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Figure 2 | BMC Evolutionary Biology

Figure 2

From: Identification of multiple independent horizontal gene transfers into poxviruses using a comparative genomics approach

Figure 2

Model gene order comparisons for inferring the number of horizontal gene transfer events. The relative order of genes around the gene of interest is illustrated. Orthologous genes are shaded in the same color and lined up vertically. A white box indicates that the gene is present in the genome, but not at the expected (i.e., equivalent) location. Horizontal lines indicate genomic segments. Thick horizontal lines indicate that the connected genes are neighboring genes of the specified type (where gene of interest is present) or have fewer than three intervening genes of the specified type (where gene of interest is absent). Thin horizontal lines signify three to six intervening genes. Vertical lines separate discontiguous genomic regions. (A) The gene of interest is in an equivalent location in all genomes where it is found. This supports a single origin (i.e., horizontal transfer) of this gene. (B) The gene of interest is found in two different genomic locations and the relative arrangement of other genes in each of these locations is conserved (i.e., there is no support for a local rearrangement). This supports two independent transfers of this gene. (C) The gene of interest is found in two different genomic locations but these regions are not conserved between genomes, so it is not possible to infer if it was a single transfer followed by genome rearrangement, or two independent transfer events.

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