Genome-Wide Identification and Evolutionary Analyses of Operon Genes in .

A variety of secondary metabolites contributing to plant growth are synthesized by bacterial nonribosomal peptide synthases (NRPSs). Among them, the NRPS biosynthesis of surfactin is regulated by the operon. To explore the molecular mechanism for the diversity of surfactins produced by bacteria within the genus , we performed a genome-wide identification study focused on three critical genes of the operon-, and -from 999 genomes (belonging to 47 species). Gene family clustering indicated the three genes can be divided into 66 orthologous groups (gene families), of which a majority comprised members of multiple genes (e.g., OG0000009 had members of all three , and genes), indicating high sequence similarity among the three genes. Phylogenetic analyses also found that none of the three genes formed monophyletic groups, but were usually arranged in a mixed manner, suggesting the close evolutionary relationship among the three genes. Considering the module structure of the three genes, we propose that self-duplication, especially tandem duplications, might have contributed to the initial establishment of the entire operon, and further gene fusion and recombination as well as accumulated mutations might have continuously shaped the different functional roles of , and . Overall, this study provides novel insight into metabolic gene clusters and operon evolution in bacteria.