Phylogenetic correlation between the Type IV Secretion System and HIP1 suggest an adaptation for horizontal gene transfer conserved at the phylum level

Clicks: 4
ID: 338009
2026
Free PDF
Article Quality & Performance Metrics
Overall Quality
Not rated
Combines reader engagement with the AI quality analysis. This article has not been analysed, so there is no overall score — reader engagement is measured and shown alongside.
AI Quality Assessment
Not analyzed
Readership in this journal
Emerging

Ranked #117 of 118 articles by views in genome biology and evolution

Most read Least read

Bar heights use a square-root scale.

Mint this article as an NFT
Not yet minted

Create a permanent, verifiable on-chain record of this article on the Scimatic Network. The NFT is held in your Journament account, and you can withdraw it to your own wallet at any time.

5 SUSD one-off · no wallet required
Sign in to mint
Abstract
ABSTRACT Most cyanobacterial genomes are rich in the GCGATCGC octamer, also known as Highly Iterated Palindrome 1 (HIP1). Despite its description over three decades ago, the biological function of this highly abundant sequence is only beginning to be elucidated. HIP1 is recognized by two DNA methylases, DmtA and DmtC, and is characterized by its evolutionary conservation and a quasi-periodic distribution within genomes. However, whether the phylogenetic distribution of HIP1 correlates with the presence of functional categories of protein families remains unknown. Here we investigated whether certain protein families share a phylogenetic distribution with this abundant palindromic sequence across cyanobacterial genomes. Our analysis revealed a strong phylogenetic correlation between several proteins of the Type IV secretion system (T4SS) and the abundance of HIP1. This finding aligns with recent discoveries demonstrating that HIP1 enhances DNA transformation in a methylation-dependent manner in two distinct cyanobacterial species. Consequently, we hypothesize that HIP1 function as a conserved adaptation for horizontal gene transfer (HGT) at the phylum level, potentially by serving as a DNA-uptake recognition sequence in cyanobacteria. Significance statement Scientists have long been baffled by the HIP1 sequence, a short, highly common, repetitive DNA pattern found across almost all cyanobacterial genomes. Our study used a whole-genome evolutionary approach and found that the presence of this repetitive pattern is tightly linked to the presence of a cell’s external DNA uptake system. This tight co-evolutionary relationship suggests that HIP1 isn’t just random genomic feature, but a conserved evolutionary adaptation used by the entire cyanobacterial phylum to specifically enhance their ability to acquire new genes from one another.
Reference Key
openalex_W7166651979 Use this key to autocite in the manuscript while using SciMatic Manuscript Manager or Thesis Manager
Authors Ulises E. Rodríguez-Cruz, Gabriel Moreno‐Hagelsieb, Cei Abreu-Goodger, Christian Martinez-Guerrero, Luis Delaye
Are you one of these authors? Claim your profile
Journal genome biology and evolution
Year 2026
DOI
10.1093/gbe/evag270
URL
https://academic.oup.com/gbe/advance-article-pdf/doi/10.1093/gbe/evag270/72611502/evag270.pdf
Keywords Keywords not found

Citations

No citations found. To add a citation, contact the admin at info@scimatic.org

Comments

No comments yet. Be the first to comment on this article.