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Suzuki-Tellier S, Miano F, Asadzadeh SS, Simpson AGB, Kiørboe T. Foraging mechanisms in excavate flagellates shed light on the functional ecology of early eukaryotes. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2024; 121:e2317264121. [PMID: 38781211 PMCID: PMC11145212 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2317264121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2023] [Accepted: 04/25/2024] [Indexed: 05/25/2024] Open
Abstract
The phagotrophic flagellates described as "typical excavates" have been hypothesized to be morphologically similar to the Last Eukaryotic Common Ancestor and understanding the functional ecology of excavates may therefore help shed light on the ecology of these early eukaryotes. Typical excavates are characterized by a posterior flagellum equipped with a vane that beats in a ventral groove. Here, we combined flow visualization and observations of prey capture in representatives of the three clades of excavates with computational fluid dynamic modeling, to understand the functional significance of this cell architecture. We record substantial differences amongst species in the orientation of the vane and the beat plane of the posterior flagellum. Clearance rate magnitudes estimated from flow visualization and modeling are both like that of other similarly sized flagellates. The interaction between a vaned flagellum beating in a confinement is modeled to produce a very efficient feeding current at low energy costs, irrespective of the beat plane and vane orientation and of all other morphological variations. Given this predicted uniformity of function, we suggest that the foraging systems of typical excavates studied here may be good proxies to understand those potentially used by our distant ancestors more than 1 billion years ago.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sei Suzuki-Tellier
- Centre for Ocean Life, National Institute of Aquatic Resources, Technical University of Denmark, Kgs Lyngby2800, Denmark
| | - Federica Miano
- Centre for Ocean Life, National Institute of Aquatic Resources, Technical University of Denmark, Kgs Lyngby2800, Denmark
| | - Seyed Saeed Asadzadeh
- Centre for Ocean Life, National Institute of Aquatic Resources, Technical University of Denmark, Kgs Lyngby2800, Denmark
| | - Alastair G. B. Simpson
- Department of Biology, Centre for Comparative Genomics and Evolutionary Bioinformatics, Dalhousie University, HalifaxNSB3H 4R2, Canada
| | - Thomas Kiørboe
- Centre for Ocean Life, National Institute of Aquatic Resources, Technical University of Denmark, Kgs Lyngby2800, Denmark
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van der Gulik PTS, Hoff WD, Speijer D. The contours of evolution: In defence of Darwin's tree of life paradigm. Bioessays 2024; 46:e2400012. [PMID: 38436469 DOI: 10.1002/bies.202400012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2024] [Revised: 02/12/2024] [Accepted: 02/15/2024] [Indexed: 03/05/2024]
Abstract
Both the concept of a Darwinian tree of life (TOL) and the possibility of its accurate reconstruction have been much criticized. Criticisms mostly revolve around the extensive occurrence of lateral gene transfer (LGT), instances of uptake of complete organisms to become organelles (with the associated subsequent gene transfer to the nucleus), as well as the implications of more subtle aspects of the biological species concept. Here we argue that none of these criticisms are sufficient to abandon the valuable TOL concept and the biological realities it captures. Especially important is the need to conceptually distinguish between organismal trees and gene trees, which necessitates incorporating insights of widely occurring LGT into modern evolutionary theory. We demonstrate that all criticisms, while based on important new findings, do not invalidate the TOL. After considering the implications of these new insights, we find that the contours of evolution are best represented by a TOL.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Wouter D Hoff
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, Oklahoma, USA
| | - Dave Speijer
- Department of Medical Biochemistry, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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3
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Suzuki-Tellier S, Kiørboe T, Simpson AGB. The function of the feeding groove of 'typical excavate' flagellates. J Eukaryot Microbiol 2024; 71:e13016. [PMID: 38108228 DOI: 10.1111/jeu.13016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2023] [Revised: 11/30/2023] [Accepted: 11/30/2023] [Indexed: 12/19/2023]
Abstract
Phagotrophic flagellates are the main consumers of bacteria and picophytoplankton. Despite their ecological significance in the 'microbial loop', many of their predation mechanisms remain unclear. 'Typical excavates' bear a ventral groove, where prey is captured for ingestion. The consequences of feeding through a 'semi-rigid' furrow on the prey size range have not been explored. An unidentified moving element called 'the wave' that sweeps along the bottom of the groove toward the site of phagocytosis has been observed in a few species; its function is unclear. We investigated the presence, behavior, and function of the wave in four species from the three excavate clades (Discoba, Metamonada, and Malawimonadida) and found it present in all studied cases, suggesting the potential homology of this feature across all three groups. The wave displayed a species-specific behavior and was crucial for phagocytosis. The morphology of the feeding groove had an upper-prey size limit for successful prey captures, but smaller particles were not constrained. Additionally, the ingestion efficiencies were species dependent. By jointly studying these feeding traits, we speculate on adaptations to differences in food availability to better understand their ecological functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sei Suzuki-Tellier
- Centre for Ocean Life, DTU Aqua, Technical University of Denmark, Kgs Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Thomas Kiørboe
- Centre for Ocean Life, DTU Aqua, Technical University of Denmark, Kgs Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Alastair G B Simpson
- Department of Biology, and Centre for Comparative Genomics and Evolutionary Bioinformatics, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
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Harada R, Hirakawa Y, Yabuki A, Kim E, Yazaki E, Kamikawa R, Nakano K, Eliáš M, Inagaki Y. Encyclopedia of Family A DNA Polymerases Localized in Organelles: Evolutionary Contribution of Bacteria Including the Proto-Mitochondrion. Mol Biol Evol 2024; 41:msae014. [PMID: 38271287 PMCID: PMC10877234 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msae014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2023] [Revised: 01/12/2024] [Accepted: 01/19/2024] [Indexed: 01/27/2024] Open
Abstract
DNA polymerases synthesize DNA from deoxyribonucleotides in a semiconservative manner and serve as the core of DNA replication and repair machinery. In eukaryotic cells, there are 2 genome-containing organelles, mitochondria, and plastids, which were derived from an alphaproteobacterium and a cyanobacterium, respectively. Except for rare cases of genome-lacking mitochondria and plastids, both organelles must be served by nucleus-encoded DNA polymerases that localize and work in them to maintain their genomes. The evolution of organellar DNA polymerases has yet to be fully understood because of 2 unsettled issues. First, the diversity of organellar DNA polymerases has not been elucidated in the full spectrum of eukaryotes. Second, it is unclear when the DNA polymerases that were used originally in the endosymbiotic bacteria giving rise to mitochondria and plastids were discarded, as the organellar DNA polymerases known to date show no phylogenetic affinity to those of the extant alphaproteobacteria or cyanobacteria. In this study, we identified from diverse eukaryotes 134 family A DNA polymerase sequences, which were classified into 10 novel types, and explored their evolutionary origins. The subcellular localizations of selected DNA polymerases were further examined experimentally. The results presented here suggest that the diversity of organellar DNA polymerases has been shaped by multiple transfers of the PolI gene from phylogenetically broad bacteria, and their occurrence in eukaryotes was additionally impacted by secondary plastid endosymbioses. Finally, we propose that the last eukaryotic common ancestor may have possessed 2 mitochondrial DNA polymerases, POP, and a candidate of the direct descendant of the proto-mitochondrial DNA polymerase I, rdxPolA, identified in this study.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryo Harada
- Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan
| | - Yoshihisa Hirakawa
- Faculty of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan
| | - Akinori Yabuki
- Deep-Sea Biodiversity Research Group, Research Institute for Global Change (RIGC), Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC), Yokosuka, Japan
| | - Eunsoo Kim
- Division of EcoScience, Ewha Womans University, Seoul, South Korea
- Division of Invertebrate Zoology, American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY, USA
| | - Euki Yazaki
- Research Center for Advanced Analysis, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, Tsukuba, Japan
- Interdisciplinary Theoretical and Mathematical Sciences program (iTHEMS), RIKEN, Wako, Saitama, Japan
| | - Ryoma Kamikawa
- Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Kentaro Nakano
- Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan
| | - Marek Eliáš
- Department of Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Science, University of Ostrava, Ostrava, Czech Republic
| | - Yuji Inagaki
- Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan
- Center for Computational Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan
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Eglit Y, Shiratori T, Jerlström-Hultqvist J, Williamson K, Roger AJ, Ishida KI, Simpson AGB. Meteora sporadica, a protist with incredible cell architecture, is related to Hemimastigophora. Curr Biol 2024; 34:451-459.e6. [PMID: 38262350 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2023.12.032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2023] [Revised: 12/03/2023] [Accepted: 12/08/2023] [Indexed: 01/25/2024]
Abstract
"Kingdom-level" branches are being added to the tree of eukaryotes at a rate approaching one per year, with no signs of slowing down.1,2,3,4 Some are completely new discoveries, whereas others are morphologically unusual protists that were previously described but lacked molecular data. For example, Hemimastigophora are predatory protists with two rows of flagella that were known since the 19th century but proved to represent a new deep-branching eukaryote lineage when phylogenomic analyses were conducted.2Meteora sporadica5 is a protist with a unique morphology; cells glide over substrates along a long axis of anterior and posterior projections while a pair of lateral "arms" swing back and forth, a motility system without any obvious parallels. Originally, Meteora was described by light microscopy only, from a short-term enrichment of deep-sea sediment. A small subunit ribosomal RNA (SSU rRNA) sequence was reported recently, but the phylogenetic placement of Meteora remained unresolved.6 Here, we investigated two cultivated Meteora sporadica isolates in detail. Transmission electron microscopy showed that both the anterior-posterior projections and the arms are supported by microtubules originating from a cluster of subnuclear microtubule organizing centers (MTOCs). Neither have a flagellar axoneme-like structure. Sequencing the mitochondrial genome showed this to be among the most gene-rich known, outside jakobids. Remarkably, phylogenomic analyses of 254 nuclear protein-coding genes robustly support a close relationship with Hemimastigophora. Our study suggests that Meteora and Hemimastigophora together represent a morphologically diverse "supergroup" and thus are important for resolving the tree of eukaryote life and early eukaryote evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yana Eglit
- Institute for Comparative Genomics, Department of Biology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS B3H 4R2, Canada
| | - Takashi Shiratori
- Institute of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8572, Japan
| | - Jon Jerlström-Hultqvist
- Institute for Comparative Genomics, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS B3H 4R2, Canada
| | - Kelsey Williamson
- Institute for Comparative Genomics, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS B3H 4R2, Canada
| | - Andrew J Roger
- Institute for Comparative Genomics, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS B3H 4R2, Canada
| | - Ken-Ichiro Ishida
- Institute of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8572, Japan.
| | - Alastair G B Simpson
- Institute for Comparative Genomics, Department of Biology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS B3H 4R2, Canada.
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6
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Weston EJ, Eglit Y, Simpson AGB. Kaonashia insperata gen. et sp. nov., a eukaryotrophic flagellate, represents a novel major lineage of heterotrophic stramenopiles. J Eukaryot Microbiol 2024; 71:e13003. [PMID: 37803921 DOI: 10.1111/jeu.13003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2023] [Revised: 09/05/2023] [Accepted: 09/08/2023] [Indexed: 10/08/2023]
Abstract
Eukaryotrophic protists are ecologically significant and possess characteristics key to understanding the evolution of eukaryotes; however, they remain poorly studied, due partly to the complexities of maintaining predator-prey cultures. Kaonashia insperata, gen. nov., et sp. nov., is a free-swimming biflagellated eukaryotroph with a conspicuous ventral groove, a trait observed in distantly related lineages across eukaryote diversity. Di-eukaryotic (predator-prey) cultures of K. insperata with three marine algae (Isochrysis galbana, Guillardia theta, and Phaeodactylum tricornutum) were established by single-cell isolation. Growth trials showed that the studied K. insperata clone grew particularly well on G. theta, reaching a peak abundance of 1.0 × 105 ± 4.0 × 104 cells ml-1 . Small-subunit ribosomal DNA phylogenies infer that K. insperata is a stramenopile with moderate support; however, it does not fall within any well-defined phylogenetic group, including environmental sequence clades (e.g. MASTs), and its specific placement remains unresolved. Electron microscopy shows traits consistent with stramenopile affinity, including mastigonemes on the anterior flagellum and tubular mitochondrial cristae. Kaonashia insperata may represent a novel major lineage within stramenopiles, and be important for understanding the evolutionary history of the group. While heterotrophic stramenopile flagellates are considered to be predominantly bacterivorous, eukaryotrophy may be relatively widespread amongst this assemblage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth J Weston
- Institute for Comparative Genomics, and Department of Biology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
| | - Yana Eglit
- Department of Biology, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Alastair G B Simpson
- Institute for Comparative Genomics, and Department of Biology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
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Füssy Z, Oborník M. Complex Endosymbioses I: From Primary to Complex Plastids, Serial Endosymbiotic Events. Methods Mol Biol 2024; 2776:21-41. [PMID: 38502496 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-3726-5_2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/21/2024]
Abstract
A considerable part of the diversity of eukaryotic phototrophs consists of algae with plastids that evolved from endosymbioses between two eukaryotes. These complex plastids are characterized by a high number of envelope membranes (more than two) and some of them contain a residual nucleus of the endosymbiotic alga called a nucleomorph. Complex plastid-bearing algae are thus chimeric cell assemblies, eukaryotic symbionts living in a eukaryotic host. In contrast, the primary plastids of the Archaeplastida (plants, green algae, red algae, and glaucophytes) possibly evolved from a single endosymbiosis with a cyanobacterium and are surrounded by two membranes. Complex plastids have been acquired several times by unrelated groups of eukaryotic heterotrophic hosts, suggesting that complex plastids are somewhat easier to obtain than primary plastids. Evidence suggests that complex plastids arose twice independently in the green lineage (euglenophytes and chlorarachniophytes) through secondary endosymbiosis, and four times in the red lineage, first through secondary endosymbiosis in cryptophytes, then by higher-order events in stramenopiles, alveolates, and haptophytes. Engulfment of primary and complex plastid-containing algae by eukaryotic hosts (secondary, tertiary, and higher-order endosymbioses) is also responsible for numerous plastid replacements in dinoflagellates. Plastid endosymbiosis is accompanied by massive gene transfer from the endosymbiont to the host nucleus and cell adaptation of both endosymbiotic partners, which is related to the trophic switch to phototrophy and loss of autonomy of the endosymbiont. Such a process is essential for the metabolic integration and division control of the endosymbiont in the host. Although photosynthesis is the main advantage of acquiring plastids, loss of photosynthesis often occurs in algae with complex plastids. This chapter summarizes the essential knowledge of the acquisition, evolution, and function of complex plastids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zoltán Füssy
- Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
- Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
| | - Miroslav Oborník
- Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, České Budějovice, Czech Republic.
- Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre, Czech Academy of Sciences, České Budějovice, Czech Republic.
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Palmgren M. Evolution of the sodium pump. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA. MOLECULAR CELL RESEARCH 2023; 1870:119511. [PMID: 37301269 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbamcr.2023.119511] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2023] [Revised: 05/16/2023] [Accepted: 06/02/2023] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Eukaryotic plasma membranes (PMs) are energized by electrogenic P-type ATPases that generate either Na+ or H+ motive forces to drive Na+ and H+ dependent transport processes, respectively. For this purpose, animal rely on Na+/K+-ATPases whereas fungi and plants employ PM H+-ATPases. Prokaryotes, on the other hand, depend on H+ or Na+-motive electron transport complexes to energize their cell membranes. This raises the question as to why and when electrogenic Na+ and H+ pumps evolved? Here it is shown that prokaryotic Na+/K+-ATPases have near perfect conservation of binding sites involved in coordination of three Na+ and two K+ ions. Such pumps are rare in Eubacteria but are common in methanogenic Archaea where they often are found together with P-type putative PM H+-ATPases. With some exceptions, Na+/K+-ATPases and PM H+-ATPases are found everywhere in the eukaryotic tree of life, but never together in animals, fungi and land plants. It is hypothesized that Na+/K+-ATPases and PM H+-ATPases evolved in methanogenic Archaea to support the bioenergetics of these ancestral organisms, which can utilize both H+ and Na+ as energy currencies. Both pumps must have been simultaneously present in the first eukaryotic cell, but during diversification of the major eukaryotic kingdoms, and at the time animals diverged from fungi, animals kept Na+/K+-ATPases but lost PM H+-ATPases. At the same evolutionary branch point, fungi did loose Na+/K+-ATPases, and their role was taken over by PM H+-ATPases. An independent but similar scenery emerged during terrestrialization of plants: they lost Na+/K+-ATPases but kept PM H+-ATPases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Palmgren
- Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Thorvaldsensvej 40, DK-1871 Frederiksberg C, Denmark.
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9
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Donoghue PCJ, Kay C, Spang A, Szöllősi G, Nenarokova A, Moody ERR, Pisani D, Williams TA. Defining eukaryotes to dissect eukaryogenesis. Curr Biol 2023; 33:R919-R929. [PMID: 37699353 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2023.07.048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/14/2023]
Abstract
The origin of eukaryotes is among the most contentious debates in evolutionary biology, attracting multiple seemingly incompatible theories seeking to explain the sequence in which eukaryotic characteristics were acquired. Much of the controversy arises from differing views on the defining characteristics of eukaryotes. We argue that eukaryotes should be defined phylogenetically, and that doing so clarifies where competing hypotheses of eukaryogenesis agree and how we may test among aspects of disagreement. Some hypotheses make predictions about the phylogenetic origins of eukaryotic genes and are distinguishable on that basis. However, other hypotheses differ only in the order of key evolutionary steps, like mitochondrial endosymbiosis and nuclear assembly, which cannot currently be distinguished phylogenetically. Stages within eukaryogenesis may be made identifiable through the absolute dating of gene duplicates that map to eukaryotic traits, such as in genes of host or mitochondrial origin that duplicated and diverged functionally prior to emergence of the last eukaryotic common ancestor. In this way, it may finally be possible to distinguish heat from light in the debate over eukaryogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philip C J Donoghue
- Bristol Palaeobiology Group, School of Earth Sciences, Life Sciences Building, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1TQ, UK.
| | - Chris Kay
- Bristol Palaeobiology Group, School of Earth Sciences, Life Sciences Building, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1TQ, UK
| | - Anja Spang
- Department of Marine Microbiology and Biogeochemistry, NIOZ, Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, Utrecht University, Den Burg 1790 AB, The Netherlands
| | - Gergely Szöllősi
- Department of Biological Physics, Eötvös Lorand University, H-1117 Budapest, Hungary; MTA-ELTE "Lendü let" Evolutionary Genomics Research Group, H-1117 Budapest, Hungary; Institute of Evolution, Centre for Ecological Research, H-1113 Budapest, Hungary
| | - Anna Nenarokova
- Bristol Palaeobiology Group, School of Earth Sciences, Life Sciences Building, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1TQ, UK
| | - Edmund R R Moody
- Bristol Palaeobiology Group, School of Earth Sciences, Life Sciences Building, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1TQ, UK
| | - Davide Pisani
- Bristol Palaeobiology Group, School of Earth Sciences, Life Sciences Building, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1TQ, UK; Bristol Palaeobiology Group, School of Biological Sciences, Life Sciences Building, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1TQ, UK.
| | - Tom A Williams
- Bristol Palaeobiology Group, School of Biological Sciences, Life Sciences Building, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1TQ, UK.
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Lang BF, Beck N, Prince S, Sarrasin M, Rioux P, Burger G. Mitochondrial genome annotation with MFannot: a critical analysis of gene identification and gene model prediction. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2023; 14:1222186. [PMID: 37469769 PMCID: PMC10352661 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2023.1222186] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2023] [Accepted: 06/15/2023] [Indexed: 07/21/2023]
Abstract
Compared to nuclear genomes, mitochondrial genomes (mitogenomes) are small and usually code for only a few dozen genes. Still, identifying genes and their structure can be challenging and time-consuming. Even automated tools for mitochondrial genome annotation often require manual analysis and curation by skilled experts. The most difficult steps are (i) the structural modelling of intron-containing genes; (ii) the identification and delineation of Group I and II introns; and (iii) the identification of moderately conserved, non-coding RNA (ncRNA) genes specifying 5S rRNAs, tmRNAs and RNase P RNAs. Additional challenges arise through genetic code evolution which can redefine the translational identity of both start and stop codons, thus obscuring protein-coding genes. Further, RNA editing can render gene identification difficult, if not impossible, without additional RNA sequence data. Current automated mito- and plastid-genome annotators are limited as they are typically tailored to specific eukaryotic groups. The MFannot annotator we developed is unique in its applicability to a broad taxonomic scope, its accuracy in gene model inference, and its capabilities in intron identification and classification. The pipeline leverages curated profile Hidden Markov Models (HMMs), covariance (CMs) and ERPIN models to better capture evolutionarily conserved signatures in the primary sequence (HMMs and CMs) as well as secondary structure (CMs and ERPIN). Here we formally describe MFannot, which has been available as a web-accessible service (https://megasun.bch.umontreal.ca/apps/mfannot/) to the research community for nearly 16 years. Further, we report its performance on particularly intron-rich mitogenomes and describe ongoing and future developments.
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11
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Valach M, Moreira S, Petitjean C, Benz C, Butenko A, Flegontova O, Nenarokova A, Prokopchuk G, Batstone T, Lapébie P, Lemogo L, Sarrasin M, Stretenowich P, Tripathi P, Yazaki E, Nara T, Henrissat B, Lang BF, Gray MW, Williams TA, Lukeš J, Burger G. Recent expansion of metabolic versatility in Diplonema papillatum, the model species of a highly speciose group of marine eukaryotes. BMC Biol 2023; 21:99. [PMID: 37143068 PMCID: PMC10161547 DOI: 10.1186/s12915-023-01563-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2022] [Accepted: 03/10/2023] [Indexed: 05/06/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Diplonemid flagellates are among the most abundant and species-rich of known marine microeukaryotes, colonizing all habitats, depths, and geographic regions of the world ocean. However, little is known about their genomes, biology, and ecological role. RESULTS We present the first nuclear genome sequence from a diplonemid, the type species Diplonema papillatum. The ~ 280-Mb genome assembly contains about 32,000 protein-coding genes, likely co-transcribed in groups of up to 100. Gene clusters are separated by long repetitive regions that include numerous transposable elements, which also reside within introns. Analysis of gene-family evolution reveals that the last common diplonemid ancestor underwent considerable metabolic expansion. D. papillatum-specific gains of carbohydrate-degradation capability were apparently acquired via horizontal gene transfer. The predicted breakdown of polysaccharides including pectin and xylan is at odds with reports of peptides being the predominant carbon source of this organism. Secretome analysis together with feeding experiments suggest that D. papillatum is predatory, able to degrade cell walls of live microeukaryotes, macroalgae, and water plants, not only for protoplast feeding but also for metabolizing cell-wall carbohydrates as an energy source. The analysis of environmental barcode samples shows that D. papillatum is confined to temperate coastal waters, presumably acting in bioremediation of eutrophication. CONCLUSIONS Nuclear genome information will allow systematic functional and cell-biology studies in D. papillatum. It will also serve as a reference for the highly diverse diplonemids and provide a point of comparison for studying gene complement evolution in the sister group of Kinetoplastida, including human-pathogenic taxa.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matus Valach
- Department of Biochemistry, Robert-Cedergren Centre for Bioinformatics and Genomics, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada.
| | - Sandrine Moreira
- Department of Biochemistry, Robert-Cedergren Centre for Bioinformatics and Genomics, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Celine Petitjean
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | - Corinna Benz
- Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre, Czech Academy of Sciences, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
| | - Anzhelika Butenko
- Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre, Czech Academy of Sciences, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
- Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
- Faculty of Science, University of Ostrava, Ostrava, Czech Republic
| | - Olga Flegontova
- Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre, Czech Academy of Sciences, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
- Faculty of Science, University of Ostrava, Ostrava, Czech Republic
| | - Anna Nenarokova
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
- Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre, Czech Academy of Sciences, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
| | - Galina Prokopchuk
- Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre, Czech Academy of Sciences, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
- Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
| | - Tom Batstone
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
- Present address: High Performance Computing Centre, Bristol, UK
| | - Pascal Lapébie
- Architecture et Fonction des Macromolécules Biologiques (AFMB), CNRS, Aix Marseille Université, Marseille, France
| | - Lionnel Lemogo
- Department of Biochemistry, Robert-Cedergren Centre for Bioinformatics and Genomics, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Present address: Environment Climate Change Canada, Dorval, QC, Canada
| | - Matt Sarrasin
- Department of Biochemistry, Robert-Cedergren Centre for Bioinformatics and Genomics, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Paul Stretenowich
- Department of Biochemistry, Robert-Cedergren Centre for Bioinformatics and Genomics, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Present address: Canadian Centre for Computational Genomics; McGill Genome Centre, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Pragya Tripathi
- Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre, Czech Academy of Sciences, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
- Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
| | - Euki Yazaki
- RIKEN Interdisciplinary Theoretical and Mathematical Sciences Program (iTHEMS), Hirosawa, Wako, Saitama, Japan
| | - Takeshi Nara
- Laboratory of Molecular Parasitology, Graduate School of Life Science and Technology, Iryo Sosei University, Iwaki City, Fukushima, Japan
| | - Bernard Henrissat
- Architecture et Fonction des Macromolécules Biologiques (AFMB), CNRS, Aix Marseille Université, Marseille, France
- Present address: DTU Bioengineering, Technical University of Denmark, Lyngby, Denmark
- Department of Biological Sciences, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
| | - B Franz Lang
- Department of Biochemistry, Robert-Cedergren Centre for Bioinformatics and Genomics, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Michael W Gray
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Institute for Comparative Genomics, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada
| | - Tom A Williams
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | - Julius Lukeš
- Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre, Czech Academy of Sciences, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
- Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
| | - Gertraud Burger
- Department of Biochemistry, Robert-Cedergren Centre for Bioinformatics and Genomics, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada.
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12
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Torruella G, Galindo LJ, Moreira D, Ciobanu M, Heiss AA, Yubuki N, Kim E, López-García P. Expanding the molecular and morphological diversity of Apusomonadida, a deep-branching group of gliding bacterivorous protists. J Eukaryot Microbiol 2023; 70:e12956. [PMID: 36453005 DOI: 10.1111/jeu.12956] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2022] [Revised: 09/13/2022] [Accepted: 11/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/05/2022]
Abstract
Apusomonads are cosmopolitan bacterivorous biflagellate protists usually gliding on freshwater and marine sediment or wet soils. These nanoflagellates form a sister lineage to opisthokonts and may have retained ancestral features helpful to understanding the early evolution of this large supergroup. Although molecular environmental analyses indicate that apusomonads are genetically diverse, few species have been described. Here, we morphologically characterize 11 new apusomonad strains. Based on molecular phylogenetic analyses of the rRNA gene operon, we describe four new strains of the known species Multimonas media, Podomonas capensis, Apusomonas proboscidea, and Apusomonas australiensis, and rename Thecamonas oxoniensis as Mylnikovia oxoniensis n. gen., n. comb. Additionally, we describe four new genera and six new species: Catacumbia lutetiensis n. gen. n. sp., Cavaliersmithia chaoae n. gen. n. sp., Singekia montserratensis n. gen. n. sp., Singekia franciliensis n. gen. n. sp., Karpovia croatica n. gen. n. sp., and Chelonemonas dolani n. sp. Our comparative analysis suggests that apusomonad ancestor was a fusiform biflagellate with a dorsal pellicle, a plastic ventral surface, and a sleeve covering the anterior flagellum, that thrived in marine, possibly oxygen-poor, environments. It likely had a complex cell cycle with dormant and multiple fission stages, and sex. Our results extend known apusomonad diversity, allow updating their taxonomy, and provide elements to understand early eukaryotic evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guifré Torruella
- Ecologie Systématique Evolution, CNRS, Université Paris-Saclay, AgroParisTech, Orsay, France.,Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC-CNS), Barcelona, Spain.,Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Luis Javier Galindo
- Ecologie Systématique Evolution, CNRS, Université Paris-Saclay, AgroParisTech, Orsay, France.,Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - David Moreira
- Ecologie Systématique Evolution, CNRS, Université Paris-Saclay, AgroParisTech, Orsay, France
| | - Maria Ciobanu
- Ecologie Systématique Evolution, CNRS, Université Paris-Saclay, AgroParisTech, Orsay, France
| | - Aaron A Heiss
- Department of Invertebrate Zoology, American Museum of Natural History, New York City, New York, USA.,Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, BIOCEV, Vestec, Czech Republic
| | - Naoji Yubuki
- Ecologie Systématique Evolution, CNRS, Université Paris-Saclay, AgroParisTech, Orsay, France.,Bioimaging Facility, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Eunsoo Kim
- Department of Invertebrate Zoology, American Museum of Natural History, New York City, New York, USA.,Department of Life Science & Division of EcoScience, Ewha Womans University, Seoul, South Korea
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13
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Vosseberg J, Stolker D, von der Dunk SHA, Snel B. Integrating Phylogenetics With Intron Positions Illuminates the Origin of the Complex Spliceosome. Mol Biol Evol 2023; 40:6985000. [PMID: 36631250 PMCID: PMC9887622 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msad011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2022] [Revised: 12/09/2022] [Accepted: 12/29/2022] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Eukaryotic genes are characterized by the presence of introns that are removed from pre-mRNA by a spliceosome. This ribonucleoprotein complex is comprised of multiple RNA molecules and over a hundred proteins, which makes it one of the most complex molecular machines that originated during the prokaryote-to-eukaryote transition. Previous works have established that these introns and the spliceosomal core originated from self-splicing introns in prokaryotes. Yet, how the spliceosomal core expanded by recruiting many additional proteins remains largely elusive. In this study, we use phylogenetic analyses to infer the evolutionary history of 145 proteins that we could trace back to the spliceosome in the last eukaryotic common ancestor. We found that an overabundance of proteins derived from ribosome-related processes was added to the prokaryote-derived core. Extensive duplications of these proteins substantially increased the complexity of the emerging spliceosome. By comparing the intron positions between spliceosomal paralogs, we infer that most spliceosomal complexity postdates the spread of introns through the proto-eukaryotic genome. The reconstruction of early spliceosomal evolution provides insight into the driving forces behind the emergence of complexes with many proteins during eukaryogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julian Vosseberg
- Theoretical Biology and Bioinformatics, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Utrecht University, 3584 CH Utrecht, the Netherlands,Laboratory of Microbiology, Wageningen University & Research, 6700 EH Wageningen, the Netherlands
| | - Daan Stolker
- Theoretical Biology and Bioinformatics, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Utrecht University, 3584 CH Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Samuel H A von der Dunk
- Theoretical Biology and Bioinformatics, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Utrecht University, 3584 CH Utrecht, the Netherlands
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14
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Carr M, Leadbeater BSC. Re-evaluating Loricate Choanoflagellate Phylogenetics: Molecular Evidence Points to the Paraphyly of Tectiform Species. Protist 2022; 173:125924. [PMID: 36327744 DOI: 10.1016/j.protis.2022.125924] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2022] [Revised: 09/16/2022] [Accepted: 10/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Lorica-bearing choanoflagellates belong to the order Acanthoecida, a taxon which has been consistently recovered as monophyletic in molecular phylogenies. Based upon differences in lorica development and morphology, as well as the presence or absence of a motile dispersal stage, species are labelled as either nudiform or tectiform. Whilst Acanthoecida is robustly resolved in molecular phylogenies, the placement of the root of the clade is less certain with two different positions identified in past studies. One recovered root has been placed between the nudiform family Acanthoecidae and the tectiform family Stephanoecidae. An alternative root placement falls within the tectiform species, recovering the monophyletic Acanthoecidae nested within a paraphyletic Stephanoecidae. Presented here is a 14-gene phylogeny, based upon nucleotide and amino acid sequences, which strongly supports tectiform paraphyly. The horizontal transfer of a ribosomal protein gene, from a possible SAR donor, into a subset of acanthoecid species provides further, independent, support for this root placement. Differing patterns of codon usage bias across the choanoflagellates are proposed as the cause of artefactual phylogenetic signals that lead to the recovery of tectiform monophyly.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin Carr
- Department of Biological & Geographical Sciences, University of Huddersfield, Queensgate, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire HD1 3DH, United Kingdom.
| | - Barry S C Leadbeater
- School of Biosciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT, United Kingdom
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15
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Weaver RJ, Rabinowitz S, Thueson K, Havird JC. Genomic Signatures of Mitonuclear Coevolution in Mammals. Mol Biol Evol 2022; 39:6775223. [PMID: 36288802 PMCID: PMC9641969 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msac233] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Mitochondrial (mt) and nuclear-encoded proteins are integrated in aerobic respiration, requiring co-functionality among gene products from fundamentally different genomes. Different evolutionary rates, inheritance mechanisms, and selection pressures set the stage for incompatibilities between interacting products of the two genomes. The mitonuclear coevolution hypothesis posits that incompatibilities may be avoided if evolution in one genome selects for complementary changes in interacting genes encoded by the other genome. Nuclear compensation, in which deleterious mtDNA changes are offset by compensatory nuclear changes, is often invoked as the primary mechanism for mitonuclear coevolution. Yet, direct evidence supporting nuclear compensation is rare. Here, we used data from 58 mammalian species representing eight orders to show strong correlations between evolutionary rates of mt and nuclear-encoded mt-targeted (N-mt) proteins, but not between mt and non-mt-targeted nuclear proteins, providing strong support for mitonuclear coevolution across mammals. N-mt genes with direct mt interactions also showed the strongest correlations. Although most N-mt genes had elevated dN/dS ratios compared to mt genes (as predicted under nuclear compensation), N-mt sites in close contact with mt proteins were not overrepresented for signs of positive selection compared to noncontact N-mt sites (contrary to predictions of nuclear compensation). Furthermore, temporal patterns of N-mt and mt amino acid substitutions did not support predictions of nuclear compensation, even in positively selected, functionally important residues with direct mitonuclear contacts. Overall, our results strongly support mitonuclear coevolution across ∼170 million years of mammalian evolution but fail to support nuclear compensation as the major mode of mitonuclear coevolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryan J Weaver
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA.,Department of Natural Resource Ecology and Management, Iowa State University, Ames, IA
| | | | - Kiley Thueson
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas, Austin, TX
| | - Justin C Havird
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas, Austin, TX
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16
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Telomeres and Their Neighbors. Genes (Basel) 2022; 13:genes13091663. [PMID: 36140830 PMCID: PMC9498494 DOI: 10.3390/genes13091663] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2022] [Revised: 09/08/2022] [Accepted: 09/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Telomeres are essential structures formed from satellite DNA repeats at the ends of chromosomes in most eukaryotes. Satellite DNA repeat sequences are useful markers for karyotyping, but have a more enigmatic role in the eukaryotic cell. Much work has been done to investigate the structure and arrangement of repetitive DNA elements in classical models with implications for species evolution. Still more is needed until there is a complete picture of the biological function of DNA satellite sequences, particularly when considering non-model organisms. Celebrating Gregor Mendel’s anniversary by going to the roots, this review is designed to inspire and aid new research into telomeres and satellites with a particular focus on non-model organisms and accessible experimental and in silico methods that do not require specialized equipment or expensive materials. We describe how to identify telomere (and satellite) repeats giving many examples of published (and some unpublished) data from these techniques to illustrate the principles behind the experiments. We also present advice on how to perform and analyse such experiments, including details of common pitfalls. Our examples are a selection of recent developments and underexplored areas of research from the past. As a nod to Mendel’s early work, we use many examples from plants and insects, especially as much recent work has expanded beyond the human and yeast models traditional in telomere research. We give a general introduction to the accepted knowledge of telomere and satellite systems and include references to specialized reviews for the interested reader.
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17
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Divergent genomic trajectories predate the origin of animals and fungi. Nature 2022; 609:747-753. [PMID: 36002568 PMCID: PMC9492541 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-022-05110-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2022] [Accepted: 07/14/2022] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Animals and fungi have radically distinct morphologies, yet both evolved within the same eukaryotic supergroup: Opisthokonta1,2. Here we reconstructed the trajectory of genetic changes that accompanied the origin of Metazoa and Fungi since the divergence of Opisthokonta with a dataset that includes four novel genomes from crucial positions in the Opisthokonta phylogeny. We show that animals arose only after the accumulation of genes functionally important for their multicellularity, a tendency that began in the pre-metazoan ancestors and later accelerated in the metazoan root. By contrast, the pre-fungal ancestors experienced net losses of most functional categories, including those gained in the path to Metazoa. On a broad-scale functional level, fungal genomes contain a higher proportion of metabolic genes and diverged less from the last common ancestor of Opisthokonta than did the gene repertoires of Metazoa. Metazoa and Fungi also show differences regarding gene gain mechanisms. Gene fusions are more prevalent in Metazoa, whereas a larger fraction of gene gains were detected as horizontal gene transfers in Fungi and protists, in agreement with the long-standing idea that transfers would be less relevant in Metazoa due to germline isolation3-5. Together, our results indicate that animals and fungi evolved under two contrasting trajectories of genetic change that predated the origin of both groups. The gradual establishment of two clearly differentiated genomic contexts thus set the stage for the emergence of Metazoa and Fungi.
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18
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Cerón-Romero MA, Fonseca MM, de Oliveira Martins L, Posada D, Katz LA. Phylogenomic Analyses of 2,786 Genes in 158 Lineages Support a Root of the Eukaryotic Tree of Life between Opisthokonts and All Other Lineages. Genome Biol Evol 2022; 14:evac119. [PMID: 35880421 PMCID: PMC9366629 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evac119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/11/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Advances in phylogenomics and high-throughput sequencing have allowed the reconstruction of deep phylogenetic relationships in the evolution of eukaryotes. Yet, the root of the eukaryotic tree of life remains elusive. The most popular hypothesis in textbooks and reviews is a root between Unikonta (Opisthokonta + Amoebozoa) and Bikonta (all other eukaryotes), which emerged from analyses of a single-gene fusion. Subsequent, highly cited studies based on concatenation of genes supported this hypothesis with some variations or proposed a root within Excavata. However, concatenation of genes does not consider phylogenetically-informative events like gene duplications and losses. A recent study using gene tree parsimony (GTP) suggested the root lies between Opisthokonta and all other eukaryotes, but only including 59 taxa and 20 genes. Here we use GTP with a duplication-loss model in a gene-rich and taxon-rich dataset (i.e., 2,786 gene families from two sets of 155 and 158 diverse eukaryotic lineages) to assess the root, and we iterate each analysis 100 times to quantify tree space uncertainty. We also contrasted our results and discarded alternative hypotheses from the literature using GTP and the likelihood-based method SpeciesRax. Our estimates suggest a root between Fungi or Opisthokonta and all other eukaryotes; but based on further analysis of genome size, we propose that the root between Opisthokonta and all other eukaryotes is the most likely.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mario A Cerón-Romero
- Department of Biological Sciences, Smith College, Northampton, Massachusetts, USA
- Program in Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, Massachusetts, USA
- Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana-Champaign, Illinois, USA
| | - Miguel M Fonseca
- CIIMAR - Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Leonardo de Oliveira Martins
- Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Immunology, University of Vigo, 36310 Vigo, Spain
- Quadram Institute Bioscience, Norwich, United Kingdom
| | - David Posada
- Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Immunology, University of Vigo, 36310 Vigo, Spain
- CINBIO, Universidade de Vigo, 36310 Vigo, Spain
- Galicia Sur Health Research Institute (IIS Galicia Sur), SERGAS-UVIGO, Vigo, Spain
| | - Laura A Katz
- Department of Biological Sciences, Smith College, Northampton, Massachusetts, USA
- Program in Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, Massachusetts, USA
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19
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New insights on the evolutionary relationships between the major lineages of Amoebozoa. Sci Rep 2022; 12:11173. [PMID: 35778543 PMCID: PMC9249873 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-15372-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2022] [Accepted: 06/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
The supergroup Amoebozoa unites a wide diversity of amoeboid organisms and encompasses enigmatic lineages that have been recalcitrant to modern phylogenetics. Deep divergences, taxonomic placement of some key taxa and character evolution in the group largely remain poorly elucidated or controversial. We surveyed available Amoebozoa genomes and transcriptomes to mine conserved putative single copy genes, which were used to enrich gene sampling and generate the largest supermatrix in the group to date; encompassing 824 genes, including gene sequences not previously analyzed. We recovered a well-resolved and supported tree of Amoebozoa, revealing novel deep level relationships and resolving placement of enigmatic lineages congruent with morphological data. In our analysis the deepest branching group is Tubulinea. A recent proposed major clade Tevosa, uniting Evosea and Tubulinea, is not supported. Based on the new phylogenetic tree, paleoecological and paleontological data as well as data on the biology of presently living amoebozoans, we hypothesize that the evolution of Amoebozoa probably was driven by adaptive responses to a changing environment, where successful survival and predation resulted from a capacity to disrupt and graze on microbial mats-a dominant ecosystem of the mid-Proterozoic period of the Earth history.
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20
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Vosseberg J, Schinkel M, Gremmen S, Snel B. The spread of the first introns in proto-eukaryotic paralogs. Commun Biol 2022; 5:476. [PMID: 35589959 PMCID: PMC9120149 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-022-03426-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2021] [Accepted: 04/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Spliceosomal introns are a unique feature of eukaryotic genes. Previous studies have established that many introns were present in the protein-coding genes of the last eukaryotic common ancestor (LECA). Intron positions shared between genes that duplicated before LECA could in principle provide insight into the emergence of the first introns. In this study we use ancestral intron position reconstructions in two large sets of duplicated families to systematically identify these ancient paralogous intron positions. We found that 20-35% of introns inferred to have been present in LECA were shared between paralogs. These shared introns, which likely preceded ancient duplications, were wide spread across different functions, with the notable exception of nuclear transport. Since we observed a clear signal of pervasive intron loss prior to LECA, it is likely that substantially more introns were shared at the time of duplication than we can detect in LECA. The large extent of shared introns indicates an early origin of introns during eukaryogenesis and suggests an early origin of a nuclear structure, before most of the other complex eukaryotic features were established.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julian Vosseberg
- Theoretical Biology and Bioinformatics, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Michelle Schinkel
- Theoretical Biology and Bioinformatics, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Radboud University Medical Center, Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Sjoerd Gremmen
- Theoretical Biology and Bioinformatics, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Berend Snel
- Theoretical Biology and Bioinformatics, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands.
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21
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Trujillo JT, Long J, Aboelnour E, Ogas J, Wisecaver JH. CHD chromatin remodeling protein diversification yields novel clades and domains absent in classic model organisms. Genome Biol Evol 2022; 14:6582301. [PMID: 35524943 PMCID: PMC9113485 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evac066] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Chromatin remodelers play a fundamental role in the assembly of chromatin, regulation of transcription, and DNA repair. Biochemical and functional characterizations of the CHD family of chromatin remodelers from a variety of model organisms have shown that these remodelers participate in a wide range of activities. However, because the evolutionary history of CHD homologs is unclear, it is difficult to predict which of these activities are broadly conserved and which have evolved more recently in individual eukaryotic lineages. Here, we performed a comprehensive phylogenetic analysis of 8,042 CHD homologs from 1,894 species to create a model for the evolution of this family across eukaryotes with a particular focus on the timing of duplications that gave rise to the diverse copies observed in plants, animals, and fungi. Our analysis confirms that the three major subfamilies of CHD remodelers originated in the eukaryotic last common ancestor, and subsequent losses occurred independently in different lineages. Improved taxon sampling identified several subfamilies of CHD remodelers in plants that were absent or highly divergent in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. Whereas the timing of CHD subfamily expansions in vertebrates corresponds to whole genome duplication events, the mechanisms underlying CHD diversification in land plants appear more complicated. Analysis of protein domains reveals that CHD remodeler diversification has been accompanied by distinct transitions in domain architecture, contributing to the functional differences observed between these remodelers. This study demonstrates the importance of proper taxon sampling when studying ancient evolutionary events to prevent misinterpretation of subsequent lineage-specific changes and provides an evolutionary framework for functional and comparative analysis of this critical chromatin remodeler family across eukaryotes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joshua T Trujillo
- Center for Plant Biology and Department of Biochemistry, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907, USA
| | - Jiaxin Long
- Center for Plant Biology and Department of Biochemistry, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907, USA
| | - Erin Aboelnour
- Center for Plant Biology and Department of Biochemistry, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907, USA.,Helmholtz Pioneer Campus, Helmholtz Zentrum München, 85764 Neuherberg, Germany
| | - Joseph Ogas
- Center for Plant Biology and Department of Biochemistry, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907, USA
| | - Jennifer H Wisecaver
- Center for Plant Biology and Department of Biochemistry, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907, USA
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22
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Cavalier-Smith T. Ciliary transition zone evolution and the root of the eukaryote tree: implications for opisthokont origin and classification of kingdoms Protozoa, Plantae, and Fungi. PROTOPLASMA 2022; 259:487-593. [PMID: 34940909 PMCID: PMC9010356 DOI: 10.1007/s00709-021-01665-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2020] [Accepted: 05/03/2021] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
I thoroughly discuss ciliary transition zone (TZ) evolution, highlighting many overlooked evolutionarily significant ultrastructural details. I establish fundamental principles of TZ ultrastructure and evolution throughout eukaryotes, inferring unrecognised ancestral TZ patterns for Fungi, opisthokonts, and Corticata (i.e., kingdoms Plantae and Chromista). Typical TZs have a dense transitional plate (TP), with a previously overlooked complex lattice as skeleton. I show most eukaryotes have centriole/TZ junction acorn-V filaments (whose ancestral function was arguably supporting central pair microtubule-nucleating sites; I discuss their role in centriole growth). Uniquely simple malawimonad TZs (without TP, simpler acorn) pinpoint the eukaryote tree's root between them and TP-bearers, highlighting novel superclades. I integrate TZ/ciliary evolution with the best multiprotein trees, naming newly recognised major eukaryote clades and revise megaclassification of basal kingdom Protozoa. Recent discovery of non-photosynthetic phagotrophic flagellates with genome-free plastids (Rhodelphis), the sister group to phylum Rhodophyta (red algae), illuminates plant and chromist early evolution. I show previously overlooked marked similarities in cell ultrastructure between Rhodelphis and Picomonas, formerly considered an early diverging chromist. In both a nonagonal tube lies between their TP and an annular septum surrounding their 9+2 ciliary axoneme. Mitochondrial dense condensations and mitochondrion-linked smooth endomembrane cytoplasmic partitioning cisternae further support grouping Picomonadea and Rhodelphea as new plant phylum Pararhoda. As Pararhoda/Rhodophyta form a robust clade on site-heterogeneous multiprotein trees, I group Pararhoda and Rhodophyta as new infrakingdom Rhodaria of Plantae within subkingdom Biliphyta, which also includes Glaucophyta with fundamentally similar TZ, uniquely in eukaryotes. I explain how biliphyte TZs generated viridiplant stellate-structures.
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23
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Lukáčová A, Beck T, Trnková K, Trniková M, Krajčovič J, Vesteg M. Discrimination of Euglena gracilis strains Z and bacillaris by MALDI-TOF MS. J Appl Microbiol 2022; 133:930-942. [PMID: 35483969 DOI: 10.1111/jam.15600] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2022] [Revised: 03/31/2022] [Accepted: 04/26/2022] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
AIMS Euglena gracilis is used as model organism for various microbiological, molecular biological and biotechnological studies. Its most studied wild type strains are Z and bacillaris, but their discrimination by standard molecular methods is difficult. Therefore, we decided to test the suitability of MALDI-TOF MS (matrix assisted laser desorption/ionization - time of flight mass spectrometry) for identification of E. gracilis and for discrimination of these two strains possessing functional chloroplasts. MALDI-TOF MS profiling was also tested for two white (non-photosynthetic) stable E. gracilis mutant strains Wgm ZOflL and W10 BSmL. METHODS AND RESULTS We have successfully obtained main spectrum profiles (MSPs) of E. gracilis strains Z, SAG 1224-5/25 and bacillaris, SAG 1224-5/15 using protein extraction procedure. Subsequent MALDI-TOF MS profiling of a number of tested samples and the comparison of the obtained protein profiles with our in-house database including MSPs of both strains has revealed that these two strains can be easily distinguished by MALDI-TOF MS based on score values over two in most cases. This method has also confirmed the ancestry of white mutant strains Wgm ZOflL and W10 BSmL, originally derived from strains Z and bacillaris, respectively. CONCLUSIONS MALDI-TOF MS is suitable, accurate and rapid method for discrimination of E. gracilis strains. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF STUDY These results can have broad practical implications for laboratories cultivating various strains of euglenids, and they can be applied for their discrimination by MALDI-TOF MS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra Lukáčová
- Department of Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Matej Bel University, Banská Bystrica, Slovakia
| | - Terézia Beck
- Department of Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Matej Bel University, Banská Bystrica, Slovakia
| | - Katarína Trnková
- Department of the Environment, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Matej Bel University, Banská Bystrica, Slovakia
| | - Miriam Trniková
- Department of Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Matej Bel University, Banská Bystrica, Slovakia
| | - Juraj Krajčovič
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Ss. Cyril and Methodius, Trnava, Slovakia
| | - Matej Vesteg
- Department of Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Matej Bel University, Banská Bystrica, Slovakia
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24
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Al Jewari C, Baldauf SL. Conflict over the eukaryote root resides in strong outliers, mosaics and missing data sensitivity of site-specific (CAT) mixture models. Syst Biol 2022; 72:1-16. [PMID: 35412616 DOI: 10.1093/sysbio/syac029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2021] [Accepted: 04/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Phylogenetic reconstruction using concatenated loci ("phylogenomics" or "supermatrix phylogeny") is a powerful tool for solving evolutionary splits that are poorly resolved in single gene/protein trees (SGTs). However, recent phylogenomic attempts to resolve the eukaryote root have yielded conflicting results, along with claims of various artefacts hidden in the data. We have investigated these conflicts using two new methods for assessing phylogenetic conflict. ConJak uses whole marker (gene or protein) jackknifing to assess deviation from a central mean for each individual sequence, while ConWin uses a sliding window to screen for incongruent protein fragments (mosaics). Both methods allow selective masking of individual sequences or sequence fragments in order to minimize missing data, an important consideration for resolving deep splits with limited data. Analyses focused on a set of 76 eukaryotic proteins of bacterial-ancestry previously used in various combinations to assess the branching order among the three major divisions of eukaryotes: Amorphea (mainly animals, fungi and Amoebozoa), Diaphoretickes (most other well-known eukaryotes and nearly all algae) and Excavata, represented here by Discoba (Jakobida, Heterolobosea, and Euglenozoa). ConJak analyses found strong outliers to be concentrated in under-sampled lineages, while ConWin analyses of Discoba, the most under-sampled of the major lineages, detected potentially incongruent fragments scattered throughout. Phylogenetic analyses of the full data using an LG-gamma model support a Discoba sister scenario (neozoan-excavate root), which rises to 99-100% bootstrap support with data masked according to either protocol. However, analyses with two site-specific (CAT) mixture models yielded widely inconsistent results and a striking sensitivity to missing data. The neozoan-excavate root places Amorphea and Diaphoretickes as more closely related to each other than either is to Discoba, a fundamental relationship that should remain unaffected by additional taxa.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caesar Al Jewari
- Program in Systematic Biology, Department of Organismal Biology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden 75236
| | - Sandra L Baldauf
- Program in Systematic Biology, Department of Organismal Biology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden 75236
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25
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Dewees SI, Vargová R, Hardin KR, Turn RE, Devi S, Linnert J, Wolfrum U, Caspary T, Eliáš M, Kahn RA. Phylogenetic profiling and cellular analyses of ARL16 reveal roles in traffic of IFT140 and INPP5E. Mol Biol Cell 2022; 33:ar33. [PMID: 35196065 PMCID: PMC9250359 DOI: 10.1091/mbc.e21-10-0509-t] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2021] [Revised: 01/11/2022] [Accepted: 02/18/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The ARF family of regulatory GTPases is ancient, with 16 members predicted to have been present in the last eukaryotic common ancestor. Our phylogenetic profiling of paralogues in diverse species identified four family members whose presence correlates with that of a cilium/flagellum: ARL3, ARL6, ARL13, and ARL16. No prior evidence links ARL16 to cilia or other cell functions, despite its presence throughout eukaryotes. Deletion of ARL16 in mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) results in decreased ciliogenesis yet increased ciliary length. We also found Arl16 knockout (KO) in MEFs to alter ciliary protein content, including loss of ARL13B, ARL3, INPP5E, and the IFT-A core component IFT140. Instead, both INPP5E and IFT140 accumulate at the Golgi in Arl16 KO lines, while other intraflagellar transport (IFT) proteins do not, suggesting a specific defect in traffic from Golgi to cilia. We propose that ARL16 regulates a Golgi-cilia traffic pathway and is required specifically in the export of IFT140 and INPP5E from the Golgi.
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Affiliation(s)
- Skylar I. Dewees
- Department of Biochemistry, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322
- Biochemistry, Cell & Developmental Biology Graduate Program, Laney Graduate School, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30307
| | - Romana Vargová
- Department of Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Science, University of Ostrava, CZ-710 00, Ostrava, Czech Republic
| | - Katherine R. Hardin
- Department of Cell Biology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322
- Biochemistry, Cell & Developmental Biology Graduate Program, Laney Graduate School, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30307
| | - Rachel E. Turn
- Department of Biochemistry, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322
- Biochemistry, Cell & Developmental Biology Graduate Program, Laney Graduate School, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30307
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA 94305-5124
| | - Saroja Devi
- Department of Biochemistry, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322
| | - Joshua Linnert
- Institute of Molecular Physiology, Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz 55128, Germany
| | - Uwe Wolfrum
- Institute of Molecular Physiology, Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz 55128, Germany
| | - Tamara Caspary
- Department of Human Genetics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322
| | - Marek Eliáš
- Department of Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Science, University of Ostrava, CZ-710 00, Ostrava, Czech Republic
| | - Richard A. Kahn
- Department of Biochemistry, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322
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26
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Spang A, Mahendrarajah TA, Offre P, Stairs CW. Evolving perspective on the origin and diversification of cellular life and the virosphere. Genome Biol Evol 2022; 14:6537539. [PMID: 35218347 PMCID: PMC9169541 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evac034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The tree of life (TOL) is a powerful framework to depict the evolutionary history of cellular organisms through time, from our microbial origins to the diversification of multicellular eukaryotes that shape the visible biosphere today. During the past decades, our perception of the TOL has fundamentally changed, in part, due to profound methodological advances, which allowed a more objective approach to studying organismal and viral diversity and led to the discovery of major new branches in the TOL as well as viral lineages. Phylogenetic and comparative genomics analyses of these data have, among others, revolutionized our understanding of the deep roots and diversity of microbial life, the origin of the eukaryotic cell, eukaryotic diversity, as well as the origin, and diversification of viruses. In this review, we provide an overview of some of the recent discoveries on the evolutionary history of cellular organisms and their viruses and discuss a variety of complementary techniques that we consider crucial for making further progress in our understanding of the TOL and its interconnection with the virosphere.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anja Spang
- NIOZ, Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, Department of Marine Microbiology and Biogeochemistry, Utrecht University, The Netherlands and 1790 AB Den Burg.,Department of Cell- and Molecular Biology, Science for Life Laboratory, Uppsala University, Sweden SE-75123, Uppsala
| | - Tara A Mahendrarajah
- NIOZ, Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, Department of Marine Microbiology and Biogeochemistry, Utrecht University, The Netherlands and 1790 AB Den Burg
| | - Pierre Offre
- NIOZ, Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, Department of Marine Microbiology and Biogeochemistry, Utrecht University, The Netherlands and 1790 AB Den Burg
| | - Courtney W Stairs
- Department of Biology, Lund University, Sweden Sölvegatan 35, 223 62 Lund
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27
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Weiner AKM, Cerón-Romero MA, Yan Y, Katz LA. Phylogenomics of the Epigenetic Toolkit Reveals Punctate Retention of Genes across Eukaryotes. Genome Biol Evol 2021; 12:2196-2210. [PMID: 33049043 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evaa198] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/15/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Epigenetic processes in eukaryotes play important roles through regulation of gene expression, chromatin structure, and genome rearrangements. The roles of chromatin modification (e.g., DNA methylation and histone modification) and non-protein-coding RNAs have been well studied in animals and plants. With the exception of a few model organisms (e.g., Saccharomyces and Plasmodium), much less is known about epigenetic toolkits across the remainder of the eukaryotic tree of life. Even with limited data, previous work suggested the existence of an ancient epigenetic toolkit in the last eukaryotic common ancestor. We use PhyloToL, our taxon-rich phylogenomic pipeline, to detect homologs of epigenetic genes and evaluate their macroevolutionary patterns among eukaryotes. In addition to data from GenBank, we increase taxon sampling from understudied clades of SAR (Stramenopila, Alveolata, and Rhizaria) and Amoebozoa by adding new single-cell transcriptomes from ciliates, foraminifera, and testate amoebae. We focus on 118 gene families, 94 involved in chromatin modification and 24 involved in non-protein-coding RNA processes based on the epigenetics literature. Our results indicate 1) the presence of a large number of epigenetic gene families in the last eukaryotic common ancestor; 2) differential conservation among major eukaryotic clades, with a notable paucity of genes within Excavata; and 3) punctate distribution of epigenetic gene families between species consistent with rapid evolution leading to gene loss. Together these data demonstrate the power of taxon-rich phylogenomic studies for illuminating evolutionary patterns at scales of >1 billion years of evolution and suggest that macroevolutionary phenomena, such as genome conflict, have shaped the evolution of the eukaryotic epigenetic toolkit.
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Affiliation(s)
- Agnes K M Weiner
- Department of Biological Sciences, Smith College, Northampton, Massachusetts
| | - Mario A Cerón-Romero
- Department of Biological Sciences, Smith College, Northampton, Massachusetts.,Program in Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, University of Massachusetts Amherst
| | - Ying Yan
- Department of Biological Sciences, Smith College, Northampton, Massachusetts
| | - Laura A Katz
- Department of Biological Sciences, Smith College, Northampton, Massachusetts.,Program in Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, University of Massachusetts Amherst
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28
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Abstract
The origin of eukaryotes has been defined as the major evolutionary transition since the origin of life itself. Most hallmark traits of eukaryotes, such as their intricate intracellular organization, can be traced back to a putative common ancestor that predated the broad diversity of extant eukaryotes. However, little is known about the nature and relative order of events that occurred in the path from preexisting prokaryotes to this already sophisticated ancestor. The origin of mitochondria from the endosymbiosis of an alphaproteobacterium is one of the few robustly established events to which most hypotheses on the origin of eukaryotes are anchored, but the debate is still open regarding the time of this acquisition, the nature of the host, and the ecological and metabolic interactions between the symbiotic partners. After the acquisition of mitochondria, eukaryotes underwent a fast radiation into several major clades whose phylogenetic relationships have been largely elusive. Recent progress in the comparative analyses of a growing number of genomes is shedding light on the early events of eukaryotic evolution as well as on the root and branching patterns of the tree of eukaryotes. Here I discuss current knowledge and debates on the origin and early evolution of eukaryotes. I focus particularly on how phylogenomic analyses have challenged some of the early assumptions about eukaryotic evolution, including the widespread idea that mitochondrial symbiosis in an archaeal host was the earliest event in eukaryogenesis. Expected final online publication date for the Annual Review of Microbiology, Volume 75 is October 2021. Please see http://www.annualreviews.org/page/journal/pubdates for revised estimates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Toni Gabaldón
- Barcelona Supercomputing Centre (BCS-CNS), 08034 Barcelona, Spain; .,Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology (BIST), 08028 Barcelona, Spain.,Catalan Institution for Research and Advanced Studies (ICREA), 08010 Barcelona, Spain
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29
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Anselmetti Y, El-Mabrouk N, Lafond M, Ouangraoua A. Gene tree and species tree reconciliation with endosymbiotic gene transfer. Bioinformatics 2021; 37:i120-i132. [PMID: 34252921 PMCID: PMC8312264 DOI: 10.1093/bioinformatics/btab328] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
MOTIVATION It is largely established that all extant mitochondria originated from a unique endosymbiotic event integrating an α-proteobacterial genome into an eukaryotic cell. Subsequently, eukaryote evolution has been marked by episodes of gene transfer, mainly from the mitochondria to the nucleus, resulting in a significant reduction of the mitochondrial genome, eventually completely disappearing in some lineages. However, in other lineages such as in land plants, a high variability in gene repertoire distribution, including genes encoded in both the nuclear and mitochondrial genome, is an indication of an ongoing process of Endosymbiotic Gene Transfer (EGT). Understanding how both nuclear and mitochondrial genomes have been shaped by gene loss, duplication and transfer is expected to shed light on a number of open questions regarding the evolution of eukaryotes, including rooting of the eukaryotic tree. RESULTS We address the problem of inferring the evolution of a gene family through duplication, loss and EGT events, the latter considered as a special case of horizontal gene transfer occurring between the mitochondrial and nuclear genomes of the same species (in one direction or the other). We consider both EGT events resulting in maintaining (EGTcopy) or removing (EGTcut) the gene copy in the source genome. We present a linear-time algorithm for computing the DLE (Duplication, Loss and EGT) distance, as well as an optimal reconciled tree, for the unitary cost, and a dynamic programming algorithm allowing to output all optimal reconciliations for an arbitrary cost of operations. We illustrate the application of our EndoRex software and analyze different costs settings parameters on a plant dataset and discuss the resulting reconciled trees. AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION EndoRex implementation and supporting data are available on the GitHub repository via https://github.com/AEVO-lab/EndoRex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yoann Anselmetti
- Département d'informatique, Université de Sherbrooke, 2500, boulevard de l'Université, Sherbrooke (Québec) J1K 2R1, Canada
| | - Nadia El-Mabrouk
- Département d'informatique et de recherche opérationnelle, Université de Montréal, CP 6128 succ Centre-Ville, Montréal, Québec H3C 3J7, Canada
| | - Manuel Lafond
- Département d'informatique, Université de Sherbrooke, 2500, boulevard de l'Université, Sherbrooke (Québec) J1K 2R1, Canada
| | - Aïda Ouangraoua
- Département d'informatique, Université de Sherbrooke, 2500, boulevard de l'Université, Sherbrooke (Québec) J1K 2R1, Canada
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30
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Vargová R, Wideman JG, Derelle R, Klimeš V, Kahn RA, Dacks JB, Eliáš M. A Eukaryote-Wide Perspective on the Diversity and Evolution of the ARF GTPase Protein Family. Genome Biol Evol 2021; 13:6319025. [PMID: 34247240 PMCID: PMC8358228 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evab157] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/02/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The evolution of eukaryotic cellular complexity is interwoven with the extensive diversification of many protein families. One key family is the ARF GTPases that act in eukaryote-specific processes, including membrane traffic, tubulin assembly, actin dynamics, and cilia-related functions. Unfortunately, our understanding of the evolution of this family is limited. Sampling an extensive set of available genome and transcriptome sequences, we have assembled a data set of over 2,000 manually curated ARF family genes from 114 eukaryotic species, including many deeply diverged protist lineages, and carried out comprehensive molecular phylogenetic analyses. These reconstructed as many as 16 ARF family members present in the last eukaryotic common ancestor, nearly doubling the previously inferred ancient system complexity. Evidence for the wide occurrence and ancestral origin of Arf6, Arl13, and Arl16 is presented for the first time. Moreover, Arl17, Arl18, and SarB, newly described here, are absent from well-studied model organisms and as a result their function(s) remain unknown. Analyses of our data set revealed a previously unsuspected diversity of membrane association modes and domain architectures within the ARF family. We detail the step-wise expansion of the ARF family in the metazoan lineage, including discovery of several new animal-specific family members. Delving back to its earliest evolution in eukaryotes, the resolved relationship observed between the ARF family paralogs sets boundaries for scenarios of vesicle coat origins during eukaryogenesis. Altogether, our work fundamentally broadens the understanding of the diversity and evolution of a protein family underpinning the structural and functional complexity of the eukaryote cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Romana Vargová
- Department of Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Science, University of Ostrava, Czech Republic
| | - Jeremy G Wideman
- Biodesign Center for Mechanisms of Evolution, School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, USA
| | - Romain Derelle
- Station d'Ecologie Théorique et Expérimentale, UMR CNRS 5321, Moulis, France
| | - Vladimír Klimeš
- Department of Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Science, University of Ostrava, Czech Republic
| | - Richard A Kahn
- Department of Biochemistry, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Joel B Dacks
- Division of Infectious Disease, Department of Medicine, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.,Centre for Life's Origin and Evolution, Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College of London, United Kingdom
| | - Marek Eliáš
- Department of Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Science, University of Ostrava, Czech Republic
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31
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Mitochondrial Genomic Landscape: A Portrait of the Mitochondrial Genome 40 Years after the First Complete Sequence. Life (Basel) 2021; 11:life11070663. [PMID: 34357035 PMCID: PMC8303319 DOI: 10.3390/life11070663] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2021] [Revised: 07/02/2021] [Accepted: 07/03/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Notwithstanding the initial claims of general conservation, mitochondrial genomes are a largely heterogeneous set of organellar chromosomes which displays a bewildering diversity in terms of structure, architecture, gene content, and functionality. The mitochondrial genome is typically described as a single chromosome, yet many examples of multipartite genomes have been found (for example, among sponges and diplonemeans); the mitochondrial genome is typically depicted as circular, yet many linear genomes are known (for example, among jellyfish, alveolates, and apicomplexans); the chromosome is normally said to be “small”, yet there is a huge variation between the smallest and the largest known genomes (found, for example, in ctenophores and vascular plants, respectively); even the gene content is highly unconserved, ranging from the 13 oxidative phosphorylation-related enzymatic subunits encoded by animal mitochondria to the wider set of mitochondrial genes found in jakobids. In the present paper, we compile and describe a large database of 27,873 mitochondrial genomes currently available in GenBank, encompassing the whole eukaryotic domain. We discuss the major features of mitochondrial molecular diversity, with special reference to nucleotide composition and compositional biases; moreover, the database is made publicly available for future analyses on the MoZoo Lab GitHub page.
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32
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Skejo J, Garg SG, Gould SB, Hendriksen M, Tria FDK, Bremer N, Franjević D, Blackstone NW, Martin WF. Evidence for a Syncytial Origin of Eukaryotes from Ancestral State Reconstruction. Genome Biol Evol 2021; 13:evab096. [PMID: 33963405 PMCID: PMC8290118 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evab096] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/28/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Modern accounts of eukaryogenesis entail an endosymbiotic encounter between an archaeal host and a proteobacterial endosymbiont, with subsequent evolution giving rise to a unicell possessing a single nucleus and mitochondria. The mononucleate state of the last eukaryotic common ancestor (LECA) is seldom, if ever, questioned, even though cells harboring multiple (syncytia, coenocytes, and polykaryons) are surprisingly common across eukaryotic supergroups. Here, we present a survey of multinucleated forms. Ancestral character state reconstruction for representatives of 106 eukaryotic taxa using 16 different possible roots and supergroup sister relationships, indicate that LECA, in addition to being mitochondriate, sexual, and meiotic, was multinucleate. LECA exhibited closed mitosis, which is the rule for modern syncytial forms, shedding light on the mechanics of its chromosome segregation. A simple mathematical model shows that within LECA's multinucleate cytosol, relationships among mitochondria and nuclei were neither one-to-one, nor one-to-many, but many-to-many, placing mitonuclear interactions and cytonuclear compatibility at the evolutionary base of eukaryotic cell origin. Within a syncytium, individual nuclei and individual mitochondria function as the initial lower-level evolutionary units of selection, as opposed to individual cells, during eukaryogenesis. Nuclei within a syncytium rescue each other's lethal mutations, thereby postponing selection for viable nuclei and cytonuclear compatibility to the generation of spores, buffering transitional bottlenecks at eukaryogenesis. The prokaryote-to-eukaryote transition is traditionally thought to have left no intermediates, yet if eukaryogenesis proceeded via a syncytial common ancestor, intermediate forms have persisted to the present throughout the eukaryotic tree as syncytia but have so far gone unrecognized.
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Affiliation(s)
- Josip Skejo
- Institute for Molecular Evolution, Heinrich-Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
- Faculty of Science, Division of Zoology, Department of Biology, University of Zagreb, Evolution Lab, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Sriram G Garg
- Institute for Molecular Evolution, Heinrich-Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Sven B Gould
- Institute for Molecular Evolution, Heinrich-Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Michael Hendriksen
- Institute for Molecular Evolution, Heinrich-Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Fernando D K Tria
- Institute for Molecular Evolution, Heinrich-Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Nico Bremer
- Institute for Molecular Evolution, Heinrich-Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Damjan Franjević
- Faculty of Science, Division of Zoology, Department of Biology, University of Zagreb, Evolution Lab, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Neil W Blackstone
- Department of Biological Sciences, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL, USA
| | - William F Martin
- Institute for Molecular Evolution, Heinrich-Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
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33
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Valach M, Gonzalez Alcazar JA, Sarrasin M, Lang BF, Gray MW, Burger G. An Unexpectedly Complex Mitoribosome in Andalucia godoyi, a Protist with the Most Bacteria-like Mitochondrial Genome. Mol Biol Evol 2021; 38:788-804. [PMID: 32886790 PMCID: PMC7947838 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msaa223] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The mitoribosome, as known from studies in model organisms, deviates considerably from its ancestor, the bacterial ribosome. Deviations include substantial reduction of the mitochondrial ribosomal RNA (mt-rRNA) structure and acquisition of numerous mitochondrion-specific (M) mitoribosomal proteins (mtRPs). A broadly accepted view assumes that M-mtRPs compensate for structural destabilization of mt-rRNA resulting from its evolutionary remodeling. Since most experimental information on mitoribosome makeup comes from eukaryotes having derived mitochondrial genomes and mt-rRNAs, we tested this assumption by investigating the mitochondrial translation machinery of jakobids, a lineage of unicellular protists with the most bacteria-like mitochondrial genomes. We report here proteomics analyses of the Andalucia godoyi small mitoribosomal subunit and in silico transcriptomic and comparative genome analyses of four additional jakobids. Jakobids have mt-rRNA structures that minimally differ from their bacterial counterparts. Yet, with at least 31 small subunit and 44 large subunit mtRPs, the mitoriboproteome of Andalucia is essentially as complex as that in animals or fungi. Furthermore, the relatively high conservation of jakobid sequences has helped to clarify the identity of several mtRPs, previously considered to be lineage-specific, as divergent homologs of conserved M-mtRPs, notably mS22 and mL61. The coexistence of bacteria-like mt-rRNAs and a complex mitoriboproteome refutes the view that M-mtRPs were ancestrally recruited to stabilize deviations of mt-rRNA structural elements. We postulate instead that the numerous M-mtRPs acquired in the last eukaryotic common ancestor allowed mt-rRNAs to pursue a broad range of evolutionary trajectories across lineages: from dramatic reduction to acquisition of novel elements to structural conservatism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matus Valach
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, Robert-Cedergren Centre for Bioinformatics and Genomics, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - José Angel Gonzalez Alcazar
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, Robert-Cedergren Centre for Bioinformatics and Genomics, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Matt Sarrasin
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, Robert-Cedergren Centre for Bioinformatics and Genomics, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - B Franz Lang
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, Robert-Cedergren Centre for Bioinformatics and Genomics, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Michael W Gray
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Centre for Comparative Genomics and Evolutionary Bioinformatics, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
| | - Gertraud Burger
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, Robert-Cedergren Centre for Bioinformatics and Genomics, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
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34
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Horváthová L, Žárský V, Pánek T, Derelle R, Pyrih J, Motyčková A, Klápšťová V, Vinopalová M, Marková L, Voleman L, Klimeš V, Petrů M, Vaitová Z, Čepička I, Hryzáková K, Harant K, Gray MW, Chami M, Guilvout I, Francetic O, Franz Lang B, Vlček Č, Tsaousis AD, Eliáš M, Doležal P. Analysis of diverse eukaryotes suggests the existence of an ancestral mitochondrial apparatus derived from the bacterial type II secretion system. Nat Commun 2021; 12:2947. [PMID: 34011950 PMCID: PMC8134430 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-23046-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2018] [Accepted: 03/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The type 2 secretion system (T2SS) is present in some Gram-negative eubacteria and used to secrete proteins across the outer membrane. Here we report that certain representative heteroloboseans, jakobids, malawimonads and hemimastigotes unexpectedly possess homologues of core T2SS components. We show that at least some of them are present in mitochondria, and their behaviour in biochemical assays is consistent with the presence of a mitochondrial T2SS-derived system (miT2SS). We additionally identified 23 protein families co-occurring with miT2SS in eukaryotes. Seven of these proteins could be directly linked to the core miT2SS by functional data and/or sequence features, whereas others may represent different parts of a broader functional pathway, possibly also involving the peroxisome. Its distribution in eukaryotes and phylogenetic evidence together indicate that the miT2SS-centred pathway is an ancestral eukaryotic trait. Our findings thus have direct implications for the functional properties of the early mitochondrion. Bacteria use the type 2 secretion system to secrete enzymes and toxins across the outer membrane to the environment. Here the authors analyse the T2SS pathway in three protist lineages and suggest that the early mitochondrion may have been capable of secreting proteins into the cytosol.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lenka Horváthová
- Faculty of Science, Department of Parasitology, Charles University, BIOCEV, Vestec, Czech Republic
| | - Vojtěch Žárský
- Faculty of Science, Department of Parasitology, Charles University, BIOCEV, Vestec, Czech Republic
| | - Tomáš Pánek
- Faculty of Science, Department of Biology and Ecology, University of Ostrava, Ostrava, Czech Republic.,Faculty of Science, Department of Zoology, Charles University, Prague 2, Czech Republic
| | - Romain Derelle
- School of Biosciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, UK
| | - Jan Pyrih
- Laboratory of Molecular & Evolutionary Parasitology, RAPID group, School of Biosciences, University of Kent, Canterbury, UK.,Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre, Czech Academy of Sciences, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
| | - Alžběta Motyčková
- Faculty of Science, Department of Parasitology, Charles University, BIOCEV, Vestec, Czech Republic
| | - Veronika Klápšťová
- Faculty of Science, Department of Parasitology, Charles University, BIOCEV, Vestec, Czech Republic
| | - Martina Vinopalová
- Faculty of Science, Department of Parasitology, Charles University, BIOCEV, Vestec, Czech Republic
| | - Lenka Marková
- Faculty of Science, Department of Parasitology, Charles University, BIOCEV, Vestec, Czech Republic
| | - Luboš Voleman
- Faculty of Science, Department of Parasitology, Charles University, BIOCEV, Vestec, Czech Republic
| | - Vladimír Klimeš
- Faculty of Science, Department of Biology and Ecology, University of Ostrava, Ostrava, Czech Republic
| | - Markéta Petrů
- Faculty of Science, Department of Parasitology, Charles University, BIOCEV, Vestec, Czech Republic
| | - Zuzana Vaitová
- Faculty of Science, Department of Parasitology, Charles University, BIOCEV, Vestec, Czech Republic
| | - Ivan Čepička
- Faculty of Science, Department of Zoology, Charles University, Prague 2, Czech Republic
| | - Klára Hryzáková
- Faculty of Science, Department of Genetics and Microbiology, Charles University, Prague 2, Czech Republic
| | - Karel Harant
- Faculty of Science, Proteomic core facility, Charles University, BIOCEV, Vestec, Czech Republic
| | - Michael W Gray
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and Centre for Comparative Genomics and Evolutionary Bioinformatics, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada
| | - Mohamed Chami
- Center for Cellular Imaging and NanoAnalytics, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Ingrid Guilvout
- Biochemistry of Macromolecular Interactions Unit, Department of Structural Biology and Chemistry, Institut Pasteur, CNRS UMR3528, Paris, France
| | - Olivera Francetic
- Biochemistry of Macromolecular Interactions Unit, Department of Structural Biology and Chemistry, Institut Pasteur, CNRS UMR3528, Paris, France
| | - B Franz Lang
- Robert Cedergren Centre for Bioinformatics and Genomics, Département de Biochimie, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Čestmír Vlček
- Institute of Molecular Genetics, Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague 4, Czech Republic
| | - Anastasios D Tsaousis
- Laboratory of Molecular & Evolutionary Parasitology, RAPID group, School of Biosciences, University of Kent, Canterbury, UK
| | - Marek Eliáš
- Faculty of Science, Department of Biology and Ecology, University of Ostrava, Ostrava, Czech Republic.
| | - Pavel Doležal
- Faculty of Science, Department of Parasitology, Charles University, BIOCEV, Vestec, Czech Republic.
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35
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Hernandez AM, Ryan JF. Six-state Amino Acid Recoding is not an Effective Strategy to Offset Compositional Heterogeneity and Saturation in Phylogenetic Analyses. Syst Biol 2021; 70:1200-1212. [PMID: 33837789 PMCID: PMC8513762 DOI: 10.1093/sysbio/syab027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2019] [Revised: 04/02/2021] [Accepted: 04/05/2021] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Six-state amino acid recoding strategies are commonly applied to combat the effects of compositional heterogeneity and substitution saturation in phylogenetic analyses. While these methods have been endorsed from a theoretical perspective, their performance has never been extensively tested. Here, we test the effectiveness of six-state recoding approaches by comparing the performance of analyses on recoded and non-recoded data sets that have been simulated under gradients of compositional heterogeneity or saturation. In our simulation analyses, non-recoding approaches consistently outperform six-state recoding approaches. Our results suggest that six-state recoding strategies are not effective in the face of high saturation. Furthermore, while recoding strategies do buffer the effects of compositional heterogeneity, the loss of information that accompanies six-state recoding outweighs its benefits. In addition, we evaluate recoding schemes with 9, 12, 15, and 18 states and show that these consistently outperform six-state recoding. Our analyses of other recoding schemes suggest that under conditions of very high compositional heterogeneity, it may be advantageous to apply recoding using more than six states, but we caution that applying any recoding should include sufficient justification. Our results have important implications for the more than 90 published papers that have incorporated six-state recoding, many of which have significant bearing on relationships across the tree of life. [Compositional heterogeneity; Dayhoff 6-state recoding; S&R 6-state recoding; six-state amino acid recoding; substitution saturation.]
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra M Hernandez
- Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience, 9505 Ocean Shore Boulevard, St. Augustine, FL, 32080, USA.,Department of Biology, University of Florida, 220 Bartram Hall, P.O. Box 118525, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA
| | - Joseph F Ryan
- Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience, 9505 Ocean Shore Boulevard, St. Augustine, FL, 32080, USA.,Department of Biology, University of Florida, 220 Bartram Hall, P.O. Box 118525, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA
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36
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Pyrih J, Pánek T, Durante IM, Rašková V, Cimrhanzlová K, Kriegová E, Tsaousis AD, Eliáš M, Lukeš J. Vestiges of the Bacterial Signal Recognition Particle-Based Protein Targeting in Mitochondria. Mol Biol Evol 2021; 38:3170-3187. [PMID: 33837778 PMCID: PMC8321541 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msab090] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2020] [Revised: 02/23/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The main bacterial pathway for inserting proteins into the plasma membrane relies on the signal recognition particle (SRP), composed of the Ffh protein and an associated RNA component, and the SRP-docking protein FtsY. Eukaryotes use an equivalent system of archaeal origin to deliver proteins into the endoplasmic reticulum, whereas a bacteria-derived SRP and FtsY function in the plastid. Here we report on the presence of homologs of the bacterial Ffh and FtsY proteins in various unrelated plastid-lacking unicellular eukaryotes, namely Heterolobosea, Alveida, Goniomonas, and Hemimastigophora. The monophyly of novel eukaryotic Ffh and FtsY groups, predicted mitochondrial localization experimentally confirmed for Naegleria gruberi, and a strong alphaproteobacterial affinity of the Ffh group, collectively suggest that they constitute parts of an ancestral mitochondrial signal peptide-based protein-targeting system inherited from the last eukaryotic common ancestor, but lost from the majority of extant eukaryotes. The ability of putative signal peptides, predicted in a subset of mitochondrial-encoded N. gruberi proteins, to target a reporter fluorescent protein into the endoplasmic reticulum of Trypanosoma brucei, likely through their interaction with the cytosolic SRP, provided further support for this notion. We also illustrate that known mitochondrial ribosome-interacting proteins implicated in membrane protein targeting in opisthokonts (Mba1, Mdm38, and Mrx15) are broadly conserved in eukaryotes and nonredundant with the mitochondrial SRP system. Finally, we identified a novel mitochondrial protein (MAP67) present in diverse eukaryotes and related to the signal peptide-binding domain of Ffh, which may well be a hitherto unrecognized component of the mitochondrial membrane protein-targeting machinery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jan Pyrih
- Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre, Czech Academy of Sciences, České Budějovice (Budweis), Czech Republic.,Laboratory of Molecular and Evolutionary Parasitology, RAPID Group, School of Biosciences, University of Kent, Canterbury, United Kingdom
| | - Tomáš Pánek
- Department of Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Science, University of Ostrava, Ostrava, Czech Republic.,Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Ignacio Miguel Durante
- Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre, Czech Academy of Sciences, České Budějovice (Budweis), Czech Republic
| | - Vendula Rašková
- Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre, Czech Academy of Sciences, České Budějovice (Budweis), Czech Republic.,Faculty of Sciences, University of South Bohemia, České Budějovice (Budweis), Czech Republic
| | - Kristýna Cimrhanzlová
- Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre, Czech Academy of Sciences, České Budějovice (Budweis), Czech Republic.,Faculty of Sciences, University of South Bohemia, České Budějovice (Budweis), Czech Republic
| | - Eva Kriegová
- Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre, Czech Academy of Sciences, České Budějovice (Budweis), Czech Republic
| | - Anastasios D Tsaousis
- Laboratory of Molecular and Evolutionary Parasitology, RAPID Group, School of Biosciences, University of Kent, Canterbury, United Kingdom
| | - Marek Eliáš
- Department of Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Science, University of Ostrava, Ostrava, Czech Republic
| | - Julius Lukeš
- Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre, Czech Academy of Sciences, České Budějovice (Budweis), Czech Republic.,Faculty of Sciences, University of South Bohemia, České Budějovice (Budweis), Czech Republic
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37
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Strassert JFH, Irisarri I, Williams TA, Burki F. A molecular timescale for eukaryote evolution with implications for the origin of red algal-derived plastids. Nat Commun 2021; 12:1879. [PMID: 33767194 PMCID: PMC7994803 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-22044-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 72] [Impact Index Per Article: 24.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2020] [Accepted: 02/25/2021] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
In modern oceans, eukaryotic phytoplankton is dominated by lineages with red algal-derived plastids such as diatoms, dinoflagellates, and coccolithophores. Despite the ecological importance of these groups and many others representing a huge diversity of forms and lifestyles, we still lack a comprehensive understanding of their evolution and how they obtained their plastids. New hypotheses have emerged to explain the acquisition of red algal-derived plastids by serial endosymbiosis, but the chronology of these putative independent plastid acquisitions remains untested. Here, we establish a timeframe for the origin of red algal-derived plastids under scenarios of serial endosymbiosis, using Bayesian molecular clock analyses applied on a phylogenomic dataset with broad sampling of eukaryote diversity. We find that the hypotheses of serial endosymbiosis are chronologically possible, as the stem lineages of all red plastid-containing groups overlap in time. This period in the Meso- and Neoproterozoic Eras set the stage for the later expansion to dominance of red algal-derived primary production in the contemporary oceans, which profoundly altered the global geochemical and ecological conditions of the Earth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jürgen F H Strassert
- Department of Organismal Biology, Program in Systematic Biology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
- Department of Ecosystem Research, Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, Berlin, Germany
| | - Iker Irisarri
- Department of Organismal Biology, Program in Systematic Biology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
- Department of Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (MNCN-CSIC), Madrid, Spain
- Department of Applied Bioinformatics, Institute for Microbiology and Genetics, University of Göttingen, and Campus Institute Data Science (CIDAS), Göttingen, Germany
| | - Tom A Williams
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Life Sciences Building, Bristol, UK
| | - Fabien Burki
- Department of Organismal Biology, Program in Systematic Biology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.
- Science for Life Laboratory, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.
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38
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Plazzi F, Puccio G, Passamonti M. HERMES: An improved method to test mitochondrial genome molecular synapomorphies among clades. Mitochondrion 2021; 58:285-295. [PMID: 33639269 DOI: 10.1016/j.mito.2021.02.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2020] [Revised: 01/10/2021] [Accepted: 02/12/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Mitochondrial chromosomes have diversified among eukaryotes and many different architectures and features are now acknowledged for this genome. Here we present the improved HERMES index, which can measure and quantify the amount of molecular change experienced by mitochondrial genomes. We test the improved approach with ten molecular phylogenetic studies based on complete mitochondrial genomes, representing six bilaterian Phyla. In most cases, HERMES analysis spotted out clades or single species with peculiar molecular synapomorphies, allowing to identify phylogenetic and ecological patterns. The software presented herein handles linear, circular, and multi-chromosome genomes, thus widening the HERMES scope to the complete eukaryotic domain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Federico Plazzi
- Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, University of Bologna, via Selmi, 3, 40126 Bologna, Italy.
| | - Guglielmo Puccio
- Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, University of Bologna, via Selmi, 3, 40126 Bologna, Italy.
| | - Marco Passamonti
- Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, University of Bologna, via Selmi, 3, 40126 Bologna, Italy.
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39
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Ocaña-Pallarès E, Vergara Z, Desvoyes B, Tejada-Jimenez M, Romero-Jurado A, Galván A, Fernández E, Ruiz-Trillo I, Gutierrez C. Origin Recognition Complex (ORC) Evolution Is Influenced by Global Gene Duplication/Loss Patterns in Eukaryotic Genomes. Genome Biol Evol 2020; 12:3878-3889. [PMID: 31990293 PMCID: PMC7058166 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evaa011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/14/2020] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
The conservation of orthologs of most subunits of the origin recognition complex (ORC) has served to propose that the whole complex is common to all eukaryotes. However, various uncertainties have arisen concerning ORC subunit composition in a variety of lineages. Also, it is unclear whether the ancestral diversification of ORC in eukaryotes was accompanied by the neofunctionalization of some subunits, for example, role of ORC1 in centriole homeostasis. We have addressed these questions by reconstructing the distribution and evolutionary history of ORC1-5/CDC6 in a taxon-rich eukaryotic data set. First, we identified ORC subunits previously undetected in divergent lineages, which allowed us to propose a series of parsimonious scenarios for the origin of this multiprotein complex. Contrary to previous expectations, we found a global tendency in eukaryotes to increase or decrease the number of subunits as a consequence of genome duplications or streamlining, respectively. Interestingly, parasites show significantly lower number of subunits than free-living eukaryotes, especially those with the lowest genome size and gene content metrics. We also investigated the evolutionary origin of the ORC1 role in centriole homeostasis mediated by the PACT region in human cells. In particular, we tested the consequences of reducing ORC1 levels in the centriole-containing green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. We found that the proportion of centrioles to flagella and nuclei was not dramatically affected. This, together with the PACT region not being significantly more conserved in centriole-bearing eukaryotes, supports the notion that this neofunctionalization of ORC1 would be a recent acquisition rather than an ancestral eukaryotic feature.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Zaida Vergara
- Centro de Biologia Molecular Severo Ochoa, CSIC-UAM, Cantoblanco, Madrid, Spain
| | - Bénédicte Desvoyes
- Centro de Biologia Molecular Severo Ochoa, CSIC-UAM, Cantoblanco, Madrid, Spain
| | - Manuel Tejada-Jimenez
- Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Córdoba, Córdoba, Spain
| | - Ainoa Romero-Jurado
- Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Córdoba, Córdoba, Spain
| | - Aurora Galván
- Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Córdoba, Córdoba, Spain
| | - Emilio Fernández
- Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Córdoba, Córdoba, Spain
| | - Iñaki Ruiz-Trillo
- Institut de Biologia Evolutiva (CSIC-Universitat Pompeu Fabra), Barcelona, Spain.,Departament de Genètica, Microbiologia i Estadística, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.,ICREA, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Crisanto Gutierrez
- Centro de Biologia Molecular Severo Ochoa, CSIC-UAM, Cantoblanco, Madrid, Spain
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40
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Heiss AA, Warring SD, Lukacs K, Favate J, Yang A, Gyaltshen Y, Filardi C, Simpson AGB, Kim E. Description of Imasa heleensis, gen. nov., sp. nov. (Imasidae, fam. nov.), a Deep-Branching Marine Malawimonad and Possible Key Taxon in Understanding Early Eukaryotic Evolution. J Eukaryot Microbiol 2020; 68:e12837. [PMID: 33274482 DOI: 10.1111/jeu.12837] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2020] [Revised: 09/23/2020] [Accepted: 11/13/2020] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Malawimonadida is a deep-level (arguably "kingdom-scale") lineage of eukaryotes whose phylogenetic affinities are uncertain but of great evolutionary interest, as the group is suspected to branch close to the root of the tree of eukaryotes. Part of the difficulty in placing Malawimonadida phylogenetically is its tiny circumscription: at present, it comprises only two described and one cultured but undescribed species, all of them are freshwater suspension-feeding nanoflagellates. In this study, we cultivated and characterised Imasa heleensis gen. nov., sp. nov. (Imasidae fam. nov.), the first marine malawimonad to be described. Light and electron microscopy observations show that Imasa is largely similar to other malawimonads, but more frequently adheres to the substrate, often by means of a pliable posterior extension. Phylogenetic analyses based on two ribosomal RNA genes and four translated protein-coding genes using three different taxon sets place Imasa as sister to the three freshwater malawimonad strains with strong support. Imasa's mitochondrial genome is circular-mapping and shows a similar gene complement to other known malawimonads. We conclude that Imasa represents an important expansion of the range of taxa available for future evolutionary study.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aaron A Heiss
- Department of Invertebrate Zoology and Sackler Institute for Comparative Genomics, American Museum of Natural History, Central Park West at 79th Street, New York City, New York, 10024, USA
| | - Sally D Warring
- Department of Invertebrate Zoology and Sackler Institute for Comparative Genomics, American Museum of Natural History, Central Park West at 79th Street, New York City, New York, 10024, USA
| | - Kaleigh Lukacs
- Department of Invertebrate Zoology and Sackler Institute for Comparative Genomics, American Museum of Natural History, Central Park West at 79th Street, New York City, New York, 10024, USA
| | - John Favate
- Department of Invertebrate Zoology and Sackler Institute for Comparative Genomics, American Museum of Natural History, Central Park West at 79th Street, New York City, New York, 10024, USA
| | - Ashley Yang
- Department of Invertebrate Zoology and Sackler Institute for Comparative Genomics, American Museum of Natural History, Central Park West at 79th Street, New York City, New York, 10024, USA
| | - Yangtsho Gyaltshen
- Department of Invertebrate Zoology and Sackler Institute for Comparative Genomics, American Museum of Natural History, Central Park West at 79th Street, New York City, New York, 10024, USA
| | | | - Alastair G B Simpson
- Department of Biology and Centre for Comparative Genomics and Evolutionary Bioinformatics, Dalhousie University, 1355 Oxford St, Halifax, Nova Scotia, B3H 4R2, Canada
| | - Eunsoo Kim
- Department of Invertebrate Zoology and Sackler Institute for Comparative Genomics, American Museum of Natural History, Central Park West at 79th Street, New York City, New York, 10024, USA
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41
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Vosseberg J, van Hooff JJE, Marcet-Houben M, van Vlimmeren A, van Wijk LM, Gabaldón T, Snel B. Timing the origin of eukaryotic cellular complexity with ancient duplications. Nat Ecol Evol 2020; 5:92-100. [PMID: 33106602 PMCID: PMC7610411 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-020-01320-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2020] [Accepted: 08/28/2020] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Eukaryogenesis is one of the most enigmatic evolutionary transitions, during which simple prokaryotic cells gave rise to complex eukaryotic cells. While evolutionary intermediates are lacking, gene duplications provide information on the order of events by which eukaryotes originated. Here we use a phylogenomics approach to reconstruct successive steps during eukaryogenesis. We found that gene duplications roughly doubled the proto-eukaryotic gene repertoire, with families inherited from the Asgard archaea-related host being duplicated most. By relatively timing events using phylogenetic distances we inferred that duplications in cytoskeletal and membrane trafficking families were among the earliest events, whereas most other families expanded predominantly after mitochondrial endosymbiosis. Altogether, we infer that the host that engulfed the proto-mitochondrion had some eukaryote-like complexity, which drastically increased upon mitochondrial acquisition. This scenario bridges the signs of complexity observed in Asgard archaeal genomes to the proposed role of mitochondria in triggering eukaryogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julian Vosseberg
- Theoretical Biology and Bioinformatics, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Jolien J E van Hooff
- Theoretical Biology and Bioinformatics, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands.,Ecologie Systématique Evolution, CNRS, Université Paris-Saclay, AgroParisTech, Orsay, France
| | - Marina Marcet-Houben
- Centre for Genomic Regulation, The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Barcelona, Spain.,Life Sciences Department, Barcelona Supercomputing Center, Barcelona, Spain.,Mechanisms of Disease, Institute for Research in Biomedicine, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Anne van Vlimmeren
- Theoretical Biology and Bioinformatics, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands.,Department of Biological Sciences, Columbia University, New York City, NY, USA
| | - Leny M van Wijk
- Theoretical Biology and Bioinformatics, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Toni Gabaldón
- Centre for Genomic Regulation, The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Barcelona, Spain. .,Life Sciences Department, Barcelona Supercomputing Center, Barcelona, Spain. .,Mechanisms of Disease, Institute for Research in Biomedicine, Barcelona, Spain. .,Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats, Barcelona, Spain.
| | - Berend Snel
- Theoretical Biology and Bioinformatics, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands.
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42
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Abstract
Developing a detailed understanding of how all known forms of life are related to one another in the tree of life has been a major preoccupation of biology since the idea of tree-like evolution first took hold. Since most life is microbial, our intuitive use of morphological comparisons to infer relatedness only goes so far, and molecular sequence data, most recently from genomes and transcriptomes, has been the primary means to infer these relationships. For prokaryotes this presented new challenges, since the degree of horizontal gene transfer led some to question the tree-like depiction of evolution altogether. Most eukaryotes are also microbial, but in contrast to prokaryotic life, the application of large-scale molecular data to the tree of eukaryotes has largely been a constructive process, leading to a small number of very diverse lineages, or 'supergroups'. The tree is not completely resolved, and contentious problems remain, but many well-established supergroups now encompass much more diversity than the traditional kingdoms. Some of the most exciting recent developments come from the discovery of branches in the tree that we previously had no inkling even existed, many of which are of great ecological or evolutionary interest. These new branches highlight the need for more exploration, by high-throughput molecular surveys, but also more traditional means of observations and cultivation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick J Keeling
- Department of Botany, University of British Columbia, Vancouver V6T 1Z4, British Columbia, Canada.
| | - Fabien Burki
- Department of Organismal Biology, Program in Systematic Biology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden; Science for Life Laboratory, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
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43
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Cavalier-Smith T, Chao EEY. Multidomain ribosomal protein trees and the planctobacterial origin of neomura (eukaryotes, archaebacteria). PROTOPLASMA 2020. [PMID: 31900730 DOI: 10.1007/s00709-019-01442] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/16/2023]
Abstract
Palaeontologically, eubacteria are > 3× older than neomura (eukaryotes, archaebacteria). Cell biology contrasts ancestral eubacterial murein peptidoglycan walls and derived neomuran N-linked glycoprotein coats/walls. Misinterpreting long stems connecting clade neomura to eubacteria on ribosomal sequence trees (plus misinterpreted protein paralogue trees) obscured this historical pattern. Universal multiprotein ribosomal protein (RP) trees, more accurate than rRNA trees, are taxonomically undersampled. To reduce contradictions with genically richer eukaryote trees and improve eubacterial phylogeny, we constructed site-heterogeneous and maximum-likelihood universal three-domain, two-domain, and single-domain trees for 143 eukaryotes (branching now congruent with 187-protein trees), 60 archaebacteria, and 151 taxonomically representative eubacteria, using 51 and 26 RPs. Site-heterogeneous trees greatly improve eubacterial phylogeny and higher classification, e.g. showing gracilicute monophyly, that many 'rDNA-phyla' belong in Proteobacteria, and reveal robust new phyla Synthermota and Aquithermota. Monoderm Posibacteria and Mollicutes (two separate wall losses) are both polyphyletic: multiple outer membrane losses in Endobacteria occurred separately from Actinobacteria; neither phylum is related to Chloroflexi, the most divergent prokaryotes, which originated photosynthesis (new model proposed). RP trees support an eozoan root for eukaryotes and are consistent with archaebacteria being their sisters and rooted between Filarchaeota (=Proteoarchaeota, including 'Asgardia') and Euryarchaeota sensu-lato (including ultrasimplified 'DPANN' whose long branches often distort trees). Two-domain trees group eukaryotes within Planctobacteria, and archaebacteria with Planctobacteria/Sphingobacteria. Integrated molecular/palaeontological evidence favours negibacterial ancestors for neomura and all life. Unique presence of key pre-neomuran characters favours Planctobacteria only as ancestral to neomura, which apparently arose by coevolutionary repercussions (explained here in detail, including RP replacement) of simultaneous outer membrane and murein loss. Planctobacterial C-1 methanotrophic enzymes are likely ancestral to archaebacterial methanogenesis and β-propeller-α-solenoid proteins to eukaryotic vesicle coats, nuclear-pore-complexes, and intraciliary transport. Planctobacterial chaperone-independent 4/5-protofilament microtubules and MamK actin-ancestors prepared for eukaryote intracellular motility, mitosis, cytokinesis, and phagocytosis. We refute numerous wrong ideas about the universal tree.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Ema E-Yung Chao
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3PS, UK
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44
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Cavalier-Smith T, Chao EEY. Multidomain ribosomal protein trees and the planctobacterial origin of neomura (eukaryotes, archaebacteria). PROTOPLASMA 2020; 257:621-753. [PMID: 31900730 PMCID: PMC7203096 DOI: 10.1007/s00709-019-01442-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2019] [Accepted: 09/19/2019] [Indexed: 05/02/2023]
Abstract
Palaeontologically, eubacteria are > 3× older than neomura (eukaryotes, archaebacteria). Cell biology contrasts ancestral eubacterial murein peptidoglycan walls and derived neomuran N-linked glycoprotein coats/walls. Misinterpreting long stems connecting clade neomura to eubacteria on ribosomal sequence trees (plus misinterpreted protein paralogue trees) obscured this historical pattern. Universal multiprotein ribosomal protein (RP) trees, more accurate than rRNA trees, are taxonomically undersampled. To reduce contradictions with genically richer eukaryote trees and improve eubacterial phylogeny, we constructed site-heterogeneous and maximum-likelihood universal three-domain, two-domain, and single-domain trees for 143 eukaryotes (branching now congruent with 187-protein trees), 60 archaebacteria, and 151 taxonomically representative eubacteria, using 51 and 26 RPs. Site-heterogeneous trees greatly improve eubacterial phylogeny and higher classification, e.g. showing gracilicute monophyly, that many 'rDNA-phyla' belong in Proteobacteria, and reveal robust new phyla Synthermota and Aquithermota. Monoderm Posibacteria and Mollicutes (two separate wall losses) are both polyphyletic: multiple outer membrane losses in Endobacteria occurred separately from Actinobacteria; neither phylum is related to Chloroflexi, the most divergent prokaryotes, which originated photosynthesis (new model proposed). RP trees support an eozoan root for eukaryotes and are consistent with archaebacteria being their sisters and rooted between Filarchaeota (=Proteoarchaeota, including 'Asgardia') and Euryarchaeota sensu-lato (including ultrasimplified 'DPANN' whose long branches often distort trees). Two-domain trees group eukaryotes within Planctobacteria, and archaebacteria with Planctobacteria/Sphingobacteria. Integrated molecular/palaeontological evidence favours negibacterial ancestors for neomura and all life. Unique presence of key pre-neomuran characters favours Planctobacteria only as ancestral to neomura, which apparently arose by coevolutionary repercussions (explained here in detail, including RP replacement) of simultaneous outer membrane and murein loss. Planctobacterial C-1 methanotrophic enzymes are likely ancestral to archaebacterial methanogenesis and β-propeller-α-solenoid proteins to eukaryotic vesicle coats, nuclear-pore-complexes, and intraciliary transport. Planctobacterial chaperone-independent 4/5-protofilament microtubules and MamK actin-ancestors prepared for eukaryote intracellular motility, mitosis, cytokinesis, and phagocytosis. We refute numerous wrong ideas about the universal tree.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Ema E-Yung Chao
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3PS, UK
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45
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Ngugi DK, Ziegler M, Duarte CM, Voolstra CR. Genomic Blueprint of Glycine Betaine Metabolism in Coral Metaorganisms and Their Contribution to Reef Nitrogen Budgets. iScience 2020; 23:101120. [PMID: 32438323 PMCID: PMC7240134 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2020.101120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2019] [Revised: 03/03/2020] [Accepted: 04/27/2020] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The osmolyte glycine betaine (GB) ranks among the few widespread biomolecules in all three domains of life. In corals, tissue concentrations of GB are substantially higher than in the ambient seawater. However, the synthetic routes remain unresolved, questioning whether intracellular GB originates from de novo synthesis or heterotrophic input. Here we show that the genomic blueprint of coral metaorganisms encode the biosynthetic and degradation machinery for GB. Member organisms also adopted the prokaryotic high-affinity carrier-mediated uptake of exogenous GB, rendering coral reefs potential sinks of marine dissolved GB. The machinery metabolizing GB is highly expressed in the coral model Aiptasia and its microalgal symbionts, signifying GB's role in the cnidarian-dinoflagellate symbiosis. We estimate that corals store between 106–109 grams of GB globally, representing about 16% of their nitrogen biomass. Our findings provide a framework for further mechanistic studies addressing GB's role in coral biology and reef ecosystem nitrogen cycling. Coral tissues contain high concentrations of the osmolyte glycine betaine Corals and their microbial symbionts can produce and degrade glycine betaine High gene expression patterns signifies role in coral-microbial symbiosis Glycine betaine is estimated to encompass 16% of the coral's nitrogen biomass
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Affiliation(s)
- David K Ngugi
- Leibniz Institute DSMZ - German Culture Collection for Microorganisms and Cell Cultures, Braunschweig, Germany; Red Sea Research Center, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, Saudi Arabia.
| | - Maren Ziegler
- Red Sea Research Center, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, Saudi Arabia; Department of Animal Ecology and Systematics, Justus-Liebig-University, Giessen, Germany
| | - Carlos M Duarte
- Red Sea Research Center, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, Saudi Arabia
| | - Christian R Voolstra
- Red Sea Research Center, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, Saudi Arabia; Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz 78457, Germany.
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46
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Gray MW, Burger G, Derelle R, Klimeš V, Leger MM, Sarrasin M, Vlček Č, Roger AJ, Eliáš M, Lang BF. The draft nuclear genome sequence and predicted mitochondrial proteome of Andalucia godoyi, a protist with the most gene-rich and bacteria-like mitochondrial genome. BMC Biol 2020; 18:22. [PMID: 32122349 PMCID: PMC7050145 DOI: 10.1186/s12915-020-0741-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2019] [Accepted: 01/21/2020] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Comparative analyses have indicated that the mitochondrion of the last eukaryotic common ancestor likely possessed all the key core structures and functions that are widely conserved throughout the domain Eucarya. To date, such studies have largely focused on animals, fungi, and land plants (primarily multicellular eukaryotes); relatively few mitochondrial proteomes from protists (primarily unicellular eukaryotic microbes) have been examined. To gauge the full extent of mitochondrial structural and functional complexity and to identify potential evolutionary trends in mitochondrial proteomes, more comprehensive explorations of phylogenetically diverse mitochondrial proteomes are required. In this regard, a key group is the jakobids, a clade of protists belonging to the eukaryotic supergroup Discoba, distinguished by having the most gene-rich and most bacteria-like mitochondrial genomes discovered to date. Results In this study, we assembled the draft nuclear genome sequence for the jakobid Andalucia godoyi and used a comprehensive in silico approach to infer the nucleus-encoded portion of the mitochondrial proteome of this protist, identifying 864 candidate mitochondrial proteins. The A. godoyi mitochondrial proteome has a complexity that parallels that of other eukaryotes, while exhibiting an unusually large number of ancestral features that have been lost particularly in opisthokont (animal and fungal) mitochondria. Notably, we find no evidence that the A. godoyi nuclear genome has or had a gene encoding a single-subunit, T3/T7 bacteriophage-like RNA polymerase, which functions as the mitochondrial transcriptase in all eukaryotes except the jakobids. Conclusions As genome and mitochondrial proteome data have become more widely available, a strikingly punctuate phylogenetic distribution of different mitochondrial components has been revealed, emphasizing that the pathways of mitochondrial proteome evolution are likely complex and lineage-specific. Unraveling this complexity will require comprehensive comparative analyses of mitochondrial proteomes from a phylogenetically broad range of eukaryotes, especially protists. The systematic in silico approach described here offers a valuable adjunct to direct proteomic analysis (e.g., via mass spectrometry), particularly in cases where the latter approach is constrained by sample limitation or other practical considerations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael W Gray
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and Centre for Comparative Genomics and Evolutionary Bioinformatics, Sir Charles Tupper Medical Building, Dalhousie University, 5850 College Street, Halifax, Nova Scotia, B3H 4R2, Canada.
| | - Gertraud Burger
- Département de Biochimie and Robert-Cedergren Center for Bioinformatics and Genomics, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Romain Derelle
- School of Biosciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK
| | - Vladimír Klimeš
- Department of Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Science, University of Ostrava, Ostrava, Czech Republic
| | - Michelle M Leger
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and Centre for Comparative Genomics and Evolutionary Bioinformatics, Sir Charles Tupper Medical Building, Dalhousie University, 5850 College Street, Halifax, Nova Scotia, B3H 4R2, Canada.,Institute of Evolutionary Biology (CSIC-UPF), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Matt Sarrasin
- Département de Biochimie and Robert-Cedergren Center for Bioinformatics and Genomics, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Čestmír Vlček
- Current address: Institute of Molecular Genetics, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Andrew J Roger
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and Centre for Comparative Genomics and Evolutionary Bioinformatics, Sir Charles Tupper Medical Building, Dalhousie University, 5850 College Street, Halifax, Nova Scotia, B3H 4R2, Canada
| | - Marek Eliáš
- Department of Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Science, University of Ostrava, Ostrava, Czech Republic
| | - B Franz Lang
- Département de Biochimie and Robert-Cedergren Center for Bioinformatics and Genomics, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
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Watson A, Habib M, Bapteste E. Phylosystemics: Merging Phylogenomics, Systems Biology, and Ecology to Study Evolution. Trends Microbiol 2020; 28:176-190. [DOI: 10.1016/j.tim.2019.10.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2019] [Revised: 10/21/2019] [Accepted: 10/22/2019] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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48
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van Hooff JJE, Tromer E, van Dam TJP, Kops GJPL, Snel B. Inferring the Evolutionary History of Your Favorite Protein: A Guide for Molecular Biologists. Bioessays 2020; 41:e1900006. [PMID: 31026339 DOI: 10.1002/bies.201900006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2019] [Revised: 02/17/2019] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Comparative genomics has proven a fruitful approach to acquire many functional and evolutionary insights into core cellular processes. Here it is argued that in order to perform accurate and interesting comparative genomics, one first and foremost has to be able to recognize, postulate, and revise different evolutionary scenarios. After all, these studies lack a simple protocol, due to different proteins having different evolutionary dynamics and demanding different approaches. The authors here discuss this challenge from a practical (what are the observations?) and conceptual (how do these indicate a specific evolutionary scenario?) viewpoint, with the aim to guide investigators who want to analyze the evolution of their protein(s) of interest. By sharing how the authors draft, test, and update such a scenario and how it directs their investigations, the authors hope to illuminate how to execute molecular evolution studies and how to interpret them. Also see the video abstract here https://youtu.be/VCt3l2pbdbQ.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jolien J E van Hooff
- Theoretical Biology and Bioinformatics, Biology, Science Faculty, Utrecht University, Padualaan 8, 3584 CH, Utrecht, The Netherlands.,Oncode Institute, Hubrecht Institute-KNAW (Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences), Uppsalalaan 8, 3584 CT, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Eelco Tromer
- Theoretical Biology and Bioinformatics, Biology, Science Faculty, Utrecht University, Padualaan 8, 3584 CH, Utrecht, The Netherlands.,Oncode Institute, Hubrecht Institute-KNAW (Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences), Uppsalalaan 8, 3584 CT, Utrecht, The Netherlands.,Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, Hopkins Building, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge, CB2 1QW, UK
| | - Teunis J P van Dam
- Theoretical Biology and Bioinformatics, Biology, Science Faculty, Utrecht University, Padualaan 8, 3584 CH, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Geert J P L Kops
- Oncode Institute, Hubrecht Institute-KNAW (Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences), Uppsalalaan 8, 3584 CT, Utrecht, The Netherlands.,Molecular Cancer Research, University Medical Centre Utrecht, Heidelberglaan 100, 3584 CX, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Berend Snel
- Theoretical Biology and Bioinformatics, Biology, Science Faculty, Utrecht University, Padualaan 8, 3584 CH, Utrecht, The Netherlands
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Fajkus P, Peška V, Závodník M, Fojtová M, Fulnečková J, Dobias Š, Kilar A, Dvořáčková M, Zachová D, Nečasová I, Sims J, Sýkorová E, Fajkus J. Telomerase RNAs in land plants. Nucleic Acids Res 2019; 47:9842-9856. [PMID: 31392988 PMCID: PMC6765143 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkz695] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2019] [Revised: 07/26/2019] [Accepted: 07/30/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
To elucidate the molecular nature of evolutionary changes of telomeres in the plant order Asparagales, we aimed to characterize telomerase RNA subunits (TRs) in these plants. The unusually long telomere repeat unit in Allium plants (12 nt) allowed us to identify TRs in transcriptomic data of representative species of the Allium genus. Orthologous TRs were then identified in Asparagales plants harbouring telomere DNA composed of TTAGGG (human type) or TTTAGGG (Arabidopsis-type) repeats. Further, we identified TRs across the land plant phylogeny, including common model plants, crop plants, and plants with unusual telomeres. Several lines of functional testing demonstrate the templating telomerase function of the identified TRs and disprove a functionality of the only previously reported plant telomerase RNA in Arabidopsis thaliana. Importantly, our results change the existing paradigm in plant telomere biology which has been based on the existence of a relatively conserved telomerase reverse transcriptase subunit (TERT) associating with highly divergent TRs even between closely related plant taxa. The finding of a monophyletic origin of genuine TRs across land plants opens the possibility to identify TRs directly in transcriptomic or genomic data and/or predict telomere sequences synthesized according to the respective TR template region.
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Affiliation(s)
- Petr Fajkus
- Department of Cell Biology and Radiobiology, Institute of Biophysics of the Czech Academy of Sciences, v.v.i., Brno CZ-61265, Czech Republic.,Laboratory of Functional Genomics and Proteomics, NCBR, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Brno CZ-61137, Czech Republic
| | - Vratislav Peška
- Department of Cell Biology and Radiobiology, Institute of Biophysics of the Czech Academy of Sciences, v.v.i., Brno CZ-61265, Czech Republic
| | - Michal Závodník
- Laboratory of Functional Genomics and Proteomics, NCBR, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Brno CZ-61137, Czech Republic.,Mendel Centre for Plant Genomics and Proteomics, CEITEC, Masaryk University, Brno CZ-62500, Czech Republic
| | - Miloslava Fojtová
- Department of Cell Biology and Radiobiology, Institute of Biophysics of the Czech Academy of Sciences, v.v.i., Brno CZ-61265, Czech Republic.,Laboratory of Functional Genomics and Proteomics, NCBR, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Brno CZ-61137, Czech Republic.,Mendel Centre for Plant Genomics and Proteomics, CEITEC, Masaryk University, Brno CZ-62500, Czech Republic
| | - Jana Fulnečková
- Department of Cell Biology and Radiobiology, Institute of Biophysics of the Czech Academy of Sciences, v.v.i., Brno CZ-61265, Czech Republic.,Laboratory of Functional Genomics and Proteomics, NCBR, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Brno CZ-61137, Czech Republic
| | - Šimon Dobias
- Department of Cell Biology and Radiobiology, Institute of Biophysics of the Czech Academy of Sciences, v.v.i., Brno CZ-61265, Czech Republic.,Laboratory of Functional Genomics and Proteomics, NCBR, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Brno CZ-61137, Czech Republic
| | - Agata Kilar
- Laboratory of Functional Genomics and Proteomics, NCBR, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Brno CZ-61137, Czech Republic.,Mendel Centre for Plant Genomics and Proteomics, CEITEC, Masaryk University, Brno CZ-62500, Czech Republic
| | - Martina Dvořáčková
- Mendel Centre for Plant Genomics and Proteomics, CEITEC, Masaryk University, Brno CZ-62500, Czech Republic
| | - Dagmar Zachová
- Mendel Centre for Plant Genomics and Proteomics, CEITEC, Masaryk University, Brno CZ-62500, Czech Republic
| | - Ivona Nečasová
- Laboratory of Functional Genomics and Proteomics, NCBR, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Brno CZ-61137, Czech Republic.,Mendel Centre for Plant Genomics and Proteomics, CEITEC, Masaryk University, Brno CZ-62500, Czech Republic
| | - Jason Sims
- Max Perutz Labs, University of Vienna, Dr. Bohr Gasse 9, A-1030, Vienna, Austria
| | - Eva Sýkorová
- Department of Cell Biology and Radiobiology, Institute of Biophysics of the Czech Academy of Sciences, v.v.i., Brno CZ-61265, Czech Republic
| | - Jiří Fajkus
- Department of Cell Biology and Radiobiology, Institute of Biophysics of the Czech Academy of Sciences, v.v.i., Brno CZ-61265, Czech Republic.,Laboratory of Functional Genomics and Proteomics, NCBR, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Brno CZ-61137, Czech Republic.,Mendel Centre for Plant Genomics and Proteomics, CEITEC, Masaryk University, Brno CZ-62500, Czech Republic
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50
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Najle SR, Hernández J, Ocaña-Pallarès E, García Siburu N, Nusblat AD, Nudel CB, Slamovits CH, Uttaro AD. Genome-wide Transcriptional Analysis of Tetrahymena thermophila Response to Exogenous Cholesterol. J Eukaryot Microbiol 2019; 67:209-222. [PMID: 31705733 DOI: 10.1111/jeu.12774] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2019] [Revised: 10/23/2019] [Accepted: 10/28/2019] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
The ciliate Tetrahymena thermophila does not require sterols for growth and synthesizes pentacyclic triterpenoid alcohols, mainly tetrahymanol, as sterol surrogates. However, when sterols are present in the environment, T. thermophila efficiently incorporates and modifies them. These modifications consist of desaturation reactions at positions C5(6), C7(8), and C22(23), and de-ethylation at C24 of 29-carbon sterols (i.e. phytosterols). Three out of four of the enzymes involved in the sterol modification pathway have been previously identified. However, identification of the sterol C22 desaturase remained elusive, as did other basic aspects of this metabolism. To get more insights into this peculiar metabolism, we here perform a whole transcriptome analysis of T. thermophila in response to exogenous cholesterol. We found 356 T. thermophila genes to be differentially expressed after supplementation with cholesterol for 2 h. Among those that were upregulated, we found two genes belonging to the long spacing family of desaturases that we tentatively identified by RNAi analysis as sterol C22 desaturases. Additionally, we determined that the inhibition of tetrahymanol synthesis after supplementation with cholesterol occurs by a transcriptional downregulation of genes involved in squalene synthesis and cyclization. Finally, we identified several uncharacterized genes that are likely involved in sterols transport and signaling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sebastián R Najle
- Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas, Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Rosario, CONICET, Universidad Nacional de Rosario, Ocampo y Esmeralda s/n, S2000FHQ, Rosario, Argentina.,Institut de Biología Evolutiva (CSIC-Universitat Pompeu Fabra), Pg. Marítim de la Barceloneta 37-49, 08003, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Josefina Hernández
- Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas, Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Rosario, CONICET, Universidad Nacional de Rosario, Ocampo y Esmeralda s/n, S2000FHQ, Rosario, Argentina
| | - Eduard Ocaña-Pallarès
- Institut de Biología Evolutiva (CSIC-Universitat Pompeu Fabra), Pg. Marítim de la Barceloneta 37-49, 08003, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Nicolás García Siburu
- Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas, Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Rosario, CONICET, Universidad Nacional de Rosario, Ocampo y Esmeralda s/n, S2000FHQ, Rosario, Argentina
| | - Alejandro D Nusblat
- Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica, Instituto de Nanobiotecnología (NANOBIOTEC), CONICET, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Junín 956, C1113AAD, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Clara B Nudel
- Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica, Instituto de Nanobiotecnología (NANOBIOTEC), CONICET, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Junín 956, C1113AAD, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Claudio H Slamovits
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, B3H 4R2, Nova Scotia, Canada
| | - Antonio D Uttaro
- Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas, Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Rosario, CONICET, Universidad Nacional de Rosario, Ocampo y Esmeralda s/n, S2000FHQ, Rosario, Argentina
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