title: The Pristionchus pacificus genome provides a unique perspective on nematode lifestyle and parasitism.
abstract: Here we present a draft genome sequence of the nematode Pristionchus pacificus, a species that is associated with beetles and is used as a model system in evolutionary biology. With 169 Mb and 23,500 predicted protein-coding genes, the P. pacificus genome is larger than those of Caenorhabditis elegans and the human parasite Brugia malayi. Compared to C. elegans, the P. pacificus genome has more genes encoding cytochrome P450 enzymes, glucosyltransferases, sulfotransferases and ABC transporters, many of which were experimentally validated. The P. pacificus genome contains genes encoding cellulase and diapausin, and cellulase activity is found in P. pacificus secretions, indicating that cellulases can be found in nematodes beyond plant parasites. The relatively higher number of detoxification and degradation enzymes in P. pacificus is consistent with its necromenic lifestyle and might represent a preadaptation for parasitism. Thus, comparative genomics analysis of three ecologically distinct nematodes offers a unique opportunity to investigate the association between genome structure and lifestyle.
authors.affiliation: Max-Planck Institute for Developmental Biology, Spemannstrasse 37, 72076 Tübingen, Germany.
authors.forename: Christoph
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Dieterich
authors.forename: Sandra W
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Clifton
authors.forename: Lisa N
authors.initials: LN
authors.lastname: Schuster
authors.forename: Asif
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Chinwalla
authors.forename: Kimberly
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Delehaunty
authors.forename: Iris
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Dinkelacker
authors.forename: Lucinda
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Fulton
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Fulton
authors.forename: Jennifer
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Godfrey
authors.forename: Pat
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Minx
authors.forename: Makedonka
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mitreva
authors.forename: Waltraud
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Roeseler
authors.forename: Huiyu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tian
authors.forename: Hanh
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Witte
authors.forename: Shiaw-Pyng
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Richard K
authors.initials: RK
authors.lastname: Wilson
authors.forename: Ralf J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Sommer
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D017173:Caenorhabditis elegans / Q000235:genetics; D002874:Chromosome Mapping; D001517:Coleoptera / Q000469:parasitology*; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D005091:Exons / Q000235:genetics; D017238:Genes, Helminth; D049751:Genome, Helminth; D006790:Host-Parasite Interactions; D007422:Intestines / Q000469:parasitology*; D007438:Introns / Q000235:genetics; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009348:Nematoda / Q000502:physiology*; D010802:Phylogeny; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid