title: Genomic analysis of organismal complexity in the multicellular green alga Volvox carteri.
abstract: The multicellular green alga Volvox carteri and its morphologically diverse close relatives (the volvocine algae) are well suited for the investigation of the evolution of multicellularity and development. We sequenced the 138-mega-base pair genome of V. carteri and compared its approximately 14,500 predicted proteins to those of its unicellular relative Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. Despite fundamental differences in organismal complexity and life history, the two species have similar protein-coding potentials and few species-specific protein-coding gene predictions. Volvox is enriched in volvocine-algal-specific proteins, including those associated with an expanded and highly compartmentalized extracellular matrix. Our analysis shows that increases in organismal complexity can be associated with modifications of lineage-specific proteins rather than large-scale invention of protein-coding capacity.
authors.affiliation: U.S. Department of Energy, Joint Genome Institute, Walnut Creek, CA 94598, USA.
authors.forename: Simon E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Prochnik
authors.forename: James
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Umen
authors.forename: Aurora M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Nedelcu
authors.forename: Armin
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hallmann
authors.forename: Stephen M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Miller
authors.forename: Ichiro
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Nishii
authors.forename: Patrick
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ferris
authors.forename: Alan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kuo
authors.forename: Therese
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Mitros
authors.forename: Lillian K
authors.initials: LK
authors.lastname: Fritz-Laylin
authors.forename: Uffe
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Hellsten
authors.forename: Jarrod
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Chapman
authors.forename: Oleg
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Simakov
authors.forename: Stefan A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Rensing
authors.forename: Astrid
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Terry
authors.forename: Jasmyn
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Pangilinan
authors.forename: Vladimir
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Kapitonov
authors.forename: Jerzy
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Jurka
authors.forename: Asaf
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Salamov
authors.forename: Harris
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Shapiro
authors.forename: Jeremy
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Schmutz
authors.forename: Jane
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Grimwood
authors.forename: Erika
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Lindquist
authors.forename: Susan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lucas
authors.forename: Igor V
authors.initials: IV
authors.lastname: Grigoriev
authors.forename: Rüdiger
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Schmitt
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kirk
authors.forename: Daniel S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Rokhsar
mesh_terms: D020418:Algal Proteins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D005075:Biological Evolution; D016825:Chlamydomonas reinhardtii / Q000166:cytology / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology; D048028:DNA, Algal / Q000235:genetics; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D016326:Extracellular Matrix Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D005796:Genes; D016678:Genome; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary; D012091:Repetitive Sequences, Nucleic Acid; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D013045:Species Specificity; D026801:Synteny; D044446:Volvox / Q000166:cytology / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D020418:Algal Proteins; D048028:DNA, Algal; D016326:Extracellular Matrix Proteins