A reconstruction problem for a class of phylogenetic networks with lateral gene transfers. Issue 1 (December 2015)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Cardona, Gabriel; Pons, Joan; Rosselló, Francesc
• Is Part Of: Algorithms for molecular biology. Volume 10:Issue 1(2015)
• Page Start: 1
• Page End: 15
• Publication Date: 2015-12
• Subjects: Phylogenetic network -- Lateral gene transfer -- Horizontal gene transfer -- Phylogenetic tree; Molecular biology -- Mathematical models -- Periodicals; Algorithms -- Periodicals; Bioinformatics -- Periodicals; 572.8015118
• DOI: 10.1186/s13015-015-0059-z
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1748-7188

Abstract

Abstract Background Lateral, or Horizontal, Gene Transfers are a type of asymmetric evolutionary events where genetic material is transferred from one species to another. In this paper we considerLGT networks, a general model of phylogenetic networks with lateral gene transfers which consist, roughly, of aprincipal rooted tree with its leaves labelled on a set of taxa, and a set of extrasecondary arcs between nodes in this tree representing lateral gene transfers. An LGT network gives rise in a natural way to aprincipal phylogenetic subtree and a set ofsecondary phylogenetic subtrees, which, roughly, represent, respectively, the main line of evolution of most genes and the secondary lines of evolution through lateral gene transfers. Results We introduce a set of simple conditions on an LGT network that guarantee that its principal and secondary phylogenetic subtrees are pairwise different and that these subtrees determine, up to isomorphism, the LGT network. We then give an algorithm that, given a set of pairwise different phylogenetic trees $$T_0, T_1, \ldots, T_k$$ T 0, T 1, …, T k on the same set of taxa, outputs, when it exists, the LGT network that satisfies these conditions and such that its principal phylogenetic tree is $$T_0$$ T 0 and its secondary phylogenetic trees are $$T_1, \ldots, T_k$$ T 1, …, T k .