title: The periplastidal compartment: a naturally minimized eukaryotic cytoplasm.
abstract: Many important algae groups like diatoms, dinoflagellates and ‘kelp’ but also apicomplexan parasites evolved in secondary endosymbiosis. Here, a eukaryote-eukaryote endosymbiosis created chimeric cells, in which a eukaryotic symbiont was reduced to a complex plastid. Although having lost nearly all of the eukaryotic compartments of the symbiont, a tiny lumen representing the remnant of the cytoplasm of the symbiont is still present in most of these organisms. This compartment, the periplastidal compartment, shows different degrees of reductions as in two algal groups the former nucleus is still present in a minimized form, called nucleomorph, whereas most others have lost the genetic system completely. Thus, the natural reduction of eukaryotic cytoplasms can be studied in terms of evolution and functionality, giving additionally advices for the design of synthetic minimized compartments.
authors.affiliation: LOEWE Centre for Synthetic Microbiology (SYNMIKRO), Philipps-Universität Marburg, Hans-Meerwein-Str, 35043 Marburg, Germany
authors.forename: Christopher
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Grosche
authors.forename: Franziska
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Hempel
authors.forename: Kathrin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Bolte
authors.forename: Stefan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zauner
authors.forename: Uwe G
authors.initials: UG
authors.lastname: Maier
mesh_terms: D001692:Biological Transport; D003593:Cytoplasm / Q000378:metabolism*; D056890:Eukaryota / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D016678:Genome / Q000235:genetics; D018087:Plastids / Q000378:metabolism*; D013559:Symbiosis / Q000502:physiology