Quantifying the extent of lateral gene transfer required to avert a 'genome of eden'

Type of content
Discussion / Working Papers
Publisher's DOI/URI
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Publisher
University of Canterbury. Dept. of Mathematics and Statistics
Journal Title
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Date
2009
Authors
Van Iersel, L.
Semple, C.
Steel, M.
Abstract

The complex pattern of presence and absence of many genes across different species provides tantalising clues as to how genes evolved through the processes of gene genesis, gene loss and lateral gene transfer (LGT). The extent of LGT, particularly in prokaryotes, and its implications for creating a 'network of life' rather than a 'tree of life' is controversial. In this paper, we formally model the problem of quantifying LGT, and provide exact mathematical bounds, and new computational results. In particular, we investigate the computational complexity of quantifying the extent of LGT under the simple models of gene genesis, loss and transfer on which a recent heuristic analysis of biological data relied. Our approach takes advantage of a relationship between LGT optimization and graph-theoretical concepts such as tree width and network flow.

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Citation
Keywords
tree, phylogenetic network, lateral gene transfer, tree-width
Ngā upoko tukutuku/Māori subject headings
ANZSRC fields of research
Fields of Research::31 - Biological sciences::3104 - Evolutionary biology::310410 - Phylogeny and comparative analysis
Fields of Research::31 - Biological sciences::3105 - Genetics::310510 - Molecular evolution
Fields of Research::49 - Mathematical sciences::4901 - Applied mathematics::490102 - Biological mathematics
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