Toward automatic reconstruction of a highly resolved tree of life

Francesca D Ciccarelli, Tobias Doerks, Christian von Mering, Christopher J Creevey, Berend Snel, Peer Bork

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Abstract

We have developed an automatable procedure for reconstructing the tree of life with branch lengths comparable across all three domains. The tree has its basis in a concatenation of 31 orthologs occurring in 191 species with sequenced genomes. It revealed interdomain discrepancies in taxonomic classification. Systematic detection and subsequent exclusion of products of horizontal gene transfer increased phylogenetic resolution, allowing us to confirm accepted relationships and resolve disputed and preliminary classifications. For example, we place the phylum Acidobacteria as a sister group of delta-Proteobacteria, support a Gram-positive origin of Bacteria, and suggest a thermophilic last universal common ancestor.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1283-1287
Number of pages5
JournalScience
Volume311
Issue number5765
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Mar 2006

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