Sequence Evidence for the Presence of Two Tetrapyrrole Pathways in Euglena gracilis

0364892 - BC 2012 RIV GB eng J - Journal Article
Kořený, Luděk - Oborník, Miroslav
Sequence Evidence for the Presence of Two Tetrapyrrole Pathways in Euglena gracilis.
Genome Biology and Evolution. Roč. 3, - (2011), 359-364. ISSN 1759-6653. E-ISSN 1759-6653
R&D Projects: GA ČR GA206/08/1423; GA ČR GD206/09/H026
Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z60220518
Keywords : tetrapyrrole synthesis * heme pathway * Euglena gracilis * secondary endosymbiosis * evolution * plastid
Subject RIV: EB - Genetics ; Molecular Biology
Impact factor: 4.618, year: 2011

Genes encoding enzymes of the tetrapyrrole biosynthetic pathway were searched within Euglena gracilis EST databases and 454 genome reads and their 5’ end regions were sequenced when not available. Phylogenetic analyses and protein localization predictions support the hypothesis concerning the presence of two separated tetrapyrrole pathways in E. gracilis. One of these pathways resembles the heme synthesis in primarily heterotrophic eukaryotes and was presumably present in the host cell prior to secondary endosymbiosis with a green alga. The second pathway is similar to the plastid-localized tetrapyrrole syntheses in plants and photosynthetic algae. It appears to be localized to the secondary plastid, presumably derived from an algal endosymbiont. We propose here that the tetrapyrrole pathway serves as a highly informative marker for the evolution of plastids and plays a crucial role in the loss of plastids.
Permanent Link: http://hdl.handle.net/11104/0200258