Ureaplasma Urease Genes have Undergone a Unique Evolutionary Process
Hiromi Nishida*Agricultural Bioinformatics Research Unit, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, University of Tokyo, 1-1-1 Yayoi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8657, Japan
Abstract
Ureaplasma, a member of mycoplasmas, has a unique ATP synthesis system, which is coupled to the urea hydrolysis. Urease catalyzes the hydrolysis of urea into carbon dioxide and ammonia. Phylogenetic analyses of the urease genes indicated that Ureaplasma urease genes were not gained by recent horizontal transfer and have a unique evolutionary process. Ureaplasma unique ATP synthesis system leaded to breakdown of the glycolysis pathway. Some glycolytic genes are absent and some glycolytic genes are evolving under relaxed selection in Ureaplasma. Probably glycolytic genes can be used as an indicator of ATP synthesis system. Thus, the organisms that have incomplete glycolysis pathway or glycolytic genes evolving under relaxed selection would have an ATP synthesis system independently of the glycolysis.
Article Information
Article History:
Received Date: 1/12/2008
Revision Received Date: 16/12/2008
Acceptance Date: 17/12/2008
Electronic publication date: 6/1/2009
Collection year: 2009
© Hiromi Nishida; Licensee Bentham Open.
open-access license: This is an open access article licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (
http: //creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/) which permits unrestricted, non-commercial use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the work is properly cited.
* Address correspondence to this author at the Agricultural Bioinformatics Research Unit, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 1-1-1 Yayoi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8657, Japan; E-mail: hnishida@iu.a.u-tokyo.ac.jp
Open Peer Review Details |
Manuscript submitted on 1-12-2008 |
Original Manuscript |
Ureaplasma Urease Genes have Undergone a Unique Evolutionary Process |