3,140 research outputs found
Tunicaraptor unikontum, phylogenomic datasets
No full textPhylogenomic datasets for "New lineage of microbial predators adds complexity to reconstructing the evolutionary origin of animals
The Morphology, Ultrastructure and Molecular Phylogeny of a New Freshwater Heterolobose Amoeba <em>Parafumarolamoeba stagnalis</em> n. sp. (Vahlkampfiidae; Heterolobosea)
No full textHeterolobose amoebae are important members of marine, freshwater, and soil microbial communities, but their diversity remains under-explored. We studied the diversity of Vahlkampfiidae to improve our understanding of heterolobosean relationships and their representation in aquatic benthos. Using light and electron microscopy, and molecular phylogenies based on the SSU rRNA and ITS loci, we describe the fine morphology and evolutionary relationships of a new heterolobosean Parafumarolamoeba stagnalis n. sp. from a small pond in European Russia. Cells of P. stagnalis possess a clearly distinguishable anterior hyaline pseudopodium, eruptive movement, several thin and sometimes branched uroidal filaments, spherical cysts without pores and plugs, and mitochondria that have discoid cristae and are surrounded by cisternae of the endoplasmic reticulum. The genus Parafumarolamoeba has so far included a single species, Parafumarolamoeba alta from high-altitude soil in Tibet, which is morphologically distinct from P. stagnalis. Taxonomic description for a new Parafumarolamoeba species is therefore provided
Contrasting activity profile of two distributed cortical networks as a function of attentional demands
No full textThe original publication is available at http://www.jneurosci.orgThis work was supported by R01 grant MH-073610 from the National Institutes of Health to Denis Paré
The morphology, ultrastructure and SSU rRNA gene sequence of a new freshwater flagellate, Neobodo borokensis n. sp (Kinetoplastea, Excavata)
No full textDescription of Colponema vietnamica sp.n. and Acavomonas peruviana n. gen. n. sp., two new alveolate phyla (Colponemidia nom. nov. and Acavomonidia nom. nov.) and their contributions to reconstructing the ancestral state of alveolates and eukaryotes.
No full textThe evolutionary and ecological importance of predatory flagellates are too often overlooked. This is not only a gap in our understanding of microbial diversity, but also impacts how we interpret their better-studied relatives. A prime example of these problems is found in the alveolates. All well-studied species belong to three large clades (apicomplexans, dinoflagellates, and ciliates), but the predatory colponemid flagellates are also alveolates that are rare in nature and seldom cultured, but potentially important to our understanding of alveolate evolution. Recently we reported the first cultivation and molecular analysis of several colponemid-like organisms representing two novel clades in molecular trees. Here we provide ultrastructural analysis and formal species descriptions for both new species, Colponema vietnamica n. sp. and Acavomonas peruviana n. gen. n. sp. Morphological and feeding characteristics concur with molecular data that both species are distinct members of alveolates, with Acavomonas lacking the longitudinal phagocytotic groove, a defining feature of Colponema. Based on ultrastructure and molecular phylogenies, which both provide concrete rationale for a taxonomic reclassification of Alveolata, we establish the new phyla Colponemidia nom. nov. for the genus Colponema and its close relatives, and Acavomonidia nom. nov. for the genus Acavomonas and its close relatives. The morphological data presented here suggests that colponemids are central to our understanding of early alveolate evolution, and suggest they also retain features of the common ancestor of all eukaryotes
Is Tolerance Political? An Interview with Denis Lacorne
No full textcontribution à un site webDenis Lacorne is the author of "The Limits of Tolerance. Enlightenment Values and Religious Fanaticism" (Columbia University Press, 2019), the English translation of "Les limites de la tolérance" (Gallimard, awarded the Prix Montyon by the Académie Française). In his book, which is intellectually very inspiring because of the many questions it addresses and raises, Denis Lacorne traces the emergence of the notion of tolerance from its early thinkers to the Age of Enlightenment and finally questions the notion and its various understandings through more recent events in France and the United States. What is tolerance? Is tolerance political? Interview by Miriam Périer, CER
Characterization of Tulamoeba bucina n. sp., an extremely halotolerant amoeboflagellate heterolobosean belonging to the Tulamoeba-Pleurostomum Clade (Tulamoebidae n. fam.)
No full textMost protozoans that have been cultivated recently from high salinity waters appear to be obligate halophiles. Phylogenetic analyses indicate that these species mostly represent independent lineages. Here, we report the cultivation, morphological characterization, and phylogenetic analysis of two strains (XLG1 and HLM-8) of a new extremely halotolerant heterolobosean amoeboflagellate. This species is closely related to the obligate halophiles Tulamoeba peronaphora and Pleurostomum flabellatum, and more specifically to the former. Like Tulamoeba, the new species has a monopodial limax amoeba stage, however, its cyst stage lacks an intrusive pore plug. The flagellate stage bears a combination of a planar spiral feeding apparatus and unequal heterodynamic flagella that discriminates it from described Pleurostomum species. Strain XLG1 grows at salinities from 35‰ to 225‰. This degree of halotolerance is uncommon in protozoa, as most species showing growth in seawater are unable to grow at 200‰ salinity. The unrelatedness of most halophilic protozoa suggested that independent colonization of the hypersaline environment is more common than speciation within it. However, this study supports the idea that the Tulamoeba–Pleurostomum clade underwent an adaptive radiation within the hypersaline environment. A new species Tulamoeba bucina n. sp. is described, with Tulamoebidae n. fam. proposed for the Tulamoeba–Pleurostomum clade
Predatory colponemids are the sister group to all other alveolates
No full textAlveolates are a major supergroup of eukaryotes encompassing more than ten thousand free-living and parasitic species, including medically, ecologically, and economically important apicomplexans, dinoflagellates, and ciliates. These three groups are among the most widespread eukaryotes on Earth, and their environmental success can be linked to unique innovations that emerged early in each group. Understanding the emergence of these well-studied and diverse groups and their innovations has relied heavily on the discovery and characterization of early-branching relatives, which allow ancestral states to be inferred with much greater confidence. Here we report the phylogenomic analyses of 313 eukaryote protein-coding genes from transcriptomes of three members of one such group, the colponemids (Colponemidia), which support their monophyly and position as the sister lineage to all other known alveolates. Colponemid-related sequences from environmental surveys and our microscopical observations show that colponemids are not common in nature, but they are diverse and widespread in freshwater habitats around the world. Studied colponemids possess two types of extrusive organelles (trichocysts or toxicysts) for active hunting of other unicellular eukaryotes and potentially play an important role in microbial food webs. Colponemids have generally plesiomorphic morphology and illustrate the ancestral state of Alveolata. We further discuss their importance in understanding the evolution of alveolates and the origin of myzocytosis and plastids
A New Lineage of Eukaryotes Illuminates Early Mitochondrial Genome Reduction
No full textThe origin of eukaryotic cells represents a key transition in cellular evolution and is closely tied to outstanding questions about mitochondrial endosymbiosis [1, 2]. For example, gene-rich mitochondrial genomes are thought to be indicative of an ancient divergence, but this relies on unexamined assumptions about endosymbiont-to-host gene transfer [3–5]. Here, we characterize Ancoracysta twista, a new predatory flagellate that is not closely related to any known lineage in 201-protein phylogenomic trees and has a unique morphology, including a novel type of extrusome (ancoracyst). The Ancoracysta mitochondrion has a gene-rich genome with a coding capacity exceeding that of all other eukaryotes except the distantly related jakobids and Diphylleia, and it uniquely possesses heterologous, nucleus-, and mitochondrion-encoded cytochrome c maturase systems. To comprehensively examine mitochondrial genome reduction, we also assembled mitochondrial genomes from picozoans and colponemids and re-annotated existing mitochondrial genomes using hidden Markov model gene profiles. This revealed over a dozen previously overlooked mitochondrial genes at the level of eukaryotic supergroups. Analysis of trends over evolutionary time demonstrates that gene transfer to the nucleus was non-linear, that it occurred in waves of exponential decrease, and that much of it took place comparatively early, massively independently, and with lineage-specific rates. This process has led to differential gene retention, suggesting that gene-rich mitochondrial genomes are not a product of their early divergence. Parallel transfer of mitochondrial genes and their functional replacement by new nuclear factors are important in models for the origin of eukaryotes, especially as major gaps in our knowledge of eukaryotic diversity at the deepest level remain unfilled
Timing of impulses from the central amygdala and bed nucleus of the stria terminalis to the brainstem
No full textThe amygdala and bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) are thought to subserve distinct functions with the former mediating rapid fear responses to discrete sensory cues and the latter longer “anxiety-like” states in response to diffuse environmental contingencies. Yet, these structures are reciprocally connected and their projection sites overlap extensively. To shed light on the significance of BNST-amygdala connections, we compared the antidromic response latencies of BNST and central amygdala (CE) neurons to brainstem stimulation. Whereas the frequency distribution of latencies was unimodal in BNST neurons (~10 ms mode), that of CE neurons was bimodal (~10 and ~30 ms modes). However, after stria terminalis (ST) lesions, only short-latency antidromic responses were observed, suggesting that CE axons with long conduction times course through the ST. Compared to the direct route, the ST greatly lengthens the path of CE axons to the brainstem, an apparently disadvantageous arrangement. Since BNST and CE share major excitatory basolateral amygdala (BL) inputs, lengthening the path of CE axons might allow synchronization of BNST and CE impulses to brainstem when activated by BL. To test this, we applied electrical BL stimuli and compared orthodromic response latencies in CE and BNST neurons. The latency difference between CE and BNST neurons to BL stimuli approximated that seen between the antidromic responses of BNST cells and CE neurons with long-conduction times. These results point to a hitherto unsuspected level of temporal coordination between the inputs and outputs of CE and BNST neurons, supporting the idea of shared functions.The original publication is available at: http://jn.physiology.org/cgi/content/full/100/6/342
- …
