Comparison of the genomes of Bacillus megaterium strains QM B1551 and DSM 319 to identify possible sites of horizontal gene transfer.

摘要

Two strains of Bacillus megaterium, QM B1551 and DSM 319, were previously sequenced and utilized in this study to find possible sites of horizontal gene transfer (HGT). Two approaches were used to accomplish this: manual observation, classification, and visualization of potential insertion sites, as well as a computational approach using PERL programs to define areas of potential HGT events. In total, 409 genes appear to have undergone HGT events at 159 chromosomal locations. Three areas in QM B1551 and four areas DSM 319 appear to be "hot spots" for HGT events after the computational analysis. In both strains, the 1Mbp region around the origin of replication was extremely conserved. This study demonstrates the variety of methods used for detecting HGT events, as well as the diversity that can occur between two strains of the same species, in this case Bacillus megaterium .