A genus of bacteria that plays a crucial persona in the operation of the marine ecosystem has a genome loaded up with desoxyribonucleic acid that does n’t make protein . While this is a common feature of animals and plants , it has not been seen before among bacteria . The scientists who get a line this anomaly have no explanation yet , but carry that retrieve one may tell us a caboodle about an exceptionally important , but overleap , germ .
Trichodesmiumbrings aliveness to vast stretches of the open ocean that would otherwise be barren . It has the capacity to “ fix ” N , change over the N2molecules in the atmosphere to ammonium , which can then be used by other animation forms . The six coinage ofTrichodesmiumare the prime mender of nitrogen in warm but nutrient depleted water across tropic and subtropic regions .
The hugeTrichodesmiumblooms that sometimes pass , and are visible from quad , have gain the bacterium the byname “ sea sawdust . ” Darwinattributed the name the Red Seato the comportment of largeTrichodesmium erythraeumblooms , although this etymologyis disputed .
It was for their grandness , rather than an anticipation of anything strange about theTrichodesmiumgenome , that Dr. Eric Webb of the University of Southern California adjudicate to sequence the bacterium ’s DNA . He recover that 63.8 % ofT.erythraeum’sgenomecoded for protein . Webb and his PhD scholarly person Nathan Walworthreported the solvent inProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences , having confirmed that otherTrichodesmiumspecies are like .
For an fauna , 63.8 % would be an impressively eminent percentage . Only1 - 2 % of the human genome is coding DNA , while the puffer Pisces is unusually high by animal standardsat 10 - 15 % .
By bacterial standards , however , 64 % is extraordinarily low . In general , 85 % is a more typical figure , and the proportion is gamy amongoligotrophs — species that survive were nutrient levels are low . This leaves a lot of way for non - coding DNA , which oligotrophs normally find takes too much energy to produce . But for the members of theTrichodesmiumgenus , the non - coding portion are pack together into large sections that are highly conserved .
" The unique evolutionary way of life chew over in this genome contradicts about all accounts of free - exist microbic genome architecture to date , " tell Walworth . " dissimilar evolutionary paths are foundational to all arenas of biology , including biotechnology , so it is important for the field of force to be cognizant of different paths a living being can take to attain ecological success . "
" Our study total another crease to this enigmatic being ’s story , " says Webb .
Webb and Walworth chew over that the Brobdingnagian blooms that characterizeTrichodesmiummake the species more likely to experiencegenetic drift , which leaves a trace in extra non - coding deoxyribonucleic acid . They think this is only part of the explanation , however , with Webb saying , “ Since there are many other efflorescence - form cyanobacteria that do not have expanded non - coding space , blooming environmental science is potential not the whole story . Right now we hypothesise that interaction with other undefined organisms might also be important . ”
