What is population pangenome?
The flexome (flexible genome) of aquatic prokaryotic populations encompasses a high degree of gene diversity, with multiple variants often co-occurring within the same environmental sample.
Within a pangenome, the flexome includes multiple, low-similarity versions of genes with related functions, such as transporters, which we refer to as metaparalogs.
The local pangenome (defined at the level of a single population) enables prokaryotes, despite their small genome sizes, to collectively access expansive gene pools.
This greatly enhances their capacity to perform complex ecological functions, such as the degradation of dissolved organic matter in marine environments.
The authors propose that prokaryotic populations function as fundamental units of both ecological and evolutionary significance, with their shared flexomes together forming a public good.
https://www.cell.com/trends/microbiology/fulltext/S0966-842X(25)00216-1
