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Berdieva M, Kalinina V, Palii O, Skarlato S. Putative MutS2 Homologs in Algae: More Goods in Shopping Bag? J Mol Evol 2024:10.1007/s00239-024-10210-y. [PMID: 39365456 DOI: 10.1007/s00239-024-10210-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2024] [Accepted: 09/20/2024] [Indexed: 10/05/2024]
Abstract
MutS2 proteins are presumably involved in either control of recombination or translation quality control in bacteria. MutS2 homologs have been found in plants and some algae; however, their actual diversity in eukaryotes remains unknown. We found putative MutS2 homologs in various species of photosynthetic eukaryotes and performed a detailed analysis of the revealed amino acid sequences. Three groups of homologs were distinguished depending on their domain composition: MutS2 homologs with full set of specific domains, MutS2-like sequences without endonuclease Smr domain, and MutS2-like homologs lacking Smr and clamp in domain IV, the extreme form of which are proteins with only a complete ATPase domain. We clarified the information about amino acid composition and set of specific motifs in the conserved domains in MutS2 and MutS2-like sequences. The models of the predicted tertiary structure were obtained for each group of homologs. The phylogenetic analysis demonstrated that all eukaryotic sequences split into two large groups. The first group included homologs belonging to species of Archaeplastida and a subset of haptophyte homologs, while the second-sequences of organisms from CASH groups (cryptophytes, alveolates, stramenopiles, haptophytes) and chlorarachniophytes. The cyanobacterial MutS2 clustered together with the first group, and proteins belonging to Deltaproteobacteria (orders Myxococcales and Bradymonadales) showed phylogenetic affinity to the CASH-including group with strong support. The observed tree pattern did not support a clear differentiation of eukaryotes into lineages with red and green algae-derived plastids. The results are discussed in the context of current conceptions of serial endosymbioses and genetic mosaicism in algae with complex plastids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mariia Berdieva
- Institute of Cytology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Tikhoretsky Ave. 4, 194064, St. Petersburg, Russia.
| | - Vera Kalinina
- Institute of Cytology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Tikhoretsky Ave. 4, 194064, St. Petersburg, Russia
| | - Olga Palii
- Institute of Cytology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Tikhoretsky Ave. 4, 194064, St. Petersburg, Russia
| | - Sergei Skarlato
- Institute of Cytology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Tikhoretsky Ave. 4, 194064, St. Petersburg, Russia
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2
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Frail S, Steele-Ogus M, Doenier J, Moulin SLY, Braukmann T, Xu S, Yeh E. Genomes of nitrogen-fixing eukaryotes reveal a non-canonical model of organellogenesis. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.08.27.609708. [PMID: 39253440 PMCID: PMC11383321 DOI: 10.1101/2024.08.27.609708] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/11/2024]
Abstract
Endosymbiont gene transfer and import of host-encoded proteins are considered hallmarks of organelles necessary for stable integration of two cells. However, newer endosymbiotic models have challenged the origin and timing of such genetic integration during organellogenesis. Epithemia diatoms contain diazoplasts, closely related to recently-described nitrogen-fixing organelles, that are also stably integrated and co-speciating with their host algae. We report genomic analyses of two species, freshwater E.clementina and marine E.pelagica, which are highly divergent but share a common endosymbiotic origin. We found minimal evidence of genetic integration: nonfunctional diazoplast-to-nuclear DNA transfers in the E.clementina genome and 6 host-encoded proteins of unknown function in the E.clementina diazoplast proteome, far fewer than in other recently-acquired organelles. Epithemia diazoplasts are a valuable counterpoint to existing organellogenesis models, demonstrating that endosymbionts can be stably integrated and inherited absent significant genetic integration. The minimal genetic integration makes diazoplasts valuable blueprints for bioengineering endosymbiotic compartments de novo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah Frail
- Department of Biochemistry, Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Melissa Steele-Ogus
- Department of Pathology, Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Jon Doenier
- Department of Biochemistry, Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Solène L Y Moulin
- Department of Pathology, Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Tom Braukmann
- Department of Biochemistry, Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
- Department of Pathology, Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Shouling Xu
- Department of Plant Biology, Carnegie Institution, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Ellen Yeh
- Department of Pathology, Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
- Department of Microbiology & Immunology, Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
- Chan Zuckerberg Biohub - San Francisco, San Francisco, California 94158, USA
- Lead contact
- Senior author
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3
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Garric S, Ratin M, Marie D, Foulon V, Probert I, Rodriguez F, Six C. Impaired photoacclimation in a kleptoplastidic dinoflagellate reveals physiological limits of early stages of endosymbiosis. Curr Biol 2024; 34:3064-3076.e5. [PMID: 38936366 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2024.05.066] [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: 02/02/2024] [Revised: 04/02/2024] [Accepted: 05/29/2024] [Indexed: 06/29/2024]
Abstract
Dinophysis dinoflagellates are predators of Mesodinium ciliates, from which they retain only the plastids of cryptophyte origin. The absence of nuclear photosynthetic cryptophyte genes in Dinophysis raises intriguing physiological and evolutionary questions regarding the functional dynamics of these temporary kleptoplastids within a foreign cellular environment. In an experimental setup including two light conditions, the comparative analysis with Mesodinium rubrum and the cryptophyte Teleaulax amphioxeia revealed that Dinophysis acuminata possessed a smaller and less dynamic functional photosynthetic antenna for green light, a function performed by phycoerythrin. We showed that the lack of the cryptophyte nucleus prevented the synthesis of the phycoerythrin α subunit, thereby hindering the formation of a complete phycoerythrin in Dinophysis. In particular, biochemical analyses showed that Dinophysis acuminata synthesized a poorly stable, incomplete phycoerythrin composed of chromophorylated β subunits, with impaired performance. We show that, consequently, a continuous supply of new plastids is crucial for growth and effective photoacclimation in this organism. Transcriptome analyses revealed that all examined strains of Dinophysis spp. have acquired the cryptophyte pebA and pebB genes through horizontal gene transfer, suggesting a potential ability to synthesize the phycobilin pigments bound to the cryptophyte phycoerythrin. By emphasizing that a potential long-term acquisition of the cryptophyte plastid relies on establishing genetic independence for essential functions such as light harvesting, this study highlights the intricate molecular challenges inherent in the enslavement of organelles and the processes involved in the diversification of photosynthetic organisms through endosymbiosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah Garric
- Sorbonne Université, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, UMR 7144, Adaptation et Diversité en Milieu Marin, group Ecology of Marine Plankton, Station Biologique de Roscoff, Place Georges Teissier, Roscoff 29680, France
| | - Morgane Ratin
- Sorbonne Université, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, UMR 7144, Adaptation et Diversité en Milieu Marin, group Ecology of Marine Plankton, Station Biologique de Roscoff, Place Georges Teissier, Roscoff 29680, France
| | - Dominique Marie
- Sorbonne Université, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, UMR 7144, Adaptation et Diversité en Milieu Marin, group Ecology of Marine Plankton, Station Biologique de Roscoff, Place Georges Teissier, Roscoff 29680, France
| | - Valentin Foulon
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, UMR 6285 Laboratoire des Sciences et Techniques de l'information de la Communication et de la Connaissance (Lab-STICC), Technopole Brest-Iroise, Brest 29238, France
| | - Ian Probert
- Sorbonne Université, FR 2424, Station Biologique de Roscoff, Place Georges Teissier, Roscoff 29680, France
| | - Francisco Rodriguez
- Centro oceanográfico de Vigo (IEO-CSIC), Subida a Radio Faro 50, Vigo 36390, Spain
| | - Christophe Six
- Sorbonne Université, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, UMR 7144, Adaptation et Diversité en Milieu Marin, group Ecology of Marine Plankton, Station Biologique de Roscoff, Place Georges Teissier, Roscoff 29680, France.
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4
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Cooney EC, Holt CC, Hehenberger E, Adams JA, Leander BS, Keeling PJ. Investigation of heterotrophs reveals new insights in dinoflagellate evolution. Mol Phylogenet Evol 2024; 196:108086. [PMID: 38677354 DOI: 10.1016/j.ympev.2024.108086] [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: 12/10/2023] [Revised: 04/12/2024] [Accepted: 04/24/2024] [Indexed: 04/29/2024]
Abstract
Dinoflagellates are diverse and ecologically important protists characterized by many morphological and molecular traits that set them apart from other eukaryotes. These features include, but are not limited to, massive genomes organized using bacterially-derived histone-like proteins (HLPs) and dinoflagellate viral nucleoproteins (DVNP) rather than histones, and a complex history of photobiology with many independent losses of photosynthesis, numerous cases of serial secondary and tertiary plastid gains, and the presence of horizontally acquired bacterial rhodopsins and type II RuBisCo. Elucidating how this all evolved depends on knowing the phylogenetic relationships between dinoflagellate lineages. Half of these species are heterotrophic, but existing molecular data is strongly biased toward the photosynthetic dinoflagellates due to their amenability to cultivation and prevalence in culture collections. These biases make it impossible to interpret the evolution of photosynthesis, but may also affect phylogenetic inferences that impact our understanding of character evolution. Here, we address this problem by isolating individual cells from the Salish Sea and using single cell, culture-free transcriptomics to expand molecular data for dinoflagellates to include 27 more heterotrophic taxa, resulting in a roughly balanced representation. Using these data, we performed a comprehensive search for proteins involved in chromatin packaging, plastid function, and photoactivity across all dinoflagellates. These searches reveal that 1) photosynthesis was lost at least 21 times, 2) two known types of HLP were horizontally acquired around the same time rather than sequentially as previously thought; 3) multiple rhodopsins are present across the dinoflagellates, acquired multiple times from different donors; 4) kleptoplastic species have nucleus-encoded genes for proteins targeted to their temporary plastids and they are derived from multiple lineages, and 5) warnowiids are the only heterotrophs that retain a whole photosystem, although some photosynthesis-related electron transport genes are widely retained in heterotrophs, likely as part of the iron-sulfur cluster pathway that persists in non-photosynthetic plastids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth C Cooney
- Department of Botany, University of British Columbia, 3156-6270 University Blvd., Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada; Hakai Institute, 1747 Hyacinthe Bay Rd., Heriot Bay, BC V0P 1H0, Canada.
| | - Corey C Holt
- Department of Botany, University of British Columbia, 3156-6270 University Blvd., Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada; Hakai Institute, 1747 Hyacinthe Bay Rd., Heriot Bay, BC V0P 1H0, Canada.
| | - Elisabeth Hehenberger
- Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre Czech Academy of Sciences, České Budějovice, Czech Republic.
| | - Jayd A Adams
- Department of Botany, University of British Columbia, 3156-6270 University Blvd., Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada.
| | - Brian S Leander
- Department of Botany, University of British Columbia, 3156-6270 University Blvd., Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada; Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, 4200 - 6270, University Blvd., Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada.
| | - Patrick J Keeling
- Department of Botany, University of British Columbia, 3156-6270 University Blvd., Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada.
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5
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Keeling PJ. Horizontal gene transfer in eukaryotes: aligning theory with data. Nat Rev Genet 2024; 25:416-430. [PMID: 38263430 DOI: 10.1038/s41576-023-00688-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/06/2023] [Indexed: 01/25/2024]
Abstract
Horizontal gene transfer (HGT), or lateral gene transfer, is the non-sexual movement of genetic information between genomes. It has played a pronounced part in bacterial and archaeal evolution, but its role in eukaryotes is less clear. Behaviours unique to eukaryotic cells - phagocytosis and endosymbiosis - have been proposed to increase the frequency of HGT, but nuclear genomes encode fewer HGTs than bacteria and archaea. Here, I review the existing theory in the context of the growing body of data on HGT in eukaryotes, which suggests that any increased chance of acquiring new genes through phagocytosis and endosymbiosis is offset by a reduced need for these genes in eukaryotes, because selection in most eukaryotes operates on variation not readily generated by HGT.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick J Keeling
- Department of Botany, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
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6
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Novák Vanclová AM, Nef C, Füssy Z, Vancl A, Liu F, Bowler C, Dorrell RG. New plastids, old proteins: repeated endosymbiotic acquisitions in kareniacean dinoflagellates. EMBO Rep 2024; 25:1859-1885. [PMID: 38499810 PMCID: PMC11014865 DOI: 10.1038/s44319-024-00103-y] [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: 11/24/2023] [Revised: 01/19/2024] [Accepted: 02/06/2024] [Indexed: 03/20/2024] Open
Abstract
Dinoflagellates are a diverse group of ecologically significant micro-eukaryotes that can serve as a model system for plastid symbiogenesis due to their susceptibility to plastid loss and replacement via serial endosymbiosis. Kareniaceae harbor fucoxanthin-pigmented plastids instead of the ancestral peridinin-pigmented ones and support them with a diverse range of nucleus-encoded plastid-targeted proteins originating from the haptophyte endosymbiont, dinoflagellate host, and/or lateral gene transfers (LGT). Here, we present predicted plastid proteomes from seven distantly related kareniaceans in three genera (Karenia, Karlodinium, and Takayama) and analyze their evolutionary patterns using automated tree building and sorting. We project a relatively limited ( ~ 10%) haptophyte signal pointing towards a shared origin in the family Chrysochromulinaceae. Our data establish significant variations in the functional distributions of these signals, emphasizing the importance of micro-evolutionary processes in shaping the chimeric proteomes. Analysis of plastid genome sequences recontextualizes these results by a striking finding the extant kareniacean plastids are in fact not all of the same origin, as two of the studied species (Karlodinium armiger, Takayama helix) possess plastids from different haptophyte orders than the rest.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Mg Novák Vanclová
- Institut de Biologie de l'École Normale Supérieure (IBENS), École Normale Supérieure, CNRS, INSERM, Université PSL, Paris, France.
- CNRS Research Federation for the study of Global Ocean Systems Ecology and Evolution, FR2022/Tara Oceans GOSEE, Paris, France.
- Institute Jacques Monod, Paris, France.
| | - Charlotte Nef
- Institut de Biologie de l'École Normale Supérieure (IBENS), École Normale Supérieure, CNRS, INSERM, Université PSL, Paris, France
- CNRS Research Federation for the study of Global Ocean Systems Ecology and Evolution, FR2022/Tara Oceans GOSEE, Paris, France
| | - Zoltán Füssy
- Faculty of Science, Charles University, BIOCEV, Vestec, Czechia
| | - Adél Vancl
- Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, Charles University, Prague, Czechia
| | - Fuhai Liu
- Institut de Biologie de l'École Normale Supérieure (IBENS), École Normale Supérieure, CNRS, INSERM, Université PSL, Paris, France
- Centre de Recherches Interdisciplinaires, Paris, France
- Tsinghua-UC Berkeley Shenzhen Institute, Shenzhen, China
| | - Chris Bowler
- Institut de Biologie de l'École Normale Supérieure (IBENS), École Normale Supérieure, CNRS, INSERM, Université PSL, Paris, France
- CNRS Research Federation for the study of Global Ocean Systems Ecology and Evolution, FR2022/Tara Oceans GOSEE, Paris, France
| | - Richard G Dorrell
- Institut de Biologie de l'École Normale Supérieure (IBENS), École Normale Supérieure, CNRS, INSERM, Université PSL, Paris, France.
- CNRS Research Federation for the study of Global Ocean Systems Ecology and Evolution, FR2022/Tara Oceans GOSEE, Paris, France.
- CNRS, IBPS, Laboratoire de Biologie Computationnelle et Quantitative - UMR 7238, Sorbonne Université, Paris, France.
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7
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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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8
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Jiang Y, Cao T, Yang Y, Zhang H, Zhang J, Li X. A chlorophyll c synthase widely co-opted by phytoplankton. Science 2023; 382:92-98. [PMID: 37797009 DOI: 10.1126/science.adg7921] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2023] [Accepted: 08/30/2023] [Indexed: 10/07/2023]
Abstract
Marine and terrestrial photosynthesis exhibit a schism in the accessory chlorophyll (Chl) that complements the function of Chl a: Chl b for green plants versus Chl c for most eukaryotic phytoplankton. The enzymes that mediate Chl c biosynthesis have long remained elusive. In this work, we identified the CHLC dioxygenase (Phatr3_J43737) from the marine diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum as the Chl c synthase. The chlc mutants lacked Chl c, instead accumulating its precursors, and exhibited growth defects. In vitro, recombinant CHLC protein converted these precursors into Chl c, thereby confirming its identity. Phylogenetic evidence demonstrates conserved use of CHLC across phyla but also the existence of distinct Chl c synthases in different algal groups. Our study addresses a long-outstanding question with implications for both contemporary and ancient marine photosynthesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanyou Jiang
- Research Center for Industries of the Future, Key Laboratory of Growth Regulation and Translational Research of Zhejiang Province, School of Life Sciences, Westlake University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Tianjun Cao
- Research Center for Industries of the Future, Key Laboratory of Growth Regulation and Translational Research of Zhejiang Province, School of Life Sciences, Westlake University, Hangzhou, China
- Institute of Biology, Westlake Institute for Advanced Study, Hangzhou, China
| | - Yuqing Yang
- Research Center for Industries of the Future, Key Laboratory of Growth Regulation and Translational Research of Zhejiang Province, School of Life Sciences, Westlake University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Huan Zhang
- Research Center for Industries of the Future, Key Laboratory of Growth Regulation and Translational Research of Zhejiang Province, School of Life Sciences, Westlake University, Hangzhou, China
- Institute of Biology, Westlake Institute for Advanced Study, Hangzhou, China
| | - Jingyu Zhang
- Research Center for Industries of the Future, Key Laboratory of Growth Regulation and Translational Research of Zhejiang Province, School of Life Sciences, Westlake University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Xiaobo Li
- Research Center for Industries of the Future, Key Laboratory of Growth Regulation and Translational Research of Zhejiang Province, School of Life Sciences, Westlake University, Hangzhou, China
- Institute of Biology, Westlake Institute for Advanced Study, Hangzhou, China
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9
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Yamada N, Lepetit B, Mann DG, Sprecher BN, Buck JM, Bergmann P, Kroth PG, Bolton JJ, Dąbek P, Witkowski A, Kim SY, Trobajo R. Prey preference in a kleptoplastic dinoflagellate is linked to photosynthetic performance. THE ISME JOURNAL 2023; 17:1578-1588. [PMID: 37391621 PMCID: PMC10504301 DOI: 10.1038/s41396-023-01464-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2022] [Revised: 06/12/2023] [Accepted: 06/16/2023] [Indexed: 07/02/2023]
Abstract
Dinoflagellates of the family Kryptoperidiniaceae, known as "dinotoms", possess diatom-derived endosymbionts and contain individuals at three successive evolutionary stages: a transiently maintained kleptoplastic stage; a stage containing multiple permanently maintained diatom endosymbionts; and a further permanent stage containing a single diatom endosymbiont. Kleptoplastic dinotoms were discovered only recently, in Durinskia capensis; until now it has not been investigated kleptoplastic behavior and the metabolic and genetic integration of host and prey. Here, we show D. capensis is able to use various diatom species as kleptoplastids and exhibits different photosynthetic capacities depending on the diatom species. This is in contrast with the prey diatoms in their free-living stage, as there are no differences in their photosynthetic capacities. Complete photosynthesis including both the light reactions and the Calvin cycle remain active only when D. capensis feeds on its habitual associate, the "essential" diatom Nitzschia captiva. The organelles of another edible diatom, N. inconspicua, are preserved intact after ingestion by D. capensis and expresses the psbC gene of the photosynthetic light reaction, while RuBisCO gene expression is lost. Our results indicate that edible but non-essential, "supplemental" diatoms are used by D. capensis for producing ATP and NADPH, but not for carbon fixation. D. capensis has established a species-specifically designed metabolic system allowing carbon fixation to be performed only by its essential diatoms. The ability of D. capensis to ingest supplemental diatoms as kleptoplastids may be a flexible ecological strategy, to use these diatoms as "emergency supplies" while no essential diatoms are available.
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Affiliation(s)
- Norico Yamada
- Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany.
| | - Bernard Lepetit
- Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
| | - David G Mann
- Marine and Continental Waters Program, Institute for Food and Agricultural Research and Technology, La Ràpita, Spain
- Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | | | - Jochen M Buck
- Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
| | - Paavo Bergmann
- Electron Microscopy Centre, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
| | - Peter G Kroth
- Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
| | - John J Bolton
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Przemysław Dąbek
- Institute of Marine and Environmental Sciences, University of Szczecin, Szczecin, Poland
| | - Andrzej Witkowski
- Institute of Marine and Environmental Sciences, University of Szczecin, Szczecin, Poland
| | - So-Yeon Kim
- Department of Oceanography, Kunsan National University, Gunsan, Republic of Korea
| | - Rosa Trobajo
- Marine and Continental Waters Program, Institute for Food and Agricultural Research and Technology, La Ràpita, Spain
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10
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Sørensen MES, Zlatogursky VV, Onuţ-Brännström I, Walraven A, Foster RA, Burki F. A novel kleptoplastidic symbiosis revealed in the marine centrohelid Meringosphaera with evidence of genetic integration. Curr Biol 2023; 33:3571-3584.e6. [PMID: 37536342 PMCID: PMC7615077 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2023.07.017] [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: 03/07/2023] [Revised: 06/01/2023] [Accepted: 07/11/2023] [Indexed: 08/05/2023]
Abstract
Plastid symbioses between heterotrophic hosts and algae are widespread and abundant in surface oceans. They are critically important both for extant ecological systems and for understanding the evolution of plastids. Kleptoplastidy, where the plastids of prey are temporarily retained and continuously re-acquired, provides opportunities to study the transitional states of plastid establishment. Here, we investigated the poorly studied marine centrohelid Meringosphaera and its previously unidentified symbionts using culture-independent methods from environmental samples. Investigations of the 18S rDNA from single-cell assembled genomes (SAGs) revealed uncharacterized genetic diversity within Meringosphaera that likely represents multiple species. We found that Meringosphaera harbors plastids of Dictyochophyceae origin (stramenopiles), for which we recovered six full plastid genomes and found evidence of two distinct subgroups that are congruent with host identity. Environmental monitoring by qPCR and catalyzed reporter deposition-fluorescence in situ hybridization (CARD-FISH) revealed seasonal dynamics of both host and plastid. In particular, we did not detect the plastids for 6 months of the year, which, combined with the lack of plastids in some SAGs, suggests that the plastids are temporary and the relationship is kleptoplastidic. Importantly, we found evidence of genetic integration of the kleptoplasts as we identified host-encoded plastid-associated genes, with evolutionary origins likely from the plastid source as well as from other alga sources. This is only the second case where host-encoded kleptoplast-targeted genes have been predicted in an ancestrally plastid-lacking group. Our results provide evidence for gene transfers and protein re-targeting as relatively early events in the evolution of plastid symbioses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Megan E S Sørensen
- Department of Ecology, Environment and Plant Sciences, Stockholm University, 106 91 Stockholm, Sweden; Institute of Microbial Cell Biology, Heinrich Heine University, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany.
| | - Vasily V Zlatogursky
- Department of Botany, University of British Columbia, V6T 1Z4 Vancouver, BC, Canada; Department of Organismal Biology, Program in Systematic Biology, Uppsala University, 752 36 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Ioana Onuţ-Brännström
- Department of Organismal Biology, Program in Systematic Biology, Uppsala University, 752 36 Uppsala, Sweden; Department of Ecology and Genetics, Uppsala University, 752 36 Uppsala, Sweden; Natural History Museum, University of Oslo, 0562 Oslo, Norway
| | - Anne Walraven
- Department of Organismal Biology, Program in Systematic Biology, Uppsala University, 752 36 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Rachel A Foster
- Department of Ecology, Environment and Plant Sciences, Stockholm University, 106 91 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Fabien Burki
- Department of Organismal Biology, Program in Systematic Biology, Uppsala University, 752 36 Uppsala, Sweden; Science for Life Laboratory, Uppsala University, 752 37 Uppsala, Sweden.
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11
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Howe CJ, Nisbet RER. Evolution: The great photosynthesis heist. Curr Biol 2023; 33:R185-R187. [PMID: 36917940 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2023.01.030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/14/2023]
Abstract
Many eukaryotes acquired chloroplasts by endosymbiotic acquisition of photosynthetic bacteria or already-domesticated chloroplasts from other eukaryotes. However, the ciliate Mesodinium rubrum acquires the nucleus of a photosynthetic eukaryote, as well as its chloroplast, resulting in dramatic metabolic remodelling in the ciliate.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - R Ellen R Nisbet
- School of Biosciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK.
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12
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Sloan DB, Warren JM, Williams AM, Kuster SA, Forsythe ES. Incompatibility and Interchangeability in Molecular Evolution. Genome Biol Evol 2023; 15:evac184. [PMID: 36583227 PMCID: PMC9839398 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evac184] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2022] [Revised: 12/20/2022] [Accepted: 12/22/2022] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
There is remarkable variation in the rate at which genetic incompatibilities in molecular interactions accumulate. In some cases, minor changes-even single-nucleotide substitutions-create major incompatibilities when hybridization forces new variants to function in a novel genetic background from an isolated population. In other cases, genes or even entire functional pathways can be horizontally transferred between anciently divergent evolutionary lineages that span the tree of life with little evidence of incompatibilities. In this review, we explore whether there are general principles that can explain why certain genes are prone to incompatibilities while others maintain interchangeability. We summarize evidence pointing to four genetic features that may contribute to greater resistance to functional replacement: (1) function in multisubunit enzyme complexes and protein-protein interactions, (2) sensitivity to changes in gene dosage, (3) rapid rate of sequence evolution, and (4) overall importance to cell viability, which creates sensitivity to small perturbations in molecular function. We discuss the relative levels of support for these different hypotheses and lay out future directions that may help explain the striking contrasts in patterns of incompatibility and interchangeability throughout the history of molecular evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel B Sloan
- Department of Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado
| | - Jessica M Warren
- Center for Mechanisms of Evolution, Biodesign Institute and School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona
| | - Alissa M Williams
- Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Shady A Kuster
- Department of Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado
| | - Evan S Forsythe
- Department of Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado
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13
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Ichikawa S, Ishikawa K, Miyakawa H, Kodama Y. Live-cell imaging of the chloroplast outer envelope membrane using fluorescent dyes. PLANT DIRECT 2022; 6:e462. [PMID: 36398034 PMCID: PMC9666008 DOI: 10.1002/pld3.462] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2022] [Revised: 10/15/2022] [Accepted: 10/21/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Chloroplasts are organelles composed of sub-organellar compartments-stroma, thylakoids, and starch granules-and are surrounded by outer and inner envelope membranes (OEM and IEM, respectively). The chloroplast OEM and IEM play key roles not only as a barrier separating the chloroplast components from the cytosol but also in the interchange of numerous metabolites and proteins between the chloroplast interior and the cytosol. Fluorescent protein markers for the chloroplast OEM have been widely used to visualize the outermost border of chloroplasts. However, the use of marker proteins requires an established cellular genetic transformation method, which limits the plant species in which marker proteins can be used. Moreover, the high accumulation of OEM marker proteins often elicits abnormal morphological phenotypes of the OEM. Because the OEM can currently only be visualized using exogenous marker proteins, the behaviors of the chloroplast and/or its OEM remain unknown in wild-type cells of various plant species. Here, we visualized the OEM using live-cell staining with the fluorescent dyes rhodamine B and Nile red in several plant species, including crops. We propose rhodamine B and Nile red as new tools for visualizing the chloroplast OEM in living plant cells that do not require genetic transformation. Significance Statement We established a live-cell imaging method to visualize the chloroplast outer envelope membrane by staining living cells with fluorescent dyes. This method does not require genetic transformation and allows the observation of the chloroplast outer envelope membrane in various plant species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shintaro Ichikawa
- Center for Bioscience Research and EducationUtsunomiya UniversityTochigiJapan
- Graduate School of Regional Development and CreativityUtsunomiya UniversityTochigiJapan
| | - Kazuya Ishikawa
- Center for Bioscience Research and EducationUtsunomiya UniversityTochigiJapan
| | - Hitoshi Miyakawa
- Center for Bioscience Research and EducationUtsunomiya UniversityTochigiJapan
- Graduate School of Regional Development and CreativityUtsunomiya UniversityTochigiJapan
| | - Yutaka Kodama
- Center for Bioscience Research and EducationUtsunomiya UniversityTochigiJapan
- Graduate School of Regional Development and CreativityUtsunomiya UniversityTochigiJapan
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14
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Thomas GH. Microbial Musings - Autumn 2022. MICROBIOLOGY (READING, ENGLAND) 2022; 168. [PMID: 36748692 DOI: 10.1099/mic.0.001291] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Gavin H Thomas
- Department of Biology, University of York, Heslington, UK
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15
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Zoltner M, Field MC. Microbe Profile: Euglena gracilis: photogenic, flexible and hardy. MICROBIOLOGY (READING, ENGLAND) 2022; 168. [PMID: 36178464 DOI: 10.1099/mic.0.001241] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Euglena gracilis is a unicellular photosynthetic eukaryotic flagellate of the Discoba supergroup, which also encompasses Kinetoplastida and Diplonema. Plastids have green algal origin and are secondarily acquired. The nuclear genome is extremely large and many genes suggest multiple endosymbiotic/gene transfer events, i.e. derivation from prokaryotes of various lineages. E. gracilis is remarkably robust and can proliferate in environments contaminated with heavy metals and acids. Extraordinary metabolic plasticity and a mixotrophic lifestyle confers an ability to thrive in a broad range of environments, as well as facilitating production of many novel metabolites, making Euglena of considerable biotechnological importance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin Zoltner
- Faculty of Science, Department of Parasitology, Charles University, BIOCEV, Vestec, Czechia
| | - Mark C Field
- Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre, Czech Academy of Sciences, 37005 Ceske Budejovice, Czechia.,School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee, DD1 5EH, UK
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16
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Cote-L’Heureux A, Maurer-Alcalá XX, Katz LA. Old genes in new places: A taxon-rich analysis of interdomain lateral gene transfer events. PLoS Genet 2022; 18:e1010239. [PMID: 35731825 PMCID: PMC9255765 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1010239] [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: 11/30/2021] [Revised: 07/05/2022] [Accepted: 05/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Vertical inheritance is foundational to Darwinian evolution, but fails to explain major innovations such as the rapid spread of antibiotic resistance among bacteria and the origin of photosynthesis in eukaryotes. While lateral gene transfer (LGT) is recognized as an evolutionary force in prokaryotes, the role of LGT in eukaryotic evolution is less clear. With the exception of the transfer of genes from organelles to the nucleus, a process termed endosymbiotic gene transfer (EGT), the extent of interdomain transfer from prokaryotes to eukaryotes is highly debated. A common critique of studies of interdomain LGT is the reliance on the topology of single-gene trees that attempt to estimate more than one billion years of evolution. We take a more conservative approach by identifying cases in which a single clade of eukaryotes is found in an otherwise prokaryotic gene tree (i.e. exclusive presence). Starting with a taxon-rich dataset of over 13,600 gene families and passing data through several rounds of curation, we identify and categorize the function of 306 interdomain LGT events into diverse eukaryotes, including 189 putative EGTs, 52 LGTs into Opisthokonta (i.e. animals, fungi and their microbial relatives), and 42 LGTs nearly exclusive to anaerobic eukaryotes. To assess differential gene loss as an explanation for exclusive presence, we compare branch lengths within each LGT tree to a set of vertically-inherited genes subsampled to mimic gene loss (i.e. with the same taxonomic sampling) and consistently find shorter relative distance between eukaryotes and prokaryotes in LGT trees, a pattern inconsistent with gene loss. Our methods provide a framework for future studies of interdomain LGT and move the field closer to an understanding of how best to model the evolutionary history of eukaryotes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Auden Cote-L’Heureux
- Department of Biological Sciences, Smith College, Northampton, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | | | - Laura A. Katz
- Department of Biological Sciences, Smith College, Northampton, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Program in Organismic Biology and Evolution, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, Massachusetts, United States of America
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17
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Azuma T, Pánek T, Tice AK, Kayama M, Kobayashi M, Miyashita H, Suzaki T, Yabuki A, Brown MW, Kamikawa R. An enigmatic stramenopile sheds light on early evolution in Ochrophyta plastid organellogenesis. Mol Biol Evol 2022; 39:6555011. [PMID: 35348760 PMCID: PMC9004409 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msac065] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Ochrophyta is an algal group belonging to the Stramenopiles and comprises diverse lineages of algae which contribute significantly to the oceanic ecosystems as primary producers. However, early evolution of the plastid organelle in Ochrophyta is not fully understood. In this study, we provide a well-supported tree of the Stramenopiles inferred by the large-scale phylogenomic analysis that unveils the eukaryvorous (nonphotosynthetic) protist Actinophrys sol (Actinophryidae) is closely related to Ochrophyta. We used genomic and transcriptomic data generated from A. sol to detect molecular traits of its plastid and we found no evidence of plastid genome and plastid-mediated biosynthesis, consistent with previous ultrastructural studies that did not identify any plastids in Actinophryidae. Moreover, our phylogenetic analyses of particular biosynthetic pathways provide no evidence of a current and past plastid in A. sol. However, we found more than a dozen organellar aminoacyl-tRNA synthases (aaRSs) that are of algal origin. Close relationships between aaRS from A. sol and their ochrophyte homologs document gene transfer of algal genes that happened before the divergence of Actinophryidae and Ochrophyta lineages. We further showed experimentally that organellar aaRSs of A. sol are targeted exclusively to mitochondria, although organellar aaRSs in Ochrophyta are dually targeted to mitochondria and plastids. Together, our findings suggested that the last common ancestor of Actinophryidae and Ochrophyta had not yet completed the establishment of host–plastid partnership as seen in the current Ochrophyta species, but acquired at least certain nuclear-encoded genes for the plastid functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomonori Azuma
- Graduate School of Human and Environmental Studies, Kyoto University, Yoshida nihonmatsu cho, Sakyo ku, Kyoto, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Tomáš Pánek
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic.,Department of Biological Sciences, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, MS, USA
| | - Alexander K Tice
- Department of Biological Sciences, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, MS, USA
| | - Motoki Kayama
- Graduate School of Human and Environmental Studies, Kyoto University, Yoshida nihonmatsu cho, Sakyo ku, Kyoto, Kyoto, Japan
| | | | - Hideaki Miyashita
- Graduate School of Human and Environmental Studies, Kyoto University, Yoshida nihonmatsu cho, Sakyo ku, Kyoto, Kyoto, Japan
| | | | - Akinori Yabuki
- Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology, Japan
| | - Matthew W Brown
- Department of Biological Sciences, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, MS, USA
| | - Ryoma Kamikawa
- Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University, Kitashirakawa oiwake cho, Sakyo ku, Kyoto, Kyoto, Japan
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18
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Uthanumallian K, Iha C, Repetti SI, Chan CX, Bhattacharya D, Duchene S, Verbruggen H. Tightly Constrained Genome Reduction and Relaxation of Purifying Selection during Secondary Plastid Endosymbiosis. Mol Biol Evol 2022; 39:msab295. [PMID: 34613411 PMCID: PMC8763093 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msab295] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Endosymbiosis, the establishment of a former free-living prokaryotic or eukaryotic cell as an organelle inside a host cell, can dramatically alter the genomic architecture of the endosymbiont. Plastids or chloroplasts, the light-harvesting organelle of photosynthetic eukaryotes, are excellent models to study this phenomenon because plastid origin has occurred multiple times in evolution. Here, we investigate the genomic signature of molecular processes acting through secondary plastid endosymbiosis-the origination of a new plastid from a free-living eukaryotic alga. We used phylogenetic comparative methods to study gene loss and changes in selective regimes on plastid genomes, focusing on green algae that have given rise to three independent lineages with secondary plastids (euglenophytes, chlorarachniophytes, and Lepidodinium). Our results show an overall increase in gene loss associated with secondary endosymbiosis, but this loss is tightly constrained by the retention of genes essential for plastid function. The data show that secondary plastids have experienced temporary relaxation of purifying selection during secondary endosymbiosis. However, this process is tightly constrained, with selection relaxed only relative to the background in primary plastids. Purifying selection remains strong in absolute terms even during the endosymbiosis events. Selection intensity rebounds to pre-endosymbiosis levels following endosymbiosis events, demonstrating the changes in selection efficiency during different origin phases of secondary plastids. Independent endosymbiosis events in the euglenophytes, chlorarachniophytes, and Lepidodinium differ in their degree of relaxation of selection, highlighting the different evolutionary contexts of these events. This study reveals the selection-drift interplay during secondary endosymbiosis and evolutionary parallels during organellogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Cintia Iha
- School of BioSciences, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Sonja I Repetti
- School of BioSciences, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Cheong Xin Chan
- Australian Centre for Ecogenomics, School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | | | - Sebastian Duchene
- Deptartment of Microbiology and Immunology, Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Heroen Verbruggen
- School of BioSciences, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
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19
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Oborník M. Organellar Evolution: A Path from Benefit to Dependence. Microorganisms 2022; 10:microorganisms10010122. [PMID: 35056571 PMCID: PMC8781833 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms10010122] [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] [Received: 11/15/2021] [Revised: 01/04/2022] [Accepted: 01/05/2022] [Indexed: 12/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Eukaryotic organelles supposedly evolved from their bacterial ancestors because of their benefits to host cells. However, organelles are quite often retained, even when the beneficial metabolic pathway is lost, due to something other than the original beneficial function. The organellar function essential for cell survival is, in the end, the result of organellar evolution, particularly losses of redundant metabolic pathways present in both the host and endosymbiont, followed by a gradual distribution of metabolic functions between the organelle and host. Such biological division of metabolic labor leads to mutual dependence of the endosymbiont and host. Changing environmental conditions, such as the gradual shift of an organism from aerobic to anaerobic conditions or light to dark, can make the original benefit useless. Therefore, it can be challenging to deduce the original beneficial function, if there is any, underlying organellar acquisition. However, it is also possible that the organelle is retained because it simply resists being eliminated or digested untill it becomes indispensable.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miroslav Oborník
- Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre, Czech Academy of Sciences, 37005 České Budějovice, Czech Republic;
- Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, 37005 České Budějovice, Czech Republic
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20
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Single cell genomics reveals plastid-lacking Picozoa are close relatives of red algae. Nat Commun 2021; 12:6651. [PMID: 34789758 PMCID: PMC8599508 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-26918-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2021] [Accepted: 10/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
The endosymbiotic origin of plastids from cyanobacteria gave eukaryotes photosynthetic capabilities and launched the diversification of countless forms of algae. These primary plastids are found in members of the eukaryotic supergroup Archaeplastida. All known archaeplastids still retain some form of primary plastids, which are widely assumed to have a single origin. Here, we use single-cell genomics from natural samples combined with phylogenomics to infer the evolutionary origin of the phylum Picozoa, a globally distributed but seemingly rare group of marine microbial heterotrophic eukaryotes. Strikingly, the analysis of 43 single-cell genomes shows that Picozoa belong to Archaeplastida, specifically related to red algae and the phagotrophic rhodelphids. These picozoan genomes support the hypothesis that Picozoa lack a plastid, and further reveal no evidence of an early cryptic endosymbiosis with cyanobacteria. These findings change our understanding of plastid evolution as they either represent the first complete plastid loss in a free-living taxon, or indicate that red algae and rhodelphids obtained their plastids independently of other archaeplastids.
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21
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Oborník M, Füssy Z. Evolutionary and Molecular Aspects of Plastid Endosymbioses. Biomolecules 2021; 11:1694. [PMID: 34827692 PMCID: PMC8615978 DOI: 10.3390/biom11111694] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2021] [Accepted: 11/09/2021] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Plastids are membrane-bound organelles that bestow phototrophic abilities to eukaryotes [...].
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Affiliation(s)
- Miroslav Oborník
- Biology Centre, Institute of Parasitology, Czech Academy of Sciences, 370 05 České Budějovice, Czech Republic
- Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, 370 05 České Budějovice, Czech Republic
| | - Zoltán Füssy
- Faculty of Science, BIOCEV, Charles University, 128 01 Prague, Czech Republic;
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22
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Gain G, Vega de Luna F, Cordoba J, Perez E, Degand H, Morsomme P, Thiry M, Baurain D, Pierangelini M, Cardol P. Trophic state alters the mechanism whereby energetic coupling between photosynthesis and respiration occurs in Euglena gracilis. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2021; 232:1603-1617. [PMID: 34392544 PMCID: PMC9292222 DOI: 10.1111/nph.17677] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2021] [Accepted: 08/06/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
The coupling between mitochondrial respiration and photosynthesis plays an important role in the energetic physiology of green plants and some secondary-red photosynthetic eukaryotes (diatoms), allowing an efficient CO2 assimilation and optimal growth. Using the flagellate Euglena gracilis, we first tested if photosynthesis-respiration coupling occurs in this species harbouring secondary green plastids (i.e. originated from an endosymbiosis between a green alga and a phagotrophic euglenozoan). Second, we tested how the trophic state (mixotrophy and photoautotrophy) of the cell alters the mechanisms involved in the photosynthesis-respiration coupling. Energetic coupling between photosynthesis and respiration was determined by testing the effect of respiratory inhibitors on photosynthesis, and measuring the simultaneous variation of photosynthesis and respiration rates as a function of temperature (i.e. thermal response curves). The mechanism involved in the photosynthesis-respiration coupling was assessed by combining proteomics, biophysical and cytological analyses. Our work shows that there is photosynthesis-respiration coupling and membrane contacts between mitochondria and chloroplasts in E. gracilis. However, whereas in mixotrophy adjustment of the chloroplast ATP/NADPH ratio drives the interaction, in photoautotrophy the coupling is conditioned by CO2 limitation and photorespiration. This indicates that maintenance of photosynthesis-respiration coupling, through plastic metabolic responses, is key to E. gracilis functioning under changing environmental conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gwenaëlle Gain
- InBioS – PhytoSYSTEMSLaboratoire de Génétique et Physiologie des MicroalguesULiègeLiègeB‐4000Belgium
| | - Félix Vega de Luna
- InBioS – PhytoSYSTEMSLaboratoire de Génétique et Physiologie des MicroalguesULiègeLiègeB‐4000Belgium
| | - Javier Cordoba
- InBioS – PhytoSYSTEMSLaboratoire de Génétique et Physiologie des MicroalguesULiègeLiègeB‐4000Belgium
| | - Emilie Perez
- InBioS – PhytoSYSTEMSLaboratoire de Génétique et Physiologie des MicroalguesULiègeLiègeB‐4000Belgium
| | - Hervé Degand
- Louvain Institute of Biomolecular Science and Technology (LIBST)UCLouvainLouvain‐la‐NeuveB‐1348Belgium
| | - Pierre Morsomme
- Louvain Institute of Biomolecular Science and Technology (LIBST)UCLouvainLouvain‐la‐NeuveB‐1348Belgium
| | - Marc Thiry
- Laboratoire de Biologie Cellulaire et TissulaireGiga‐NeurosciencesULiègeLiègeB‐4000Belgium
| | - Denis Baurain
- InBioS – PhytoSYSTEMSEukaryotic PhylogenomicsULiègeLiègeB‐4000Belgium
| | - Mattia Pierangelini
- InBioS – PhytoSYSTEMSLaboratoire de Génétique et Physiologie des MicroalguesULiègeLiègeB‐4000Belgium
| | - Pierre Cardol
- InBioS – PhytoSYSTEMSLaboratoire de Génétique et Physiologie des MicroalguesULiègeLiègeB‐4000Belgium
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23
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Stephens TG, Gabr A, Calatrava V, Grossman AR, Bhattacharya D. Why is primary endosymbiosis so rare? THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2021; 231:1693-1699. [PMID: 34018613 PMCID: PMC8711089 DOI: 10.1111/nph.17478] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2021] [Accepted: 05/05/2021] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
Endosymbiosis is a relationship between two organisms wherein one cell resides inside the other. This affiliation, when stable and beneficial for the 'host' cell, can result in massive genetic innovation with the foremost examples being the evolution of eukaryotic organelles, the mitochondria and plastids. Despite its critical evolutionary role, there is limited knowledge about how endosymbiosis is initially established and how host-endosymbiont biology is integrated. Here, we explore this issue, using as our model the rhizarian amoeba Paulinella, which represents an independent case of primary plastid origin that occurred c. 120 million yr ago. We propose the 'chassis and engine' model that provides a theoretical framework for understanding primary plastid endosymbiosis, potentially explaining why it is so rare.
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Affiliation(s)
- Timothy G. Stephens
- Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, USA
| | - Arwa Gabr
- Graduate Program in Molecular Bioscience and Program in Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA
| | - Victoria Calatrava
- Department of Plant Biology, The Carnegie Institution, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Arthur R. Grossman
- Department of Plant Biology, The Carnegie Institution, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Debashish Bhattacharya
- Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, USA
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24
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Van Vlierberghe M, Di Franco A, Philippe H, Baurain D. Decontamination, pooling and dereplication of the 678 samples of the Marine Microbial Eukaryote Transcriptome Sequencing Project. BMC Res Notes 2021; 14:306. [PMID: 34372933 PMCID: PMC8353744 DOI: 10.1186/s13104-021-05717-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2021] [Accepted: 07/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Complex algae are photosynthetic organisms resulting from eukaryote-to-eukaryote endosymbiotic-like interactions. Yet the specific lineages and mechanisms are still under debate. That is why large scale phylogenomic studies are needed. Whereas available proteomes provide a limited diversity of complex algae, MMETSP (Marine Microbial Eukaryote Transcriptome Sequencing Project) transcriptomes represent a valuable resource for phylogenomic analyses, owing to their broad and rich taxonomic sampling, especially of photosynthetic species. Unfortunately, this sampling is unbalanced and sometimes highly redundant. Moreover, we observed contaminated sequences in some samples. In such a context, tree inference and readability are impaired. Consequently, the aim of the data processing reported here is to release a unique set of clean and non-redundant transcriptomes produced through an original protocol featuring decontamination, pooling and dereplication steps. DATA DESCRIPTION We submitted 678 MMETSP re-assembly samples to our parallel consolidation pipeline. Hence, we combined 423 samples into 110 consolidated transcriptomes, after the systematic removal of the most contaminated samples (186). This approach resulted in a total of 224 high-quality transcriptomes, easy to use and suitable to compute less contaminated, less redundant and more balanced phylogenies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mick Van Vlierberghe
- InBioS – PhytoSYSTEMS, Eukaryotic Phylogenomics, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium
| | - Arnaud Di Franco
- Station D’Ecologie Théorique Et Expérimentale de Moulis, UMR CNRS 5321, Moulis, France
| | - Hervé Philippe
- Station D’Ecologie Théorique Et Expérimentale de Moulis, UMR CNRS 5321, Moulis, France
| | - Denis Baurain
- InBioS – PhytoSYSTEMS, Eukaryotic Phylogenomics, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium
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25
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Abstract
The origin of plastids (chloroplasts) by endosymbiosis stands as one of the most important events in the history of eukaryotic life. The genetic, biochemical, and cell biological integration of a cyanobacterial endosymbiont into a heterotrophic host eukaryote approximately a billion years ago paved the way for the evolution of diverse algal groups in a wide range of aquatic and, eventually, terrestrial environments. Plastids have on multiple occasions also moved horizontally from eukaryote to eukaryote by secondary and tertiary endosymbiotic events. The overall picture of extant photosynthetic diversity can best be described as “patchy”: Plastid-bearing lineages are spread far and wide across the eukaryotic tree of life, nested within heterotrophic groups. The algae do not constitute a monophyletic entity, and understanding how, and how often, plastids have moved from branch to branch on the eukaryotic tree remains one of the most fundamental unsolved problems in the field of cell evolution. In this review, we provide an overview of recent advances in our understanding of the origin and spread of plastids from the perspective of comparative genomics. Recent years have seen significant improvements in genomic sampling from photosynthetic and nonphotosynthetic lineages, both of which have added important pieces to the puzzle of plastid evolution. Comparative genomics has also allowed us to better understand how endosymbionts become organelles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shannon J Sibbald
- Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.,Centre for Comparative Genomics and Evolutionary Bioinformatics, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
| | - John M Archibald
- Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.,Centre for Comparative Genomics and Evolutionary Bioinformatics, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
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Husnik F, Tashyreva D, Boscaro V, George EE, Lukeš J, Keeling PJ. Bacterial and archaeal symbioses with protists. Curr Biol 2021; 31:R862-R877. [PMID: 34256922 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2021.05.049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Most of the genetic, cellular, and biochemical diversity of life rests within single-celled organisms - the prokaryotes (bacteria and archaea) and microbial eukaryotes (protists). Very close interactions, or symbioses, between protists and prokaryotes are ubiquitous, ecologically significant, and date back at least two billion years ago to the origin of mitochondria. However, most of our knowledge about the evolution and functions of eukaryotic symbioses comes from the study of animal hosts, which represent only a small subset of eukaryotic diversity. Here, we take a broad view of bacterial and archaeal symbioses with protist hosts, focusing on their evolution, ecology, and cell biology, and also explore what functions (if any) the symbionts provide to their hosts. With the immense diversity of protist symbioses starting to come into focus, we can now begin to see how these systems will impact symbiosis theory more broadly.
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Affiliation(s)
- Filip Husnik
- Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology, Okinawa, 904-0495, Japan; Department of Botany, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada.
| | - Daria Tashyreva
- Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre, Czech Academy of Sciences, 370 05 České Budějovice, Czech Republic
| | - Vittorio Boscaro
- Department of Botany, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Emma E George
- Department of Botany, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Julius Lukeš
- Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre, Czech Academy of Sciences, 370 05 České Budějovice, Czech Republic; Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, 370 05 České Budějovice, Czech Republic
| | - Patrick J Keeling
- Department of Botany, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada.
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Cordoba J, Perez E, Van Vlierberghe M, Bertrand AR, Lupo V, Cardol P, Baurain D. De Novo Transcriptome Meta-Assembly of the Mixotrophic Freshwater Microalga Euglena gracilis. Genes (Basel) 2021; 12:842. [PMID: 34072576 PMCID: PMC8227486 DOI: 10.3390/genes12060842] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2021] [Revised: 05/24/2021] [Accepted: 05/27/2021] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Euglena gracilis is a well-known photosynthetic microeukaryote considered as the product of a secondary endosymbiosis between a green alga and a phagotrophic unicellular belonging to the same eukaryotic phylum as the parasitic trypanosomatids. As its nuclear genome has proven difficult to sequence, reliable transcriptomes are important for functional studies. In this work, we assembled a new consensus transcriptome by combining sequencing reads from five independent studies. Based on a detailed comparison with two previously released transcriptomes, our consensus transcriptome appears to be the most complete so far. Remapping the reads on it allowed us to compare the expression of the transcripts across multiple culture conditions at once and to infer a functionally annotated network of co-expressed genes. Although the emergence of meaningful gene clusters indicates that some biological signal lies in gene expression levels, our analyses confirm that gene regulation in euglenozoans is not primarily controlled at the transcriptional level. Regarding the origin of E. gracilis, we observe a heavily mixed gene ancestry, as previously reported, and rule out sequence contamination as a possible explanation for these observations. Instead, they indicate that this complex alga has evolved through a convoluted process involving much more than two partners.
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Affiliation(s)
- Javier Cordoba
- InBioS—PhytoSYSTEMS, Laboratoire de Génétique et Physiologie des Microalgues, ULiège, B-4000 Liège, Belgium; (J.C.); (E.P.); (P.C.)
| | - Emilie Perez
- InBioS—PhytoSYSTEMS, Laboratoire de Génétique et Physiologie des Microalgues, ULiège, B-4000 Liège, Belgium; (J.C.); (E.P.); (P.C.)
- InBioS—PhytoSYSTEMS, Unit of Eukaryotic Phylogenomics, ULiège, B-4000 Liège, Belgium; (M.V.V.); (A.R.B.); (V.L.)
| | - Mick Van Vlierberghe
- InBioS—PhytoSYSTEMS, Unit of Eukaryotic Phylogenomics, ULiège, B-4000 Liège, Belgium; (M.V.V.); (A.R.B.); (V.L.)
| | - Amandine R. Bertrand
- InBioS—PhytoSYSTEMS, Unit of Eukaryotic Phylogenomics, ULiège, B-4000 Liège, Belgium; (M.V.V.); (A.R.B.); (V.L.)
| | - Valérian Lupo
- InBioS—PhytoSYSTEMS, Unit of Eukaryotic Phylogenomics, ULiège, B-4000 Liège, Belgium; (M.V.V.); (A.R.B.); (V.L.)
| | - Pierre Cardol
- InBioS—PhytoSYSTEMS, Laboratoire de Génétique et Physiologie des Microalgues, ULiège, B-4000 Liège, Belgium; (J.C.); (E.P.); (P.C.)
| | - Denis Baurain
- InBioS—PhytoSYSTEMS, Unit of Eukaryotic Phylogenomics, ULiège, B-4000 Liège, Belgium; (M.V.V.); (A.R.B.); (V.L.)
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López-García P, Moreira D. The Syntrophy hypothesis for the origin of eukaryotes revisited. Nat Microbiol 2020; 5:655-667. [DOI: 10.1038/s41564-020-0710-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2019] [Accepted: 03/13/2020] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
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Dinoflagellates with relic endosymbiont nuclei as models for elucidating organellogenesis. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2020; 117:5364-5375. [PMID: 32094181 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1911884117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Nucleomorphs are relic endosymbiont nuclei so far found only in two algal groups, cryptophytes and chlorarachniophytes, which have been studied to model the evolutionary process of integrating an endosymbiont alga into a host-governed plastid (organellogenesis). However, past studies suggest that DNA transfer from the endosymbiont to host nuclei had already ceased in both cryptophytes and chlorarachniophytes, implying that the organellogenesis at the genetic level has been completed in the two systems. Moreover, we have yet to pinpoint the closest free-living relative of the endosymbiotic alga engulfed by the ancestral chlorarachniophyte or cryptophyte, making it difficult to infer how organellogenesis altered the endosymbiont genome. To counter the above issues, we need novel nucleomorph-bearing algae, in which endosymbiont-to-host DNA transfer is on-going and for which endosymbiont/plastid origins can be inferred at a fine taxonomic scale. Here, we report two previously undescribed dinoflagellates, strains MGD and TGD, with green algal endosymbionts enclosing plastids as well as relic nuclei (nucleomorphs). We provide evidence for the presence of DNA in the two nucleomorphs and the transfer of endosymbiont genes to the host (dinoflagellate) genomes. Furthermore, DNA transfer between the host and endosymbiont nuclei was found to be in progress in both the MGD and TGD systems. Phylogenetic analyses successfully resolved the origins of the endosymbionts at the genus level. With the combined evidence, we conclude that the host-endosymbiont integration in MGD/TGD is less advanced than that in cryptophytes/chrorarachniophytes, and propose the two dinoflagellates as models for elucidating organellogenesis.
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Ponce-Toledo RI, Moreira D, López-García P, Deschamps P. Secondary Plastids of Euglenids and Chlorarachniophytes Function with a Mix of Genes of Red and Green Algal Ancestry. Mol Biol Evol 2020; 35:2198-2204. [PMID: 29924337 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msy121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Endosymbiosis has been common all along eukaryotic evolution, providing opportunities for genomic and organellar innovation. Plastids are a prominent example. After the primary endosymbiosis of the cyanobacterial plastid ancestor, photosynthesis spread in many eukaryotic lineages via secondary endosymbioses involving red or green algal endosymbionts and diverse heterotrophic hosts. However, the number of secondary endosymbioses and how they occurred remain poorly understood. In particular, contrasting patterns of endosymbiotic gene transfer have been detected and subjected to various interpretations. In this context, accurate detection of endosymbiotic gene transfers is essential to avoid wrong evolutionary conclusions. We have assembled a strictly selected set of markers that provides robust phylogenomic evidence suggesting that nuclear genes involved in the function and maintenance of green secondary plastids in chlorarachniophytes and euglenids have unexpected mixed red and green algal origins. This mixed ancestry contrasts with the clear red algal origin of most nuclear genes carrying similar functions in secondary algae with red plastids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rafael I Ponce-Toledo
- Unité d'Ecologie Systématique et Evolution, CNRS, Université Paris-Sud, AgroParisTech, Université Paris-Saclay, Orsay, France
| | - David Moreira
- Unité d'Ecologie Systématique et Evolution, CNRS, Université Paris-Sud, AgroParisTech, Université Paris-Saclay, Orsay, France
| | - Purificación López-García
- Unité d'Ecologie Systématique et Evolution, CNRS, Université Paris-Sud, AgroParisTech, Université Paris-Saclay, Orsay, France
| | - Philippe Deschamps
- Unité d'Ecologie Systématique et Evolution, CNRS, Université Paris-Sud, AgroParisTech, Université Paris-Saclay, Orsay, France
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31
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Novák Vanclová AMG, Zoltner M, Kelly S, Soukal P, Záhonová K, Füssy Z, Ebenezer TE, Lacová Dobáková E, Eliáš M, Lukeš J, Field MC, Hampl V. Metabolic quirks and the colourful history of the Euglena gracilis secondary plastid. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2020; 225:1578-1592. [PMID: 31580486 DOI: 10.1111/nph.16237] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2019] [Accepted: 09/25/2019] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
Euglena spp. are phototrophic flagellates with considerable ecological presence and impact. Euglena gracilis harbours secondary green plastids, but an incompletely characterised proteome precludes accurate understanding of both plastid function and evolutionary history. Using subcellular fractionation, an improved sequence database and MS we determined the composition, evolutionary relationships and hence predicted functions of the E. gracilis plastid proteome. We confidently identified 1345 distinct plastid protein groups and found that at least 100 proteins represent horizontal acquisitions from organisms other than green algae or prokaryotes. Metabolic reconstruction confirmed previously studied/predicted enzymes/pathways and provided evidence for multiple unusual features, including uncoupling of carotenoid and phytol metabolism, a limited role in amino acid metabolism, and dual sets of the SUF pathway for FeS cluster assembly, one of which was acquired by lateral gene transfer from Chlamydiae. Plastid paralogues of trafficking-associated proteins potentially mediating fusion of transport vesicles with the outermost plastid membrane were identified, together with derlin-related proteins, potential translocases across the middle membrane, and an extremely simplified TIC complex. The Euglena plastid, as the product of many genomes, combines novel and conserved features of metabolism and transport.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Martin Zoltner
- Faculty of Science, Charles University, BIOCEV, Vestec, 252 50, Czechia
- School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee, DD1 5EH, UK
| | - Steven Kelly
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3RB, UK
| | - Petr Soukal
- Faculty of Science, Charles University, BIOCEV, Vestec, 252 50, Czechia
| | - Kristína Záhonová
- Faculty of Science, Charles University, BIOCEV, Vestec, 252 50, Czechia
- Faculty of Science, University of Ostrava, Ostrava, 710 00, Czechia
- Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre, Czech Academy of Sciences, České Budějovice, 370 05, Czechia
| | - Zoltán Füssy
- Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre, Czech Academy of Sciences, České Budějovice, 370 05, Czechia
| | - ThankGod E Ebenezer
- School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee, DD1 5EH, UK
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 1QW, UK
| | - Eva Lacová Dobáková
- Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre, Czech Academy of Sciences, České Budějovice, 370 05, Czechia
| | - Marek Eliáš
- Faculty of Science, University of Ostrava, Ostrava, 710 00, Czechia
| | - Julius Lukeš
- Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre, Czech Academy of Sciences, České Budějovice, 370 05, Czechia
- Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, České Budějovice, 370 05, Czechia
| | - Mark C Field
- School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee, DD1 5EH, UK
- Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre, Czech Academy of Sciences, České Budějovice, 370 05, Czechia
| | - Vladimír Hampl
- Faculty of Science, Charles University, BIOCEV, Vestec, 252 50, Czechia
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Mining Natural Product Biosynthesis in Eukaryotic Algae. Mar Drugs 2020; 18:md18020090. [PMID: 32019095 PMCID: PMC7073580 DOI: 10.3390/md18020090] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2019] [Revised: 01/24/2020] [Accepted: 01/28/2020] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Eukaryotic algae are an extremely diverse category of photosynthetic organisms and some species produce highly potent bioactive compounds poisonous to humans or other animals, most notably observed during harmful algal blooms. These natural products include some of the most poisonous small molecules known and unique cyclic polyethers. However, the diversity and complexity of algal genomes means that sequencing-based research has lagged behind research into more readily sequenced microbes, such as bacteria and fungi. Applying informatics techniques to the algal genomes that are now available reveals new natural product biosynthetic pathways, with different groups of algae containing different types of pathways. There is some evidence for gene clusters and the biosynthetic logic of polyketides enables some prediction of these final products. For other pathways, it is much more challenging to predict the products and there may be many gene clusters that are not identified with the automated tools. These results suggest that there is a great diversity of biosynthetic capacity for natural products encoded in the genomes of algae and suggest areas for future research focus.
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33
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Ponce-Toledo RI, López-García P, Moreira D. Horizontal and endosymbiotic gene transfer in early plastid evolution. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2019; 224:618-624. [PMID: 31135958 PMCID: PMC6759420 DOI: 10.1111/nph.15965] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2018] [Accepted: 05/17/2019] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Plastids evolved from a cyanobacterium that was engulfed by a heterotrophic eukaryotic host and became a stable organelle. Some of the resulting eukaryotic algae entered into a number of secondary endosymbioses with diverse eukaryotic hosts. These events had major consequences on the evolution and diversification of life on Earth. Although almost all plastid diversity derives from a single endosymbiotic event, the analysis of nuclear genomes of plastid-bearing lineages has revealed a mosaic origin of plastid-related genes. In addition to cyanobacterial genes, plastids recruited for their functioning eukaryotic proteins encoded by the host nucleus and also bacterial proteins of noncyanobacterial origin. Therefore, plastid proteins and plastid-localised metabolic pathways evolved by tinkering and using gene toolkits from different sources. This mixed heritage seems especially complex in secondary algae containing green plastids, the acquisition of which appears to have been facilitated by many previous acquisitions of red algal genes (the 'red carpet hypothesis').
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Affiliation(s)
- Rafael I Ponce-Toledo
- Unité d'Ecologie Systématique et Evolution, CNRS, Université Paris-Sud, AgroParisTech, Université Paris-Saclay, 91400, Orsay, France
| | - Purificación López-García
- Unité d'Ecologie Systématique et Evolution, CNRS, Université Paris-Sud, AgroParisTech, Université Paris-Saclay, 91400, Orsay, France
| | - David Moreira
- Unité d'Ecologie Systématique et Evolution, CNRS, Université Paris-Sud, AgroParisTech, Université Paris-Saclay, 91400, Orsay, France
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34
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Husnik F, Keeling PJ. The fate of obligate endosymbionts: reduction, integration, or extinction. Curr Opin Genet Dev 2019; 58-59:1-8. [DOI: 10.1016/j.gde.2019.07.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2019] [Revised: 07/16/2019] [Accepted: 07/21/2019] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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35
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Gavelis GS, Gile GH. How did cyanobacteria first embark on the path to becoming plastids?: lessons from protist symbioses. FEMS Microbiol Lett 2019; 365:5079637. [PMID: 30165400 DOI: 10.1093/femsle/fny209] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2018] [Accepted: 08/23/2018] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Symbioses between phototrophs and heterotrophs (a.k.a 'photosymbioses') are extremely common, and range from loose and temporary associations to obligate and highly specialized forms. In the history of life, the most transformative was the 'primary endosymbiosis,' wherein a cyanobacterium was engulfed by a eukaryote and became genetically integrated as a heritable photosynthetic organelle, or plastid. By allowing the rise of algae and plants, this event dramatically altered the biosphere, but its remote origin over one billion years ago has obscured the sequence of events leading to its establishment. Here, we review the genetic, physiological and developmental hurdles involved in early primary endosymbiosis. Since we cannot travel back in time to witness these evolutionary junctures, we will draw on examples of unicellular eukaryotes (protists) spanning diverse modes of photosymbiosis. We also review experimental approaches that could be used to recreate aspects of early primary endosymbiosis on a human timescale.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gregory S Gavelis
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Room 611, Life Science Tower E, 427 E, Tyler Mall, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA
| | - Gillian H Gile
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Room 611, Life Science Tower E, 427 E, Tyler Mall, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA
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A kleptoplastidic dinoflagellate and the tipping point between transient and fully integrated plastid endosymbiosis. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2019; 116:17934-17942. [PMID: 31427512 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1910121116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Plastid endosymbiosis has been a major force in the evolution of eukaryotic cellular complexity, but how endosymbionts are integrated is still poorly understood at a mechanistic level. Dinoflagellates, an ecologically important protist lineage, represent a unique model to study this process because dinoflagellate plastids have repeatedly been reduced, lost, and replaced by new plastids, leading to a spectrum of ages and integration levels. Here we describe deep-transcriptomic analyses of the Antarctic Ross Sea dinoflagellate (RSD), which harbors long-term but temporary kleptoplasts stolen from haptophyte prey, and is closely related to dinoflagellates with fully integrated plastids derived from different haptophytes. In some members of this lineage, called the Kareniaceae, their tertiary haptophyte plastids have crossed a tipping point to stable integration, but RSD has not, and may therefore reveal the order of events leading up to endosymbiotic integration. We show that RSD has retained its ancestral secondary plastid and has partitioned functions between this plastid and the kleptoplast. It has also obtained genes for kleptoplast-targeted proteins via horizontal gene transfer (HGT) that are not derived from the kleptoplast lineage. Importantly, many of these HGTs are also found in the related species with fully integrated plastids, which provides direct evidence that genetic integration preceded organelle fixation. Finally, we find that expression of kleptoplast-targeted genes is unaffected by environmental parameters, unlike prey-encoded homologs, suggesting that kleptoplast-targeted HGTs have adapted to posttranscriptional regulation mechanisms of the host.
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37
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Oborník M. Endosymbiotic Evolution of Algae, Secondary Heterotrophy and Parasitism. Biomolecules 2019; 9:E266. [PMID: 31288476 PMCID: PMC6681372 DOI: 10.3390/biom9070266] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2019] [Revised: 07/01/2019] [Accepted: 07/05/2019] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Photosynthesis is a biochemical process essential for life, serving as the ultimate source of chemical energy for phototrophic and heterotrophic life forms. Since the machinery of the photosynthetic electron transport chain is quite complex and is unlikely to have evolved multiple independent times, it is believed that this machinery has been transferred to diverse eukaryotic organisms by endosymbiotic events involving a eukaryotic host and a phototrophic endosymbiont. Thus, photoautotrophy, as a benefit, is transmitted through the evolution of plastids. However, many eukaryotes became secondarily heterotrophic, reverting to hetero-osmotrophy, phagotrophy, or parasitism. Here, I briefly review the constructive evolution of plastid endosymbioses and the consequential switch to reductive evolution involving losses of photosynthesis and plastids and the evolution of parasitism from a photosynthetic ancestor.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miroslav Oborník
- Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre CAS, 37005 České Budějovice, Czech Republic.
- Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, 37005 České Budějovice, Czech Republic.
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Genes functioned in kleptoplastids of Dinophysis are derived from haptophytes rather than from cryptophytes. Sci Rep 2019; 9:9009. [PMID: 31227737 PMCID: PMC6588620 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-45326-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2018] [Accepted: 06/05/2019] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Toxic dinoflagellates belonging to the genus Dinophysis acquire plastids indirectly from cryptophytes through the consumption of the ciliate Mesodinium rubrum. Dinophysis acuminata harbours three genes encoding plastid-related proteins, which are thought to have originated from fucoxanthin dinoflagellates, haptophytes and cryptophytes via lateral gene transfer (LGT). Here, we investigate the origin of these plastid proteins via RNA sequencing of species related to D. fortii. We identified 58 gene products involved in porphyrin, chlorophyll, isoprenoid and carotenoid biosyntheses as well as in photosynthesis. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that the genes associated with chlorophyll and carotenoid biosyntheses and photosynthesis originated from fucoxanthin dinoflagellates, haptophytes, chlorarachniophytes, cyanobacteria and cryptophytes. Furthermore, nine genes were laterally transferred from fucoxanthin dinoflagellates, whose plastids were derived from haptophytes. Notably, transcription levels of different plastid protein isoforms varied significantly. Based on these findings, we put forth a novel hypothesis regarding the evolution of Dinophysis plastids that ancestral Dinophysis species acquired plastids from haptophytes or fucoxanthin dinoflagellates, whereas LGT from cryptophytes occurred more recently. Therefore, the evolutionary convergence of genes following LGT may be unlikely in most cases.
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Hörandl E, Speijer D. How oxygen gave rise to eukaryotic sex. Proc Biol Sci 2019; 285:rspb.2017.2706. [PMID: 29436502 PMCID: PMC5829205 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2017.2706] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2017] [Accepted: 01/15/2018] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
How did full meiotic eukaryotic sex evolve and what was the immediate advantage allowing it to develop? We propose that the crucial determinant can be found in internal reactive oxygen species (ROS) formation at the start of eukaryotic evolution approximately 2 × 109 years ago. The large amount of ROS coming from a bacterial endosymbiont gave rise to DNA damage and vast increases in host genome mutation rates. Eukaryogenesis and chromosome evolution represent adaptations to oxidative stress. The host, an archaeon, most probably already had repair mechanisms based on DNA pairing and recombination, and possibly some kind of primitive cell fusion mechanism. The detrimental effects of internal ROS formation on host genome integrity set the stage allowing evolution of meiotic sex from these humble beginnings. Basic meiotic mechanisms thus probably evolved in response to endogenous ROS production by the ‘pre-mitochondrion’. This alternative to mitosis is crucial under novel, ROS-producing stress situations, like extensive motility or phagotrophy in heterotrophs and endosymbiontic photosynthesis in autotrophs. In multicellular eukaryotes with a germline–soma differentiation, meiotic sex with diploid–haploid cycles improved efficient purging of deleterious mutations. Constant pressure of endogenous ROS explains the ubiquitous maintenance of meiotic sex in practically all eukaryotic kingdoms. Here, we discuss the relevant observations underpinning this model.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elvira Hörandl
- Department of Systematics, Biodiversity and Evolution of Plants, University of Goettingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Dave Speijer
- Department of Medical Biochemistry, Academic Medical Centre (AMC), University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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Sloan DB, Warren JM, Williams AM, Wu Z, Abdel-Ghany SE, Chicco AJ, Havird JC. Cytonuclear integration and co-evolution. Nat Rev Genet 2018; 19:635-648. [PMID: 30018367 PMCID: PMC6469396 DOI: 10.1038/s41576-018-0035-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 101] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
The partitioning of genetic material between the nucleus and cytoplasmic (mitochondrial and plastid) genomes within eukaryotic cells necessitates coordinated integration between these genomic compartments, with important evolutionary and biomedical implications. Classic questions persist about the pervasive reduction of cytoplasmic genomes via a combination of gene loss, transfer and functional replacement - and yet why they are almost always retained in some minimal form. One striking consequence of cytonuclear integration is the existence of 'chimeric' enzyme complexes composed of subunits encoded in two different genomes. Advances in structural biology and comparative genomics are yielding important insights into the evolution of such complexes, including correlated sequence changes and recruitment of novel subunits. Thus, chimeric cytonuclear complexes provide a powerful window into the mechanisms of molecular co-evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel B Sloan
- Department of Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA.
| | - Jessica M Warren
- Department of Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - Alissa M Williams
- Department of Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - Zhiqiang Wu
- Department of Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | | | - Adam J Chicco
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - Justin C Havird
- Department of Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
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Füssy Z, Oborník M. Complex Endosymbioses I: From Primary to Complex Plastids, Multiple Independent Events. Methods Mol Biol 2018; 1829:17-35. [PMID: 29987712 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4939-8654-5_2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
A substantial portion of eukaryote diversity consists of algae with complex plastids, i.e., plastids originating from eukaryote-to-eukaryote endosymbioses. These plastids are characteristic by a deviating number of envelope membranes (higher than two), and sometimes a remnant nucleus of the endosymbiont alga, termed the nucleomorph, is present. Complex plastid-bearing algae are therefore much like living matryoshka dolls, eukaryotes within eukaryotes. In comparison, primary plastids of Archaeplastida (plants, green algae, red algae, and glaucophytes) arose upon a single endosymbiosis event with a cyanobacterium and are surrounded by two membranes. Complex plastids were acquired several times by unrelated groups nested within eukaryotic heterotrophs, suggesting complex plastids are somewhat easier to obtain than primary plastids. This is consistent with the existence of higher-order and serial endosymbioses, i.e., engulfment of complex plastid-bearing algae by (tertiary) eukaryotic hosts and functional plastid replacements, respectively. Plastid endosymbiosis is typical by a massive transfer of genetic material from the endosymbiont to the host nucleus and metabolic rearrangements related to the trophic switch to phototrophy; this is necessary to establish metabolic integration of the plastid and control over its division. Although photosynthesis is the main advantage of plastid acquisition, algae that lost photosynthesis often maintain complex plastids, suggesting their roles beyond photosynthesis. This chapter summarizes basic knowledge on acquisition and functions of complex plastid.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zoltán Füssy
- Biology Centre, Institute of Parasitology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Branišovská 31, České Budějovice, 37005, Czech Republic
- University of South Bohemia, Faculty of Science, Branišovská 31, 37005, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
| | - Miroslav Oborník
- Biology Centre, Institute of Parasitology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Branišovská 31, České Budějovice, 37005, Czech Republic.
- University of South Bohemia, Faculty of Science, Branišovská 31, 37005, České Budějovice, Czech Republic.
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Yamada N, Sym SD, Horiguchi T. Identification of Highly Divergent Diatom-Derived Chloroplasts in Dinoflagellates, Including a Description of Durinskia kwazulunatalensis sp. nov. (Peridiniales, Dinophyceae). Mol Biol Evol 2017; 34:1335-1351. [PMID: 28333196 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msx054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Dinoflagellates are known to possess chloroplasts of multiple origins derived from a red alga, a green alga, haptophytes, or diatoms. The monophyletic "dinotoms" harbor a chloroplast of diatom origin, but their chloroplasts are polyphyletic belonging to one of four genera: Chaetoceros, Cyclotella, Discostella, or Nitzschia. It has been speculated that serial replacement of diatom-derived chloroplasts by other diatoms has caused this diversity of chloroplasts. Although previous work suggested that the endosymbionts of Nitzschia origin might not be monophyletic, this has not been seriously investigated. To infer the number of replacements of diatom-derived chloroplasts in dinotoms, we analyzed the phylogenetic affinities of 14 species of dinotoms based on the endosymbiotic rbcL gene and SSU rDNA, and the host SSU rDNA. Resultant phylogenetic trees revealed that six species of Nitzschia were taken up by eight marine dinoflagellate species. Our phylogenies also indicate that four separate diatom species belonging to three genera were incorporated into the five freshwater dinotoms. Particular attention was paid to two crucially closely related species, Durinskia capensis and a novel species, D. kwazulunatalensis, because they possess distantly related Nitzschia species. This study clarified that any of a total of at least 11 diatom species in five genera are employed as an endosymbiont by 14 dinotoms, which infers a more frequent replacement of endosymbionts in the world of dinotoms than previously envisaged.
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Affiliation(s)
- Norico Yamada
- Department of Natural History Sciences, Graduate School of Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Stuart D Sym
- School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Science, University of the Witwatersrand, Wits, South Africa
| | - Takeo Horiguchi
- Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
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Abstract
Endosymbiosis is an idea that provided a remarkable amount of explanatory power about the origins of eukaryotic organelles. But it also promoted a number of assumptions that have also been influential, but are less well-examined. Here we look at two of these to see whether or not they fit current evidence. The assumption we first address is that endosymbiotic relationships such as nutritional symbioses and eukaryotic organelles are mutualisms. We argue instead that they are more one-sided associations that can be regarded as context-dependent power struggles like any other ecological interaction. The second assumption is that during endosymbiotic interactions (such as the origin of organelles), the host genomes will acquire a great many genes from endosymbionts that assume functions in host systems (as opposed to the well-documented genes whose products are simply targeted back to the endosymbiont or organelle). The idea that these genes exist in large numbers has been influential in a number of hypotheses about organelle evolution and distribution, but in the most carefully-examined systems no such mass migration of genes is evident. Overall, we argue that both the nature and impact of endosymbiosis need to be constantly re-evaluated to fully understand what roles it really plays in both cell biology and evolution.
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Bodył A. Did some red alga-derived plastids evolveviakleptoplastidy? A hypothesis. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2017; 93:201-222. [DOI: 10.1111/brv.12340] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2017] [Revised: 04/24/2017] [Accepted: 04/25/2017] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Andrzej Bodył
- Laboratory of Evolutionary Protistology, Department of Invertebrate Biology, Evolution and Conservation, Institute of Environmental Biology; University of Wrocław, ul. Przybyszewskiego 65; 51-148 Wrocław Poland
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Lakey B, Triemer R. The tetrapyrrole synthesis pathway as a model of horizontal gene transfer in euglenoids. JOURNAL OF PHYCOLOGY 2017; 53:198-217. [PMID: 27859237 DOI: 10.1111/jpy.12491] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2015] [Accepted: 09/14/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
The history of euglenoids may have begun as early as ~2 bya. These early phagotrophs ate cyanobacteria, archaea, and eubacteria, and the subsequent appearance of red algae and chromalveolates provided euglenoids with additional food sources. Following the appearance of green algae, euglenoids acquired a chloroplast via a secondary endosymbiotic event with a green algal ancestor. This endosymbiosis also involved a massive transfer of nuclear-encoded genes from the symbiont nucleus to the host. Expecting these genes to have a green algal origin, this research has shown, through the use of DNA-sequences and the analysis of phylogenetic relationships, that many housekeeping genes have a red algal/chromalveolate ancestry. This suggested that many other endosymbiotic/horizontal gene transfers, which brought genes from chromalveolates to euglenoids, may have been taking place long before the acquisition of the chloroplast. The investigation of the origin of the enzymes involved in the tetrapyrrole synthesis pathway provided insights into horizontal gene transfer in euglenoids and demonstrated that the euglenoid nuclear genome is a mosaic comprised of genes from the ancestral lineage plus genes transferred endosymbiotically/horizontally from green, red, and chromalveolates lineages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bryan Lakey
- Department of Plant Biology, Michigan State University, 612 Wilson Rd, 166 Plant Biology Labs, East Lansing, Michigan, 48824, USA
| | - Richard Triemer
- Department of Plant Biology, Michigan State University, 612 Wilson Rd, 166 Plant Biology Labs, East Lansing, Michigan, 48824, USA
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Evolution of the Tetrapyrrole Biosynthetic Pathway in Secondary Algae: Conservation, Redundancy and Replacement. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0166338. [PMID: 27861576 PMCID: PMC5115734 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0166338] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2016] [Accepted: 10/26/2016] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Tetrapyrroles such as chlorophyll and heme are indispensable for life because they are involved in energy fixation and consumption, i.e. photosynthesis and oxidative phosphorylation. In eukaryotes, the tetrapyrrole biosynthetic pathway is shaped by past endosymbioses. We investigated the origins and predicted locations of the enzymes of the heme pathway in the chlorarachniophyte Bigelowiella natans, the cryptophyte Guillardia theta, the “green” dinoflagellate Lepidodinium chlorophorum, and three dinoflagellates with diatom endosymbionts (“dinotoms”): Durinskia baltica, Glenodinium foliaceum and Kryptoperidinium foliaceum. Bigelowiella natans appears to contain two separate heme pathways analogous to those found in Euglena gracilis; one is predicted to be mitochondrial-cytosolic, while the second is predicted to be plastid-located. In the remaining algae, only plastid-type tetrapyrrole synthesis is present, with a single remnant of the mitochondrial-cytosolic pathway, a ferrochelatase of G. theta putatively located in the mitochondrion. The green dinoflagellate contains a single pathway composed of mostly rhodophyte-origin enzymes, and the dinotoms hold two heme pathways of apparently plastidal origin. We suggest that heme pathway enzymes in B. natans and L. chlorophorum share a predominantly rhodophytic origin. This implies the ancient presence of a rhodophyte-derived plastid in the chlorarachniophyte alga, analogous to the green dinoflagellate, or an exceptionally massive horizontal gene transfer.
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Gagat P, Mackiewicz P. Cymbomonas tetramitiformis - a peculiar prasinophyte with a taste for bacteria sheds light on plastid evolution. Symbiosis 2016; 71:1-7. [PMID: 28066124 PMCID: PMC5167767 DOI: 10.1007/s13199-016-0464-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2016] [Accepted: 10/31/2016] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Cymbomonas tetramitiformis is a peculiar green alga that unites in one cell the abilities of photosynthesis and phagocytosis, which makes it a very useful model for the study of the evolution of plastid endosymbiosis. We have pondered over this issue and propose an evolutionary scenario of trophic strategies in eukaryotes, including primary and secondary plastid endosymbioses. C. tetramitiformis is a prototroph, just like the common ancestor of Archaeplastida was, and can synthesize most small organic molecules contrary to other eukaryotic phagotrophs, e.g. some metazoans, amoebozoans, and ciliates, which have not evolved tight endosymbiotic relationships. In order to establish a permanent photosynthetic endosymbiont they do not have to become prototrophs, but have to acquire the genes necessary for plastid retention via horizontal (including endosymbiotic) gene transfer. Such processes occurred successfully in the ancestors of eukaryotes with permanent secondary plastids and thus led to their great diversification. The preservation of phagocytosis in Cymbomonas (and some other prasinophytes as well) seems to result from nutrient deficiency in their oligotrophic habitats. This forces them to supplement their diet with phagocytized prey, in contrasts to the thecate amoeba Paulinella chromatophora, which also successfully transformed cyanobacteria into permanent organelles. Although Paulinella endosymbionts were acquired very recently in comparison to primary plastids, Paulinella has lost the ability to phagocytose, most probably due to the fact that it inhabits nutrient-rich environments, which renders the phagotrophy nonessential.
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Affiliation(s)
- Przemysław Gagat
- Department of Genomics, Faculty of Biotechnology, University of Wrocław, ul. Joliot-Curie 14A, 50-383 Wrocław, Poland
| | - Paweł Mackiewicz
- Department of Genomics, Faculty of Biotechnology, University of Wrocław, ul. Joliot-Curie 14A, 50-383 Wrocław, Poland
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Lee J, Cho CH, Park SI, Choi JW, Song HS, West JA, Bhattacharya D, Yoon HS. Parallel evolution of highly conserved plastid genome architecture in red seaweeds and seed plants. BMC Biol 2016; 14:75. [PMID: 27589960 PMCID: PMC5010701 DOI: 10.1186/s12915-016-0299-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2016] [Accepted: 08/17/2016] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The red algae (Rhodophyta) diverged from the green algae and plants (Viridiplantae) over one billion years ago within the kingdom Archaeplastida. These photosynthetic lineages provide an ideal model to study plastid genome reduction in deep time. To this end, we assembled a large dataset of the plastid genomes that were available, including 48 from the red algae (17 complete and three partial genomes produced for this analysis) to elucidate the evolutionary history of these organelles. Results We found extreme conservation of plastid genome architecture in the major lineages of the multicellular Florideophyceae red algae. Only three minor structural types were detected in this group, which are explained by recombination events of the duplicated rDNA operons. A similar high level of structural conservation (although with different gene content) was found in seed plants. Three major plastid genome architectures were identified in representatives of 46 orders of angiosperms and three orders of gymnosperms. Conclusions Our results provide a comprehensive account of plastid gene loss and rearrangement events involving genome architecture within Archaeplastida and lead to one over-arching conclusion: from an ancestral pool of highly rearranged plastid genomes in red and green algae, the aquatic (Florideophyceae) and terrestrial (seed plants) multicellular lineages display high conservation in plastid genome architecture. This phenomenon correlates with, and could be explained by, the independent and widely divergent (separated by >400 million years) origins of complex sexual cycles and reproductive structures that led to the rapid diversification of these lineages. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12915-016-0299-5) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- JunMo Lee
- Department of Biological Sciences, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, 16419, Republic of Korea
| | - Chung Hyun Cho
- Department of Biological Sciences, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, 16419, Republic of Korea
| | - Seung In Park
- Department of Biological Sciences, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, 16419, Republic of Korea
| | - Ji Won Choi
- Department of Biological Sciences, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, 16419, Republic of Korea
| | - Hyun Suk Song
- Department of Biological Sciences, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, 16419, Republic of Korea
| | - John A West
- School of Biosciences 2, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, 3010, Australia
| | - Debashish Bhattacharya
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Natural Resources, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, 08901, USA
| | - Hwan Su Yoon
- Department of Biological Sciences, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, 16419, Republic of Korea.
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Repeated replacement of an intrabacterial symbiont in the tripartite nested mealybug symbiosis. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2016; 113:E5416-24. [PMID: 27573819 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1603910113] [Citation(s) in RCA: 147] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Stable endosymbiosis of a bacterium into a host cell promotes cellular and genomic complexity. The mealybug Planococcus citri has two bacterial endosymbionts with an unusual nested arrangement: the γ-proteobacterium Moranella endobia lives in the cytoplasm of the β-proteobacterium Tremblaya princeps These two bacteria, along with genes horizontally transferred from other bacteria to the P. citri genome, encode gene sets that form an interdependent metabolic patchwork. Here, we test the stability of this three-way symbiosis by sequencing host and symbiont genomes for five diverse mealybug species and find marked fluidity over evolutionary time. Although Tremblaya is the result of a single infection in the ancestor of mealybugs, the γ-proteobacterial symbionts result from multiple replacements of inferred different ages from related but distinct bacterial lineages. Our data show that symbiont replacement can happen even in the most intricate symbiotic arrangements and that preexisting horizontally transferred genes can remain stable on genomes in the face of extensive symbiont turnover.
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