The aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases (AARSs) and their relationship to the genetic code are
examined from the evolutionary perspective. Despite a loose correlation between codon …

Operons, co-transcribed and co-regulated contiguous sets of genes, are poorly conserved
over short periods of evolutionary time. The gene order, gene content and regulatory …

In the analysis of sequence-based data matrices, the use of different methods of treating
gaps has been demonstrated to in? fluence the resulting phylogenetic hypothe? ses (eg …

METHODS Thirty-eight sequence-based data matrices were selected for this study: 5 based
on structural rDNA, 5 based on ITS, 6 based on in-trons, and 22 based on protein-coding …

Background The genomic history of prokaryotic organismal lineages is marked by extensive
horizontal gene transfer (HGT) between groups of organisms at all taxonomic levels. These …

The availability of an ever increasing number of complete genome sequences of diverse
prokaryotic taxa has led to the introduction of novel approaches to infer phylogenetic …

Storage and directed transfer of information is the key requirement for the development of
life. Yet any information stored on our genes is useless without its correct interpretation. The …

Genome annotation requires explicit identification of gene function. This task frequently uses
protein sequence alignments with examples having a known function. Genetic drift, co …

An organismal tree rooted in the bacterial branch and derived from a hyperthermophilic last
common ancestor (LCA) is still widely assumed to represent the path followed by evolution …

Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the causative agent of tuberculosis, has surpassed HIV as the
leading cause of death due to an infectious disease worldwide, being responsible for more …