Author's posts

Site-and-branch-heterogeneous analyses of an expanded dataset favour mitochondria as sister to known Alphaproteobacteria

Determining the phylogenetic origin of mitochondria is key to understanding the ancestral mitochondrial symbiosis and its role in eukaryogenesis. However, the precise evolutionary relationship between mitochondria and their closest bacterial relatives remains hotly debated. The reasons include pervasive phylogenetic artefacts as well as limited protein and taxon sampling. Here we developed a new model of protein evolution that accommodates both across-site and across-branch compositional…

Site-and-branch-heterogeneous analyses of an expanded dataset favour mitochondria as sister to known Alphaproteobacteria

Determining the phylogenetic origin of mitochondria is key to understanding the ancestral mitochondrial symbiosis and its role in eukaryogenesis. However, the precise evolutionary relationship between mitochondria and their closest bacterial relatives remains hotly debated. The reasons include pervasive phylogenetic artefacts as well as limited protein and taxon sampling. Here we developed a new model of protein evolution that accommodates both across-site and across-branch compositional…

Microbiota of Crassostrea virginica larvae during a hatchery crash and under normal production: Amplicon sequence data

Data Brief. 2021 Dec 23;40:107755. doi: 10.1016/j.dib.2021.107755. eCollection 2022 Feb. ABSTRACT We present oyster larval microbiota from two feeding studies, in which wild type and low-salinity tolerant lines were either fed or starved. In one study, all larvae unexpectedly died, which was concurrent with an event in which all larvae in an adjoining oyster hatchery …

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Patchy Distribution of GTPases of Immunity Associated Proteins (GIMAP) within Cnidarians and Dinoflagellates Suggests a Complex Evolutionary History

GTPases of Immunity Associated Proteins (GIMAP) are a group of small GTP binding proteins found in a variety of organisms, including vertebrates, invertebrates, and plants. These proteins are characterized by the highly conserved AIG1 domain, and in vertebrates, have been implicated in regulation of the immune system as well as apoptosis and autophagy, though their exact mechanism of action remains unclear. Recent work on cnidarian GIMAPs suggests a conserved role in immunity, apoptosis, and…

Submergence of the filamentous Zygnematophyceae Mougeotia induces differential gene expression patterns associated with core metabolism and photosynthesis

Protoplasma. 2021 Dec 22. doi: 10.1007/s00709-021-01730-1. Online ahead of print. ABSTRACT The streptophyte algal class Zygnematophyceae is the closest algal sister lineage to land plants. In nature, Zygnematophyceae can grow in both terrestrial and freshwater habitats and how they do this is an important unanswered question. Here, we studied what happens to the zygnematophyceaen alga …

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The specific inhibition of glycerol synthesis and the phosphorylation of a putative MAPK give insight into the mechanism of osmotic sensing in a dinoflagellate symbiont

Signaling pathways are fundamental for the establishment and maintenance of diverse symbioses. The symbiosis of cnidarians and dinoflagellate algae is the foundation for the ecological success of coral reefs, involving the transfer of photosynthetic products from symbiont to host. However, signal transduction pathways for this symbiosis remain uncharacterized. Cultured and natural cnidarian symbionts can produce glycerol, one of the main translocated photosynthates. Here, we investigate whether…

The specific inhibition of glycerol synthesis and the phosphorylation of a putative MAPK give insight into the mechanism of osmotic sensing in a dinoflagellate symbiont

Signaling pathways are fundamental for the establishment and maintenance of diverse symbioses. The symbiosis of cnidarians and dinoflagellate algae is the foundation for the ecological success of coral reefs, involving the transfer of photosynthetic products from symbiont to host. However, signal transduction pathways for this symbiosis remain uncharacterized. Cultured and natural cnidarian symbionts can produce glycerol, one of the main translocated photosynthates. Here, we investigate whether…

Author Correction: Genomic analysis finds no evidence of canonical eukaryotic DNA processing complexes in a free-living protist

Nat Commun. 2021 Dec 16;12(1):7350. doi: 10.1038/s41467-021-27605-w. NO ABSTRACT PMID:34916502 | DOI:10.1038/s41467-021-27605-w

Isolation from a fish kill and transcriptomic characterization of Gyrodinium jinhaense off Long Island Sound

First found in Korean coastal water, the dinoflagellate Gyrodinium jinhaense is a recently established species with unclear global distribution and unexplored genomic characteristics. From a laboratory fish mortality event off Long Island Sound, USA, we isolated a dinoflagellate, and by microscopic and molecular (18S rRNA gene; >99% identical) analyses found that it resembles G. jinhaense, hence named G. jinhaense strain AP17. Towards developing a genetic database for this dinoflagellate, a…

Investigation of the impact of commonly used medications on the oral microbiome of individuals living without major chronic conditions

PLoS One. 2021 Dec 9;16(12):e0261032. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0261032. eCollection 2021. ABSTRACT BACKGROUND: Commonly used medications produce changes in the gut microbiota, however, the impact of these medications on the composition of the oral microbiota is understudied. METHODS: Saliva samples were obtained from 846 females and 368 males aged 35-69 years from a Canadian population cohort, the …

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