Plastid Endosymbiosis, Genome Evolution and the Origin of Green Plants John W

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Plastid Endosymbiosis, Genome Evolution and the Origin of Green Plants John W Opinion TRENDS in Plant Science Vol.12 No.9 Plastid endosymbiosis, genome evolution and the origin of green plants John W. Stiller Department of Biology, Howell Science Complex, N108, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC 27858, USA Evolutionary relationships among complex, multicellular origin does not necessarily imply a close evolutionary eukaryotes are generally interpreted within the frame- relationship between Viridiplantae and Rhodophyta work of molecular sequence-based phylogenies that (see Glossary) [5,6]. suggest green plants and animals are only distantly Many phylogenetic analyses based on nuclear sequence related on the eukaryotic tree. However, important data strongly reject a red–green sister relationship [5,7,8], anomalies have been reported in phylogenomic analyses, and inferred differences in RNAP II transcription are diffi- including several that relate specifically to green plant cult to reconcile with their putatively monophyletic relation- evolution. In addition, plants and animals share molecu- ship [9]. In contrast, recent phylogenomic analyses provided lar, biochemical and genome-level features that suggest a strong support for a hypothesis in which three primary relatively close relationship between the two groups. This plastid lineages (green plants, red algae and glaucocysto- article explores the impacts of plastid endosymbioses on phytes) share a common ancestor [10]. This study noted, nuclear genomes, how they can explain incongruent phy- however, that a relatively large amount of sequence is logenetic signals in molecular data sets and reconcile required to recover this relationship [10], and subsequent conflicts among different sources of comparative data. analyses of the same data showed that the tree-building Specifically, I argue that the large influx of plastid DNA signal supporting monophyly of primary plastid eukaryotes into plant and algal nuclear genomes has resulted in tree- was due to more rapidly evolving sequences [8].This building artifacts that obscure a relatively close evolution- suggests that the result might be a phylogenetic artifact ary relationship between green plants and animals. caused by rate variation in sequence evolution [8], although the source of this variation is unclear. Phylogenies and the origin of plants Glossary Phylogenetic analyses using molecular sequence data have provided influential new hypotheses regarding Amoebozoans: a group that includes Dicytostelium and diverse eukaryotic evolutionary relationships and the origin amoeboid protists, and is recovered as the sister group to opistho- konts in sequence-based phylogenies [48]. of green plants (Viridiplantae; see Glossary). Most Glaucocystophyta: a small and relatively rare group of protists sequence-based phylogenies strongly support a sister whose primary plastids (cyanelles) can be distinguished by the relationship between animals and fungi (opisthokonts; presence of a vestigial bacterial cell wall and cyanobacteria-like see Glossary), with green plants as a distant outgroup pigments. [1]. Recovery of opisthokonts is among the most robust Long-branch attraction: a catch phrase for tree-building artifacts, named for the tendency of rapidly evolving sequences to attract each results of broad-scale eukaryotic molecular systematics. other artificially in phylogenetic analyses. The correlated tendency of The grouping, now, is included in most introductory slowly evolving sequences to cluster artificially (short branch exclu- biology texts, and is used as a benchmark for interpreting sion) can be a major but underappreciated problem in phylogenetic the evolution of genome-level characters and complex analyses at great evolutionary distances. metabolic processes. Opisthokonts: a group comprising animals, fungi and their respect- ive protistan relatives, proposed originally [49] based on the pre- Comparably strong phylogenetic relationships have sence of a posterior flagellum as a synapomorphic character. beenhardertopindownforgreenplants.Molecular Primary plastids: plastids (chloroplasts) believed to be derived phylogenetics that recovered all plastids as monophyletic directly from a cyanobacterial endosymbiont based on the presence with respect to cyanobacteria led to the hypothesis of a of two surrounding membranes. single endosymbiotic origin in the common ancestor of Purifying selection: the elimination of deleterious alleles from a population or species by natural selection. green plants and red algae, the two major groups contain- Rhodophyta: commonly called red algae, a diverse and ancient ing primary plastids (see Glossary) [2,3]. Whether avail- eukaryotic group with primary plastids that contain phycobilipro- able data strongly favor a single plastid endosymbiosis teins as the major accessory pigments. has been addressed elsewhere, and the issue remains Synapomorphy: a derived evolutionary character that is believed to difficult to resolve [4]; however, even a single plastid have originated in the common ancestor of two or more taxa. Viridiplantae: the monophyletic group comprising all green algae and land plants. It is used synonymously with the term green plants Corresponding author: Stiller, J.W. ([email protected]). in this article. Available online 16 August 2007. www.sciencedirect.com 1360-1385/$ – see front matter ß 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.tplants.2007.08.002 392 Opinion TRENDS in Plant Science Vol.12 No.9 A persistent artifact related to green plant origins date. The evolution of such complex genomic features and The difficulty in recovering a well-supported sister metabolic networks generally are interpreted within the relationship with red algae is not the only phylogenetic framework of sequence-based phylogenies, which pre- curiosity relating to green plants origins. Early attempts at sumes a relatively distant relationship between green multigene phylogenies of major eukaryotic lineages typi- plants and animals. This can sometimes lead to more cally recovered animals and fungi as sister taxa, or placed complicated and even strained evolutionary assumptions animals with green plants, but seldom suggested a close (Box 1). Thus, even as strong consensus relationships relationship between green plants and fungi [11,12]. The emerge from sequence-based phylogenomics, serious ques- presence of a second directional tree-building signal was tions remain [1]. This is particularly true for inferences at characterized as a persistent artifact of phylogenetic re- great genetic distances, such as those relating to green construction [11]; the fact that animals and fungi were plant origins, where lineage-specific biases can confound recovered as sister taxa by most sequences led to the tree-building algorithms [1,7,31–33]. presumption that trees supporting a plant–animal relationship reflect this artifact [11]. After this preliminary The impact of plastid endosymbioses on nuclear characterization, most multigene investigations of eukar- genomes yotic relationships have not examined the problem further; Although the common presence of plastids has influenced those that have provide evidence that these two conflicting hypotheses about eukaryotic phylogenetic relationships, phylogenetic signals are a consistent feature of molecular the potential biases these plastids might introduce into sequence data [13,14]. nuclear phylogenomic inference require more scrutiny. In In addition to sequence-based phylogenies, an particular, it is important to explore whether their pre- animal–fungi relationship is supported by a number of sence can explain existing conflicts among molecular data putatively shared-derived characters (synapomorphies). sets, and/or the tree-building anomalies outlined above. These include an insertion in the elongation factor-1a gene [11], the fusion of the dihydrofolate and thymidylate synthase genes [15], the acquisition of archael tyrosyl- Box 1. Precursors or remnants of complex metabolic tRNA synthetase by horizontal gene transfer [16],and pathways? the presence of orthologous genes absent from most other The evolution of a complex molecular or biochemical feature is eukaryotes [17]. Interestingly, comparable molecular fea- generally interpreted in light of sequence-based trees. When any tures that could be considered synapomorphic have been genes involved in a given pathway are found in a member of a reported for green plants and animals, suggesting that lineage, it is assumed that the entire pathway is present, or at least the two competing phylogenetic signals are not limited to was ancestrally in the group. This can lead to the construction of tree-building algorithms. The pre-mRNA capping path- assumptions and complicated scenarios to explain characters that appear to be synapomorphic for green plants and animals. Such way is perhaps the most compelling example. Green explanations might not be realistic biologically. plants and animals are unique in their use of a different A prime example is the Rb–E2F pathway, which controls G1–S cell class of triphosphatase enzyme that also is fused to cycle progression and cell differentiation. The pathway is conserved guanylyl transferase, thereby producing a multifunc- across animals and plants, including the unicellular green algal tional capping enzyme (CE) [18]. Additional evidence of Ostreococcus [50], but has not been reported from any of the numerous fungal genomes sequenced to date. Although also absent a close animal–green plant relationship includes sim- from most protistan genomes, possible Rb homologs have been
Recommended publications
  • New Zealand's Genetic Diversity
    1.13 NEW ZEALAND’S GENETIC DIVERSITY NEW ZEALAND’S GENETIC DIVERSITY Dennis P. Gordon National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research, Private Bag 14901, Kilbirnie, Wellington 6022, New Zealand ABSTRACT: The known genetic diversity represented by the New Zealand biota is reviewed and summarised, largely based on a recently published New Zealand inventory of biodiversity. All kingdoms and eukaryote phyla are covered, updated to refl ect the latest phylogenetic view of Eukaryota. The total known biota comprises a nominal 57 406 species (c. 48 640 described). Subtraction of the 4889 naturalised-alien species gives a biota of 52 517 native species. A minimum (the status of a number of the unnamed species is uncertain) of 27 380 (52%) of these species are endemic (cf. 26% for Fungi, 38% for all marine species, 46% for marine Animalia, 68% for all Animalia, 78% for vascular plants and 91% for terrestrial Animalia). In passing, examples are given both of the roles of the major taxa in providing ecosystem services and of the use of genetic resources in the New Zealand economy. Key words: Animalia, Chromista, freshwater, Fungi, genetic diversity, marine, New Zealand, Prokaryota, Protozoa, terrestrial. INTRODUCTION Article 10b of the CBD calls for signatories to ‘Adopt The original brief for this chapter was to review New Zealand’s measures relating to the use of biological resources [i.e. genetic genetic resources. The OECD defi nition of genetic resources resources] to avoid or minimize adverse impacts on biological is ‘genetic material of plants, animals or micro-organisms of diversity [e.g. genetic diversity]’ (my parentheses).
    [Show full text]
  • (1 → 4)-Β-D-Glucan Is a Component of Cell Walls in Brown Algae
    Insoluble (13), (14)--D-glucan is a component of cell walls in brown algae (Phaeophyceae) and is masked by alginates in tissues Asunción Salmeán, Armando; Duffieux, Delphine; Harholt, Jesper; Qin, Fen; Michel, Gurvan; Czjzek, Mirjam; Willats, William George Tycho; Hervé, Cécile Published in: Scientific Reports DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-03081-5 Publication date: 2017 Document version Publisher's PDF, also known as Version of record Citation for published version (APA): Asunción Salmeán, A., Duffieux, D., Harholt, J., Qin, F., Michel, G., Czjzek, M., Willats, W. G. T., & Hervé, C. (2017). Insoluble (13), (14)--D-glucan is a component of cell walls in brown algae (Phaeophyceae) and is masked by alginates in tissues. Scientific Reports, 7, [2880]. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-03081-5 Download date: 23. Sep. 2021 www.nature.com/scientificreports OPEN Insoluble (1 → 3), (1 → 4)-β-D- glucan is a component of cell walls in brown algae (Phaeophyceae) and Received: 28 October 2016 Accepted: 24 April 2017 is masked by alginates in tissues Published: xx xx xxxx Armando A. Salmeán 1, Delphine Duffieux2,3, Jesper Harholt4, Fen Qin4, Gurvan Michel2,3, Mirjam Czjzek2,3, William G. T. Willats1,5 & Cécile Hervé2,3 Brown algae are photosynthetic multicellular marine organisms. They belong to the phylum of Stramenopiles, which are not closely related to land plants and green algae. Brown algae share common evolutionary features with other photosynthetic and multicellular organisms, including a carbohydrate-rich cell-wall. Brown algal cell walls are composed predominantly of the polyanionic polysaccharides alginates and fucose-containing sulfated polysaccharides. These polymers are prevalent over neutral and crystalline components, which are believed to be mostly, if not exclusively, cellulose.
    [Show full text]
  • The Taxonomy and Biology of Phytophthora and Pythium
    Journal of Bacteriology & Mycology: Open Access Review Article Open Access The taxonomy and biology of Phytophthora and Pythium Abstract Volume 6 Issue 1 - 2018 The genera Phytophthora and Pythium include many economically important species Hon H Ho which have been placed in Kingdom Chromista or Kingdom Straminipila, distinct from Department of Biology, State University of New York, USA Kingdom Fungi. Their taxonomic problems, basic biology and economic importance have been reviewed. Morphologically, both genera are very similar in having coenocytic, hyaline Correspondence: Hon H Ho, Professor of Biology, State and freely branching mycelia, oogonia with usually single oospores but the definitive University of New York, New Paltz, NY 12561, USA, differentiation between them lies in the mode of zoospore differentiation and discharge. Email [email protected] In Phytophthora, the zoospores are differentiated within the sporangium proper and when mature, released in an evanescent vesicle at the sporangial apex, whereas in Pythium, the Received: January 23, 2018 | Published: February 12, 2018 protoplast of a sporangium is transferred usually through an exit tube to a thin vesicle outside the sporangium where zoospores are differentiated and released upon the rupture of the vesicle. Many species of Phytophthora are destructive pathogens of especially dicotyledonous woody trees, shrubs and herbaceous plants whereas Pythium species attacked primarily monocotyledonous herbaceous plants, whereas some cause diseases in fishes, red algae and mammals including humans. However, several mycoparasitic and entomopathogenic species of Pythium have been utilized respectively, to successfully control other plant pathogenic fungi and harmful insects including mosquitoes while the others utilized to produce valuable chemicals for pharmacy and food industry.
    [Show full text]
  • Controlled Sampling of Ribosomally Active Protistan Diversity in Sediment-Surface Layers Identifies Putative Players in the Marine Carbon Sink
    The ISME Journal (2020) 14:984–998 https://doi.org/10.1038/s41396-019-0581-y ARTICLE Controlled sampling of ribosomally active protistan diversity in sediment-surface layers identifies putative players in the marine carbon sink 1,2 1 1 3 3 Raquel Rodríguez-Martínez ● Guy Leonard ● David S. Milner ● Sebastian Sudek ● Mike Conway ● 1 1 4,5 6 7 Karen Moore ● Theresa Hudson ● Frédéric Mahé ● Patrick J. Keeling ● Alyson E. Santoro ● 3,8 1,9 Alexandra Z. Worden ● Thomas A. Richards Received: 6 October 2019 / Revised: 4 December 2019 / Accepted: 17 December 2019 / Published online: 9 January 2020 © The Author(s) 2020. This article is published with open access Abstract Marine sediments are one of the largest carbon reservoir on Earth, yet the microbial communities, especially the eukaryotes, that drive these ecosystems are poorly characterised. Here, we report implementation of a sampling system that enables injection of reagents into sediments at depth, allowing for preservation of RNA in situ. Using the RNA templates recovered, we investigate the ‘ribosomally active’ eukaryotic diversity present in sediments close to the water/sediment interface. We 1234567890();,: 1234567890();,: demonstrate that in situ preservation leads to recovery of a significantly altered community profile. Using SSU rRNA amplicon sequencing, we investigated the community structure in these environments, demonstrating a wide diversity and high relative abundance of stramenopiles and alveolates, specifically: Bacillariophyta (diatoms), labyrinthulomycetes and ciliates. The identification of abundant diatom rRNA molecules is consistent with microscopy-based studies, but demonstrates that these algae can also be exported to the sediment as active cells as opposed to dead forms.
    [Show full text]
  • Horizontal Gene Transfer in Osmotrophs: Playing with Public Goods
    ORE Open Research Exeter TITLE Horizontal gene transfer in osmotrophs: playing with public goods. AUTHORS Richards, Thomas A; Talbot, Nicholas J. JOURNAL Nat Rev Microbiol DEPOSITED IN ORE 19 November 2014 This version available at http://hdl.handle.net/10871/15898 COPYRIGHT AND REUSE Open Research Exeter makes this work available in accordance with publisher policies. A NOTE ON VERSIONS The version presented here may differ from the published version. If citing, you are advised to consult the published version for pagination, volume/issue and date of publication PERSPECTIVES however, not unique to fungi. Many bacteria, OPINION for instance, feed in an analogous man­ ner, and other eukaryotic groups, such as Horizontal gene transfer in hypho­chytriomycetes (FIG. 1c) and oomycetes (FIG. 1d) (sometimes collectively termed the pseudofungi26), also feed osmotrophically osmotrophs: playing with public and adopt filamentous growth habits, allow­ ing invasive growth in heterogeneous sub­ goods strates. Importantly, these eukaryotes also lost the ability to carry out phagotrophy and Thomas A. Richards and Nicholas J. Talbot became obligately osmotrophic26,27. Osmotrophy has a number of distinct Abstract | Osmotrophic microorganisms, such as fungi and oomycetes, feed advantages as a feeding strategy. External by secreting depolymerizing enzymes to process complex food sources in the digestion of large and complex polymers extracellular environment, and taking up the resulting simple sugars, micronutrients allows greater control over substances that and amino acids. As a consequence of this lifestyle, osmotrophs engage in the are allowed to enter a cell (FIG. 2a), thus acquisition and protection of public goods. In this Opinion article, we propose that minimizing potential routes of infection and intake of harmful substances.
    [Show full text]
  • Horizontal Gene Transfer
    Horizontal Gene Transfer (HGT) from Fungi is the RESEARCH NEWS basis for plant pathogenicity in oomycetes It always seemed rather odd that some of which seem to have occurred close to that time. This more detailed study, made oomycetes (Oomycota) were so fungal-like the shift from phagotrophy to osmotrophy possible by increasingly available genome in their behaviour as plant pathogens. and the evolution of the fungal cell wall at sequences, reveals that this phenomenon Now whole-genome comparisons are the base of the monophyletic Fungi clade. is much more extensive than might have starting to reveal just why. Richards et al. Amongst the genes evidently transferred, been imagined. Thus, it is not a matter of (2011) have undertaken a painstaking are one related to features such as the ability oomycetes merely being ‘fungal analogues’ gene-by-gene analysis of the proteomes to break down plant cell walls and take or ‘pseudofungi’, they are actually partly of Hyaloperonospora parasitica and three up sugars, nitrogen and phosphates, and Fungi. species of Phytophthora (P. infestans, P. further ones implicated in overcoming plant It should be noted that HGT is not ramorum, and P. sojae) which reveals defence mechanisms and attacking plant only unidirectional from Fungi into to an extensive pattern of cross-kingdom cells. A schematic diagram of the functional other organisms. Indeed, in another paper horizontal gene transfer (HGT) from Fungi. proteome of oomycetes derived from published this summer, this same group of In the case of P. ramorum, an amazing 7.6 Fungi is provided (their Fig. 2) at which researchers report identifying 323 examples % of the secreted proteome appears to have one can only marvel at the complexity.
    [Show full text]
  • Seven Gene Phylogeny of Heterokonts
    ARTICLE IN PRESS Protist, Vol. 160, 191—204, May 2009 http://www.elsevier.de/protis Published online date 9 February 2009 ORIGINAL PAPER Seven Gene Phylogeny of Heterokonts Ingvild Riisberga,d,1, Russell J.S. Orrb,d,1, Ragnhild Klugeb,c,2, Kamran Shalchian-Tabrizid, Holly A. Bowerse, Vishwanath Patilb,c, Bente Edvardsena,d, and Kjetill S. Jakobsenb,d,3 aMarine Biology, Department of Biology, University of Oslo, P.O. Box 1066, Blindern, NO-0316 Oslo, Norway bCentre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis (CEES),Department of Biology, University of Oslo, P.O. Box 1066, Blindern, NO-0316 Oslo, Norway cDepartment of Plant and Environmental Sciences, P.O. Box 5003, The Norwegian University of Life Sciences, N-1432, A˚ s, Norway dMicrobial Evolution Research Group (MERG), Department of Biology, University of Oslo, P.O. Box 1066, Blindern, NO-0316, Oslo, Norway eCenter of Marine Biotechnology, 701 East Pratt Street, Baltimore, MD 21202, USA Submitted May 23, 2008; Accepted November 15, 2008 Monitoring Editor: Mitchell L. Sogin Nucleotide ssu and lsu rDNA sequences of all major lineages of autotrophic (Ochrophyta) and heterotrophic (Bigyra and Pseudofungi) heterokonts were combined with amino acid sequences from four protein-coding genes (actin, b-tubulin, cox1 and hsp90) in a multigene approach for resolving the relationship between heterokont lineages. Applying these multigene data in Bayesian and maximum likelihood analyses improved the heterokont tree compared to previous rDNA analyses by placing all plastid-lacking heterotrophic heterokonts sister to Ochrophyta with robust support, and divided the heterotrophic heterokonts into the previously recognized phyla, Bigyra and Pseudofungi. Our trees identified the heterotrophic heterokonts Bicosoecida, Blastocystis and Labyrinthulida (Bigyra) as the earliest diverging lineages.
    [Show full text]
  • Kingdom Chromista)
    J Mol Evol (2006) 62:388–420 DOI: 10.1007/s00239-004-0353-8 Phylogeny and Megasystematics of Phagotrophic Heterokonts (Kingdom Chromista) Thomas Cavalier-Smith, Ema E-Y. Chao Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PS, UK Received: 11 December 2004 / Accepted: 21 September 2005 [Reviewing Editor: Patrick J. Keeling] Abstract. Heterokonts are evolutionarily important gyristea cl. nov. of Ochrophyta as once thought. The as the most nutritionally diverse eukaryote supergroup zooflagellate class Bicoecea (perhaps the ancestral and the most species-rich branch of the eukaryotic phenotype of Bigyra) is unexpectedly diverse and a kingdom Chromista. Ancestrally photosynthetic/ major focus of our study. We describe four new bicil- phagotrophic algae (mixotrophs), they include several iate bicoecean genera and five new species: Nerada ecologically important purely heterotrophic lineages, mexicana, Labromonas fenchelii (=Pseudobodo all grossly understudied phylogenetically and of tremulans sensu Fenchel), Boroka karpovii (=P. uncertain relationships. We sequenced 18S rRNA tremulans sensu Karpov), Anoeca atlantica and Cafe- genes from 14 phagotrophic non-photosynthetic het- teria mylnikovii; several cultures were previously mis- erokonts and a probable Ochromonas, performed ph- identified as Pseudobodo tremulans. Nerada and the ylogenetic analysis of 210–430 Heterokonta, and uniciliate Paramonas are related to Siluania and revised higher classification of Heterokonta and its Adriamonas; this clade (Pseudodendromonadales three phyla: the predominantly photosynthetic Och- emend.) is probably sister to Bicosoeca. Genetically rophyta; the non-photosynthetic Pseudofungi; and diverse Caecitellus is probably related to Anoeca, Bigyra (now comprising subphyla Opalozoa, Bicoecia, Symbiomonas and Cafeteria (collectively Anoecales Sagenista). The deepest heterokont divergence is emend.). Boroka is sister to Pseudodendromonadales/ apparently between Bigyra, as revised here, and Och- Bicoecales/Anoecales.
    [Show full text]
  • Nucleomorph Genome
    Nucleomorph Genome http://tolweb.org/Cryptomonads/2396 Crypt of the cryptophytes V – Vestibulum (vestíbulo) F – Furrow (sulco) G – Gullet (garganta) Brett et al. (1994) Protoplasma 181, 106. Types of periplasts Brett et al. (1994) Protoplasma 181, 106. Features of the cryptophytes • Biflagellated cells • Live in marine and freshwater habitats • Survive at low light levels • They have phycobiliproteins • Great importance in the food chain • They have chloroplasts with 4 membranes • They have a crypt that is structurally supported by a periplast • They have chlorophyll c2 instead of chlorophyll b • They do not have allophycocyanin • Periplastidial starch • Thylakoids grouped in pairs Cryptophytes vs. Chloraracniophytes Chlorarachniophyta Cryptophyta Photosynthetic pigments: Photosynthetic pigments: chlorophyll a and chlorophyll b chlorophyll a and c2 as well as other pigments evolutionarily related to phycoerythrins Do not have phycobilissomes Biliproteins within the thylakoid or biliproteins lumen; thylakoids grouped in pairs Uniflagellar ameboid cells with 2 flagella inserted near a crypt filamentous pseudopodia and asymmetric ellipsoidal cells Starch in cytoplasmic vesicles Periplastic starch (between the plastid envelope and the two outer membranes) Chloroplast surrounded by 4 Chloroplast surrounded by 4 membranes membranes ER not associated with the ER associated with the chloroplast chloroplast http://www.laborjournal.de/blog/?p=5529 Lineage Stramenopiles http://tolweb.org/Eukaryotes/3 Lineage Heterokonts Lineage Heterokonts • Heterokonts ≈ Stramenopiles • Biflagellated eukaryotic cells • Previous flagellum with mastigonemes (tripartite tubular hairs) • Hairless posterior flagellum • Chloroplasts surrounded by 4 membranes (photoautotrophic sub-lineage: Ochrophyta ≈ Heterokontophyta) • However, there are cells that have lost one or more flagella Lineage Heterokonts • Diatoms (> 100,000 species) • Brown seaweeds (Phaeophyceae) • Chrysophytes (golden algae) • Pseudofungi: Oomycetes (heterotrophic sub-lineage) • etc..
    [Show full text]
  • Horizontal Gene Transfer Facilitated the Evolution of Plant Parasitic Mechanisms in the Oomycetes
    Horizontal gene transfer facilitated the evolution of plant parasitic mechanisms in the oomycetes Thomas A. Richardsa,b,1, Darren M. Soanesa, Meredith D. M. Jonesa,b, Olga Vasievac, Guy Leonarda,b, Konrad Paszkiewicza, Peter G. Fosterb, Neil Hallc, and Nicholas J. Talbota aBiosciences, University of Exeter, Exeter EX4 4QD, United Kingdom; bDepartment of Zoology, Natural History Museum, London SW7 5BD, United Kingdom; and cSchool of Biological Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 7ZB, United Kingdom Edited by W. Ford Doolittle, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada, and approved July 27, 2011 (received for review March 31, 2011) Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) can radically alter the genomes of ramorum, for example, whereas the Irish potato famine of the microorganisms, providing the capacity to adapt to new lifestyles, 19th century was caused by the late blight parasite Phytophthora environments, and hosts. However, the extent of HGT between infestans. Important crop diseases caused by fungi include the eukaryotes is unclear. Using whole-genome, gene-by-gene phylo- devastating rice blast disease caused by M. oryzae and the rusts, genetic analysis we demonstrate an extensive pattern of cross- smuts, and mildews that affect wheat, barley, and maize. In this kingdom HGT between fungi and oomycetes. Comparative study we report that HGT between fungi and oomycetes has genomics, including the de novo genome sequence of Hyphochy- occurred to a far greater degree than hitherto recognized (19). trium catenoides, a free-living sister of the oomycetes, shows that Our previous analysis suggested four strongly supported cases of these transfers largely converge within the radiation of oomycetes HGT, but by using a whole-genome, gene-by-gene phylogenetic that colonize plant tissues.
    [Show full text]
  • Genome Assembly of Nannochloropsis Oceanica Provides Evidence of Host Nucleus Overthrow by the Symbiont Nucleus During Speciation
    ARTICLE https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-019-0500-9 OPEN Genome assembly of Nannochloropsis oceanica provides evidence of host nucleus overthrow by the symbiont nucleus during speciation Li Guo1, Sijie Liang1, Zhongyi Zhang1, Hang Liu1, Songwen Wang2, Kehou Pan3, Jian Xu4, Xue Ren5, Surui Pei5 & 1234567890():,; Guanpin Yang1,6,7 The species of the genus Nannochloropsis are unique in their maintenance of a nucleus-plastid continuum throughout their cell cycle, non-motility and asexual reproduction. These char- acteristics should have been endorsed in their gene assemblages (genomes). Here we show that N. oceanica has a genome of 29.3 Mb consisting of 32 pseudochromosomes and con- taining 7,330 protein-coding genes; and the host nucleus may have been overthrown by an ancient red alga symbiont nucleus during speciation through secondary endosymbiosis. In addition, N. oceanica has lost its flagella and abilities to undergo meiosis and sexual repro- duction, and adopted a genome reduction strategy during speciation. We propose that N. oceanica emerged through the active fusion of a host protist and a photosynthesizing ancient red alga and the symbiont nucleus became dominant over the host nucleus while the chloroplast was wrapped by two layers of endoplasmic reticulum. Our findings evidenced an alternative speciation pathway of eukaryotes. 1 College of Marine Life Sciences, Ocean University of China (OUC), Qingdao 266003, P. R. China. 2 College of Agriculture and Resources and Environment, Tianjin Agricultural University, Tianjin 300384, P. R. China. 3 Laboratory of Applied Microalgae, College of Fisheries, OUC, Qingdao 266003, P. R. China. 4 Functional Genomics Group, Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266101, P.
    [Show full text]
  • Genera of the World: an Overview and Estimates Based on the March 2020 Release of the Interim Register of Marine and Nonmarine Genera (IRMNG)
    Megataxa 001 (2): 123–140 ISSN 2703-3082 (print edition) https://www.mapress.com/j/mt/ MEGATAXA Copyright © 2020 Magnolia Press Article ISSN 2703-3090 (online edition) https://doi.org/10.11646/megataxa.1.2.3 http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:F4A52C97-BAD0-4FD5-839F-1A61EA40A7A3 All genera of the world: an overview and estimates based on the March 2020 release of the Interim Register of Marine and Nonmarine Genera (IRMNG) TONY REES 1, LEEN VANDEPITTE 2, 3, BART VANHOORNE 2, 4 & WIM DECOCK 2, 5 1 Private address, New South Wales, Australia. �[email protected]; http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1887-5211 2 Flanders Marine Institute/Vlaams Instituut Voor De Zee (VLIZ), Wandelaarkaai 7, 8400 Ostend, Belgium. 3 �[email protected]; http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8160-7941 4 �[email protected]; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6642-4725 5 �[email protected]; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2168-9471 Abstract Introduction We give estimated counts of known accepted genera of the The concept of a series of papers addressing portions of world (297,930±65,840, of which approximately 21% are the question of “all genera of the world” is a valuable one, fossil), of a total 492,620 genus names presently held for which can benefit from as much preliminary scoping as “all life”, based on the March 2020 release of the Interim may be currently available. To date, synoptic surveys of Register of Marine and Nonmarine Genera (IRMNG). A fur- biodiversity have been attempted mainly at the level of ther c.
    [Show full text]