show that the ACSBG2 gene lineage duplicated in the Theria ancestor. Our findings, thus offer a far richer understanding on FA activation in vertebrates and provide key insights into the relevance of comparative and functional analysis to perceive physiological differences, namely those related with lipid metabolic pathways.

Metabolic Organization of a Primitive Fish, the Bowfin (Amia calva)

1991 ◽  
Vol 48 (4) ◽  
pp. 611-618 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas D. Singer ◽  
James S. Ballantyne
Keyword(s):  
Metabolic Pathways ◽  
Evolutionary History ◽  
Nonesterified Fatty Acid ◽  
Metabolic Feature ◽  
Red Muscle ◽  
History Of ◽  
Extrahepatic Tissues ◽  
Hydroxyacyl Coa Dehydrogenase ◽  
Metabolic Organization ◽  
Amia Calva

Key enzymes in several metabolic pathways in five tissues were measured in primitive osteichthyan, the bowfin (Amia calva), the only living representative of the group of extant fishes most closely allied to the teleosts. Aspects of the metabolism of Amia differ from those of most teleosts studied. These differences include detectable levels of β-hydroxybutyrate dehydrogenase in all tissues, possibly a primitive metabolic feature of vertebrates, subsequently lost in most more advanced teleosts. Based on 3-hydroxyacyl CoA dehydrogenase and carnitine palmitoyltransferase activities, lipid metabolism in extrahepatic tissues of bowfin more closely resembles that of an elasmobranch rather than that of a teleost. The overall level of metabolism is lower than most teleosts as indicated by enzyme activities in red muscle and heart. Bowfin plasma nonesterified fatty acid concentrations are lower than most teleosts, but higher than those detected in any elasmobranch. These data suggest that the metabolic organization, especially lipid and ketone body metabolism, at least in part, reflects the evolutionary history of this group.

Elaborating the role of reflection and individual differences in the study of folk-economic beliefs

2018 ◽  
Vol 41 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kevin Arceneaux
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Individual Differences ◽  
Cognitive Processes ◽  
Evolutionary History ◽  
Behavioral Responses ◽  
History Of ◽  
Economic Beliefs

AbstractIntuitions guide decision-making, and looking to the evolutionary history of humans illuminates why some behavioral responses are more intuitive than others. Yet a place remains for cognitive processes to second-guess intuitive responses – that is, to be reflective – and individual differences abound in automatic, intuitive processing as well.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document