title: The genome of Naegleria gruberi illuminates early eukaryotic versatility.
abstract: Genome sequences of diverse free-living protists are essential for understanding eukaryotic evolution and molecular and cell biology. The free-living amoeboflagellate Naegleria gruberi belongs to a varied and ubiquitous protist clade (Heterolobosea) that diverged from other eukaryotic lineages over a billion years ago. Analysis of the 15,727 protein-coding genes encoded by Naegleria's 41 Mb nuclear genome indicates a capacity for both aerobic respiration and anaerobic metabolism with concomitant hydrogen production, with fundamental implications for the evolution of organelle metabolism. The Naegleria genome facilitates substantially broader phylogenomic comparisons of free-living eukaryotes than previously possible, allowing us to identify thousands of genes likely present in the pan-eukaryotic ancestor, with 40% likely eukaryotic inventions. Moreover, we construct a comprehensive catalog of amoeboid-motility genes. The Naegleria genome, analyzed in the context of other protists, reveals a remarkably complex ancestral eukaryote with a rich repertoire of cytoskeletal, sexual, signaling, and metabolic modules.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.
authors.forename: Lillian K
authors.initials: LK
authors.lastname: Fritz-Laylin
authors.forename: Simon E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Prochnik
authors.forename: Michael L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Ginger
authors.forename: Joel B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Dacks
authors.forename: Meredith L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Carpenter
authors.forename: Mark C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Field
authors.forename: Alan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kuo
authors.forename: Alex
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Paredez
authors.forename: Jarrod
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Chapman
authors.forename: Jonathan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Pham
authors.forename: Shengqiang
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Shu
authors.forename: Rochak
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Neupane
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cipriano
authors.forename: Joel
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mancuso
authors.forename: Hank
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tu
authors.forename: Asaf
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Salamov
authors.forename: Erika
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Lindquist
authors.forename: Harris
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Shapiro
authors.forename: Susan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lucas
authors.forename: Igor V
authors.initials: IV
authors.lastname: Grigoriev
authors.forename: W Zacheus
authors.initials: WZ
authors.lastname: Cande
authors.forename: Chandler
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Fulton
authors.forename: Daniel S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Rokhsar
authors.forename: Scott C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Dawson
mesh_terms: D005075:Biological Evolution; D056890:Eukaryota / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics; D005407:Flagella / Q000378:metabolism; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009253:Naegleria / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D010802:Phylogeny; D015800:Protozoan Proteins / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D015800:Protozoan Proteins