More plastids in human parasites?
Trypanosomatid parasites are disease agents with an extraordinarily broad host range including humans, livestock and plants. Recent work has revealed that trypanosomatids harbour numerous genes sharing apparent common ancestry with plants and/or bacteria. Although there is no evidence of a plastid (chloroplast-like organelle) in trypanosomatids, the presence of such genes suggests lateral gene transfer from some photosynthetic organism(s) during trypanosomatid evolution. Remarkably, many products of these horizontally acquired genes now function in the glycosome, a highly modified peroxisome unique to trypanosomatids and their near relatives.
Waller
Ross F
RF
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Genetics Lane, The University of Melbourne, 3010, Australia. rfwaller@interchange.ubc.ca
McConville
Malcolm J
MJ
McFadden
Geoffrey I
GI
D000818:Animals; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D022761:Gene Transfer, Horizontal; D006801:Humans; D008830:Microbodies / Q000502:physiology; D010788:Photosynthesis; D010802:Phylogeny; D018087:Plastids / Q000502:physiology*; D014351:Trypanosomatina / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics*