Suggested evolutionary scenario for functional specialization of Ask enzymes in Firmicutes. The Firmicutes common ancestor is shown in the middle, with the divergence of the class Clostridia and the class Bacilli depicted with dendrogram progressions upward or downward, respectively. Taxon ranks of class, order, and family are enclosed within rectangles, and the deduced Ask composition of that taxon rank, ranging from one to three Ask enzymes, is indicated with color-coded CG or orphan (ORP) designations. The color codes for functional specializations are given at the bottom. Thus, for example, the common ancestor of the class Bacilli had three Ask homologs, belonging to CG-03, CG-24, and CG-33. Individual genomes that have the same homolog assemblage as deduced for the family ancestor are also included in the box, using the AroPath genome acronyms. Individual genomes that have diverged from the proposed ancestral composition due to loss or gain of one or more ask homologs are shown within ovals at the top and bottom. Placement within the blue shading indicates the retention of the ancestral five-gene operon in the class Bacilli and retention of the closely related six-gene operon in the class Clostridia (see the text). Cper, Clostridium perfringens; Cthe, Clostridium thermocellum; Tten, Thermoanaerobacter tengcongensis; Cace, Clostridium acetobutylicum; Cnov, Clostridium novyi; Ctet, Clostridium tetani; Cdif, Clostridium difficile; Chyd, Carboxydothermus hydrogenoformans; Dred, Desulfotomaculum reducens; Pthe, Pelotomaculum thermopropionicum; Mthe-3, Moorella thermoacetica; Cbot, Clostridium botulinum; Sthe-17, Symbiobacterium thermophilum; Swol, Syntrophomonas wolfei subsp. wolfei; Csac, Caldicellulosiruptor saccharolyticus; Saur, Staphylococcus aureus; Sepi, Staphylococcus epidermidis; Ssap, Staphylococcus saprophyticus subsp. saprophyticus; Shae, Staphylococcus haemolyticus; Bsub, Bacillus subtilis; Blic, Bacillus licheniformis; Bhal, Bacillus halodurans; Linn, Listeria innocua; Lmon, Listeria monocytogenes; Lwel, Listeria welshimeri; Lpla, Lactobacillus plantarum; Lsal, Lactobacillus salivarius; Laci, Lactobacillus acidophilus; Lcas, Lactobacillus casei; Ldel, Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus; Lgas, Lactobacillus gasseri; Lreu, Lactobacillus reuteri; Ppen, Pediococcus pentosaceus; Bcla, Bacillus clausii; Oihe, Oceanobacillus iheyensis; Gkau, Geobacillus kaustophilus; Bthu, Bacillus thuringiensis serovar konkukian; Bant, Bacillus anthracis; Bcer, Bacillus cereus; Gthe, Geobacillus thermodenitrificans.