Nucleomorph genomes much ado about practically nothing 英文参考文献.docVIP

/2001/2/8/reviews/1022.1 Minireview Nucleomorph genomes: much ado about practically nothing Paul R Gilson Address: Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Deakin University, Victoria 3125, Australia. E-mail: prgilson@.au Published: 30 July 2001 GenomeBiology 2001, 2(8):reviews1022.1–1022.5 The electronic version of this article is the complete one and can be found online at /2001/2/8/reviews/1022 ? BioMed Central Ltd (Print ISSN 1465-6906; Online ISSN 1465-6914) Abstract The DNA sequence of one of the smallest eukaryotic genomes has recently been finished - that of the reduced nucleus, or nucleomorph, of an algal endosymbiont that resides within a cryptomonad host cell. Its sequence promises insights into chloroplast acquisition, the constraints on genome size and the basic workings of eukaryotic cells. It may surprise many that the sixth eukaryotic genome to be sequenced comes not from some familiar model organism but from a nucleus whose DNA content is less than that of most bacteria [1]. This nucleus comes from Guillardia theta, a member of a group of biflagellate protists called cryp- tomonads (5igure 1). The tiny nucleus, called a nucleo- morph, is not the main cellular nucleus but is the residual nucleus of a red algal endosymbiont that resides inside the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) of its host cell (5igure 1) [2]. Another group of protists, called chlorarachniophytes, also have nucleomorphs, and these are the remnant nuclei of green algal endosymbionts (5igure 1) [3,4]. Both protist groups are believed to have acquired their endosymbionts about 600 million years ago [5] when, instead of digesting their algal-prey meals as they would normally do, the host cells retained the algae, to feed the heterotrophic host cell with carbohydrates made by the algal chloroplast. Over time the algae and hosts became interdependent