Possible Role of Horizontal Gene Transfer in the Colonization of Sea Ice by Algae

摘要: Diatoms and other algae not only survive, but thrive in sea ice. Among ice diatoms, all species examined so far produce ice-binding proteins (IBPs), whereas no such are found non-ice-associated which strongly suggests that IBPs essential for survival The restricted occurrence also raises the question of how IBP genes were acquired. Proteins with similar sequences activities produced by ice-associated bacteria, it has previously been speculated acquired horizontal transfer (HGT) from bacteria. Here we report several new three types algae, together determined reveal a phylogeny is completely incongruent algal phylogeny, can be most easily explained HGT. HGT supported finding closest matches to bacterial lack introns. We describe highly freeze-tolerant bacterium bottom layer Antarctic produces an 47% amino acid identity diatom same layer, demonstrating at least opportunity gene transfer. Together, these results suggest success diatoms partly attributed their acquisition prokaryotic genes.