Recombination resolves the cost of horizontal gene transfer in experimental populations of Helicobacter pylori

Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) is important for microbial evolution, yet we know little about the fitness effects and dynamics of horizontally transferred genetic variants. In this study, we evolve laboratory populations of Helicobacter pylori, which take up DNA from their environment by natural tra...

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Published inProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences - PNAS Vol. 119; no. 12; p. e2119010119
Main Authors Nguyen, An N T, Woods, Laura C, Gorrell, Rebecca, Ramanan, Shamitraa, Kwok, Terry, McDonald, Michael J
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published United States National Academy of Sciences 22.03.2022
Subjects
Adaptation
Biological Sciences
Decoupling
Deoxyribonucleic acid
DNA
Evolution
Fitness
Gene transfer
Gene Transfer, Horizontal - genetics
Genetic diversity
Genetic drift
Genetic load
Genetic transformation
Genetic variance
Helicobacter pylori
Helicobacter pylori - genetics
Horizontal transfer
Load distribution
Microorganisms
Population studies
Populations
Recombination
Reproductive fitness
H. pylori
experimental evolution
evolution
antibiotic resistance
horizontal gene transfer
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Summary:Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) is important for microbial evolution, yet we know little about the fitness effects and dynamics of horizontally transferred genetic variants. In this study, we evolve laboratory populations of Helicobacter pylori, which take up DNA from their environment by natural transformation, and measure the fitness effects of thousands of transferred genetic variants. We find that natural transformation increases the rate of adaptation but comes at the cost of significant genetic load. We show that this cost is circumvented by recombination, which increases the efficiency of selection by decoupling deleterious and beneficial genetic variants. Our results show that adaptation with HGT, pervasive in natural microbial populations, is shaped by a combination of selection, recombination, and genetic drift not accounted for in existing models of evolution.
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1A.N.T.N. and L.C.W. contributed equally to this work.
Edited by Isabel Gordo, Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência, Oeiras, Portugal; received October 27, 2021; accepted February 2, 2022 by Editorial Board Member Bruce R. Levin
Author contributions: A.N.T.N. and M.J.M. designed research; A.N.T.N. performed research; A.N.T.N., L.C.W., R.G., S.R., T.K., and M.J.M. analyzed data; and A.N.T.N., L.C.W., R.G., T.K., and M.J.M. wrote the paper.
ISSN:0027-8424
1091-6490
DOI:10.1073/pnas.2119010119