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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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2
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Fromm A, Hevroni G, Vincent F, Schatz D, Martinez-Gutierrez CA, Aylward FO, Vardi A. Single-cell RNA-seq of the rare virosphere reveals the native hosts of giant viruses in the marine environment. Nat Microbiol 2024; 9:1619-1629. [PMID: 38605173 PMCID: PMC11265207 DOI: 10.1038/s41564-024-01669-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2023] [Accepted: 03/07/2024] [Indexed: 04/13/2024]
Abstract
Giant viruses (phylum Nucleocytoviricota) are globally distributed in aquatic ecosystems. They play fundamental roles as evolutionary drivers of eukaryotic plankton and regulators of global biogeochemical cycles. However, we lack knowledge about their native hosts, hindering our understanding of their life cycle and ecological importance. In the present study, we applied a single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) approach to samples collected during an induced algal bloom, which enabled pairing active giant viruses with their native protist hosts. We detected hundreds of single cells from multiple host lineages infected by diverse giant viruses. These host cells included members of the algal groups Chrysophycae and Prymnesiophycae, as well as heterotrophic flagellates in the class Katablepharidaceae. Katablepharids were infected with a rare Imitervirales-07 giant virus lineage expressing a large repertoire of cell-fate regulation genes. Analysis of the temporal dynamics of these host-virus interactions revealed an important role for the Imitervirales-07 in controlling the population size of the host Katablepharid population. Our results demonstrate that scRNA-seq can be used to identify previously undescribed host-virus interactions and study their ecological importance and impact.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amir Fromm
- Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Gur Hevroni
- Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
- Google Geo, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Flora Vincent
- Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
- Developmental Biology Unit, European Molecular Biological Laboratory, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Daniella Schatz
- Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | | | - Frank O Aylward
- Department of Biological Sciences, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA.
- Center for Emerging, Zoonotic, and Arthropod-Borne Pathogens, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA.
| | - Assaf Vardi
- Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel.
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Groussman RD, Blaskowski S, Coesel SN, Armbrust EV. MarFERReT, an open-source, version-controlled reference library of marine microbial eukaryote functional genes. Sci Data 2023; 10:926. [PMID: 38129449 PMCID: PMC10739892 DOI: 10.1038/s41597-023-02842-4] [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: 06/07/2023] [Accepted: 12/08/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Metatranscriptomics generates large volumes of sequence data about transcribed genes in natural environments. Taxonomic annotation of these datasets depends on availability of curated reference sequences. For marine microbial eukaryotes, current reference libraries are limited by gaps in sequenced organism diversity and barriers to updating libraries with new sequence data, resulting in taxonomic annotation of about half of eukaryotic environmental transcripts. Here, we introduce Marine Functional EukaRyotic Reference Taxa (MarFERReT), a marine microbial eukaryotic sequence library designed for use with taxonomic annotation of eukaryotic metatranscriptomes. We gathered 902 publicly accessible marine eukaryote genomes and transcriptomes and assessed their sequence quality and cross-contamination issues, selecting 800 validated entries for inclusion in MarFERReT. Version 1.1 of MarFERReT contains reference sequences from 800 marine eukaryotic genomes and transcriptomes, covering 453 species- and strain-level taxa, totaling nearly 28 million protein sequences with associated NCBI and PR2 Taxonomy identifiers and Pfam functional annotations. The MarFERReT project repository hosts containerized build scripts, documentation on installation and use case examples, and information on new versions of MarFERReT.
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Affiliation(s)
- R D Groussman
- School of Oceanography, University of Washington, Benjamin Hall IRB, Room 306 616 NE Northlake Place, Seattle, WA, 98105, USA.
| | - S Blaskowski
- School of Oceanography, University of Washington, Benjamin Hall IRB, Room 306 616 NE Northlake Place, Seattle, WA, 98105, USA
- Molecular Engineering and Sciences Institute, University of Washington, Molecular Engineering & Sciences Building 3946 W Stevens Way NE, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA
| | - S N Coesel
- School of Oceanography, University of Washington, Benjamin Hall IRB, Room 306 616 NE Northlake Place, Seattle, WA, 98105, USA
| | - E V Armbrust
- School of Oceanography, University of Washington, Benjamin Hall IRB, Room 306 616 NE Northlake Place, Seattle, WA, 98105, USA.
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Holt CC, Hehenberger E, Tikhonenkov DV, Jacko-Reynolds VKL, Okamoto N, Cooney EC, Irwin NAT, Keeling PJ. Multiple parallel origins of parasitic Marine Alveolates. Nat Commun 2023; 14:7049. [PMID: 37923716 PMCID: PMC10624901 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-42807-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2023] [Accepted: 10/20/2023] [Indexed: 11/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Microbial eukaryotes are important components of marine ecosystems, and the Marine Alveolates (MALVs) are consistently both abundant and diverse in global environmental sequencing surveys. MALVs are dinoflagellates that are thought to be parasites of other protists and animals, but the lack of data beyond ribosomal RNA gene sequences from all but a few described species means much of their biology and evolution remain unknown. Using single-cell transcriptomes from several MALVs and their free-living relatives, we show that MALVs evolved independently from two distinct, free-living ancestors and that their parasitism evolved in parallel. Phylogenomics shows one subgroup (MALV-II and -IV, or Syndiniales) is related to a novel lineage of free-living, eukaryovorous predators, the eleftherids, while the other (MALV-I, or Ichthyodinida) is related to the free-living predator Oxyrrhis and retains proteins targeted to a non-photosynthetic plastid. Reconstructing the evolution of photosynthesis, plastids, and parasitism in early-diverging dinoflagellates shows a number of parallels with the evolution of their apicomplexan sisters. In both groups, similar forms of parasitism evolved multiple times and photosynthesis was lost many times. By contrast, complete loss of the plastid organelle is infrequent and, when this does happen, leaves no residual genes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Corey C Holt
- Department of Botany, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
- Hakai Institute, Heriot Bay, British Columbia, Canada.
| | - Elisabeth Hehenberger
- Department of Botany, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
- Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre Czech Academy of Sciences, České Budějovice, Czech Republic.
| | - Denis V Tikhonenkov
- Papanin Institute for Biology of Inland Waters, Russian Academy of Sciences, Borok, Russia
- AquaBioSafe Laboratory, University of Tyumen, Tyumen, Russia
| | | | - Noriko Okamoto
- Department of Botany, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- Hakai Institute, Heriot Bay, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Elizabeth C Cooney
- Department of Botany, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- Hakai Institute, Heriot Bay, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Nicholas A T Irwin
- Department of Botany, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- Merton College, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Patrick J Keeling
- Department of Botany, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
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Park E, Cooney E, Heng Phua Y, Horiguchi T, Husnik F, Keeling P, Wakeman K, Leander B. Phylogenomics shows that novel tapeworm-like traits of haplozoan parasites evolved from within the Peridiniales (Dinoflagellata). Mol Phylogenet Evol 2023:107859. [PMID: 37329929 DOI: 10.1016/j.ympev.2023.107859] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2023] [Revised: 06/08/2023] [Accepted: 06/10/2023] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
Haplozoans are intestinal parasites of marine annelids with bizarre traits, including a differentiated and dynamic trophozoite stage that resembles the scolex and strobila of tapeworms. Described originally as "Mesozoa", comparative ultrastructural data and molecular phylogenetic analyses have shown that haplozoans are aberrant dinoflagellates; however, these data failed to resolve the phylogenetic position of haplozoans within this diverse group of protists. Several hypotheses for the phylogenetic position of haplozoans have been proposed: (1) within the Gymnodiniales based on tabulation patterns on the trophozoites, (2) within the Blastodiniales based on the parasitic life cycle, and (3) part of a new lineage of dinoflagellates that reflects the highly modified morphology. Here, we demonstrate the phylogenetic position of haplozoans by using three single-trophozoite transcriptomes representing two species: Haplozoon axiothellae and two isolates of H. pugnus collected from the Northwestern and Northeastern Pacific Ocean. Unexpectedly, our phylogenomic analysis of 241 genes showed that these parasites are unambiguously nested within the Peridiniales, a clade of single-celled flagellates that is well represented in marine phytoplankton communities around the world. Although the intestinal trophozoites of Haplozoon species do not show any peridinioid characteristics, we suspect that uncharacterized life cycle stages may reflect their evolutionary history within the Peridiniales.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eunji Park
- Department of Botany, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada; Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada; Hakai Institute, British Columbia, Canada.
| | - Elizabeth Cooney
- Department of Botany, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada; Hakai Institute, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Yong Heng Phua
- Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology, Okinawa, Japan
| | | | - Filip Husnik
- Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology, Okinawa, Japan
| | - Patrick Keeling
- Department of Botany, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
| | - Kevin Wakeman
- Institute for the Advancement of Higher Education, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan; Graduate School of Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Brian Leander
- Department of Botany, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada; Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
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Cooney EC, Leander BS, Keeling PJ. Phylogenomics shows unique traits in Noctilucales are derived rather than ancestral. PNAS NEXUS 2022; 1:pgac202. [PMID: 36714854 PMCID: PMC9802342 DOI: 10.1093/pnasnexus/pgac202] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2022] [Accepted: 09/19/2022] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
Dinoflagellates are a diverse protist group possessing many unique traits. These include (but are not limited to) expansive genomes packaged into permanently condensed chromosomes, photosynthetic or cryptic plastids acquired vertically or horizontally in serial endosymbioses, and a ruffle-like transverse flagellum attached along its length to the cell. When reconstructing character evolution, early branching lineages with unusual features that distinguish them from the rest of the group have proven useful for inferring ancestral states. The Noctilucales are one such lineage, possessing relaxed chromosomes in some life stages and a trailing, thread-like transverse flagellum. However, most of the cellular and molecular data for the entire group come from a single cultured species, Noctiluca scintillans, and because its phylogenetic position is unresolved it remains unclear if these traits are ancestral or derived. Here, we use single cell transcriptomics to characterize three diverse Noctilucales genera: Spatulodinium, Kofoidinium, and a new lineage, Fabadinium gen. nov. We also provide transcriptomes for undescribed species in Amphidinium and Abediniales, critical taxa for clarifying the phylogenetic position of Noctilucales. Phylogenomic analyses suggests that the Noctilucales are sister to Amphidinium rather than an independent branch outside the core dinoflagellates. This topology is consistent with observations of shared characteristics between some members of Noctilucales and Amphidinium and provides the most compelling evidence to date that the unusual traits within this group are derived rather than ancestral. We also confirm that Spatulodinium plastids are photosynthetic and of ancestral origin, and show that all non-photosynthetic Noctilucales retain plastid genes indicating a cryptic organelle.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Brian S Leander
- Department of Botany, University of British Columbia, British Columbia, Vancouver V6T 1Z4, Canada,Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, British Columbia, Vancouver V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Patrick J Keeling
- Department of Botany, University of British Columbia, British Columbia, Vancouver V6T 1Z4, Canada
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Grujcic V, Taylor GT, Foster RA. One Cell at a Time: Advances in Single-Cell Methods and Instrumentation for Discovery in Aquatic Microbiology. Front Microbiol 2022; 13:881018. [PMID: 35677911 PMCID: PMC9169044 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.881018] [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: 02/22/2022] [Accepted: 04/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Studying microbes from a single-cell perspective has become a major theme and interest within the field of aquatic microbiology. One emerging trend is the unfailing observation of heterogeneity in activity levels within microbial populations. Wherever researchers have looked, intra-population variability in biochemical composition, growth rates, and responses to varying environmental conditions has been evident and probably reflect coexisting genetically distinct strains of the same species. Such observations of heterogeneity require a shift away from bulk analytical approaches and development of new methods or adaptation of existing techniques, many of which were first pioneered in other, unrelated fields, e.g., material, physical, and biomedical sciences. Many co-opted approaches were initially optimized using model organisms. In a field with so few cultivable models, method development has been challenging but has also contributed tremendous insights, breakthroughs, and stimulated curiosity. In this perspective, we present a subset of methods that have been effectively applied to study aquatic microbes at the single-cell level. Opportunities and challenges for innovation are also discussed. We suggest future directions for aquatic microbiological research that will benefit from open access to sophisticated instruments and highly interdisciplinary collaborations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vesna Grujcic
- Department of Ecology, Environment and Plant Sciences, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Gordon T Taylor
- School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, United States
| | - Rachel A Foster
- Department of Ecology, Environment and Plant Sciences, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
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Solomon R, Jami E. Rumen protozoa: from background actors to featured role in microbiome research. ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY REPORTS 2021; 13:45-49. [PMID: 33108831 DOI: 10.1111/1758-2229.12902] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2020] [Accepted: 10/19/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Ronnie Solomon
- Department of Ruminant Science, Institute of Animal Sciences, Agricultural Research Organization, Volcani Center, Rishon LeZion, Israel
- Department of Life Sciences, Institute of Natural Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beersheba, Israel
| | - Elie Jami
- Department of Ruminant Science, Institute of Animal Sciences, Agricultural Research Organization, Volcani Center, Rishon LeZion, Israel
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