Genomic analysis of organismal complexity in the multicellular green alga Volvox carteri.
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.
Prochnik
Simon E
SE
U.S. Department of Energy, Joint Genome Institute, Walnut Creek, CA 94598, USA.
Umen
James
J
Nedelcu
Aurora M
AM
Hallmann
Armin
A
Miller
Stephen M
SM
Nishii
Ichiro
I
Ferris
Patrick
P
Kuo
Alan
A
Mitros
Therese
T
Fritz-Laylin
Lillian K
LK
Hellsten
Uffe
U
Chapman
Jarrod
J
Simakov
Oleg
O
Rensing
Stefan A
SA
Terry
Astrid
A
Pangilinan
Jasmyn
J
Kapitonov
Vladimir
V
Jurka
Jerzy
J
Salamov
Asaf
A
Shapiro
Harris
H
Schmutz
Jeremy
J
Grimwood
Jane
J
Lindquist
Erika
E
Lucas
Susan
S
Grigoriev
Igor V
IV
Schmitt
Rüdiger
R
Kirk
David
D
Rokhsar
Daniel S
DS
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
D020418:Algal Proteins; D048028:DNA, Algal; D016326:Extracellular Matrix Proteins