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A first glimpse into the pattern and scale of gene transfer in Apicomplexa
Jinling Huang1, Nandita Mullapudi, Thomas Sicheritz-Ponten
1Center for Tropical and Emerging Global Diseases, University of Georgia, 623 Biological Sciences, Athens, GA 30602-2606, USA.
International Journal for Parasitology
|March 9, 2004
Summary
Parasitic organisms, including Apicomplexa, show evidence of acquiring plant-like and bacterial genes. These gene transfers, originating from algae and bacteria, occur through various mechanisms, even in species lacking plastids.
Area of Science:
- Genomics
- Parasitology
- Molecular Evolution
Background:
- Recent studies report plant-like and bacterial genes in parasitic organisms like Apicomplexa and Kinetoplastida.
- The discovery of the apicomplexan plastid (apicoplast) explained some plant-like gene findings, but the full extent and origin of gene transfer remained unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically examine the extent and origin of transferred genes in Apicomplexa using new genome data.
- To detect potential gene transfers in four apicomplexan genomes through a phylogenomic approach.
Main Methods:
- Genome sequence data analysis
- Phylogenomic analysis
- Detection of transferred genes from algal nuclear, chloroplast (cyanobacterial), and proteobacterial origins.
Main Results:
- Identified genes of algal nuclear, chloroplast (cyanobacterial), and proteobacterial origin in Apicomplexa.
- Detected plant-like genes in species lacking a plastid, such as Cryptosporidium parvum.
- Found putatively transferred genes unrelated to apicoplast function.
Conclusions:
- Gene acquisition mechanisms include intracellular gene transfer from algal endosymbionts and horizontal gene transfer.
- Transferred genes in Apicomplexa are not exclusively linked to apicoplast function.
- Parasitic genomes exhibit complex evolutionary histories shaped by gene acquisition events.