What is it about?
Accurate estimation of divergence times of rhizobia (soil bacteria that form nitrogen-fixing associations with most leguminous plants) is challenging because of a limited fossil record in bacteria. To overcome this problem, the divergence times of host legumes were used to calibrate molecular clocks and perform phylogenetic analyses in rhizobia. Two genomic DNA sequences (the16S rRNA gene and the intergenic spacer region) remain among the favored molecular markers to reconstruct the timescale of rhizobia. Our results on the divergence time estimation from 16S rRNA gene and intergenic spacer region sequences are congruent with age estimates based on conserved protein-coding genes (housekeeping genes).
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Why is it important?
Our findings show that the divergence time estimation from non-coding DNA sequences (such as 16S rRNA gene and intergenic spacer region sequences) are compatible with age estimates based on some housekeeping genes. These non-coding DNA sequences can be used as reliable reference markers for phylogentic studies in Bacteria.
Perspectives
Writing this article was a great pleasure as it has a co-author with whom I have had long standing collaborations. This article also gives some molecular approches in the Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution area.
Ali CHRIKI
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Estimating Divergence Times and Substitution Rates in Rhizobia, Evolutionary Bioinformatics, January 2016, SAGE Publications,
DOI: 10.4137/ebo.s39070.
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