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Genetic Evidence for a Mitochondriate Ancestry in the ‘Amitochondriate’ Flagellate Trimastix pyriformis

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  • Vladimir Hampl
  • Jeffrey D Silberman
  • Alexandra Stechmann
  • Sara Diaz-Triviño
  • Patricia J Johnson
  • Andrew J Roger

Abstract

Most modern eukaryotes diverged from a common ancestor that contained the α-proteobacterial endosymbiont that gave rise to mitochondria. The ‘amitochondriate’ anaerobic protist parasites that have been studied to date, such as Giardia and Trichomonas harbor mitochondrion-related organelles, such as mitosomes or hydrogenosomes. Yet there is one remaining group of mitochondrion-lacking flagellates known as the Preaxostyla that could represent a primitive ‘pre-mitochondrial’ lineage of eukaryotes. To test this hypothesis, we conducted an expressed sequence tag (EST) survey on the preaxostylid flagellate Trimastix pyriformis, a poorly-studied free-living anaerobe. Among the ESTs we detected 19 proteins that, in other eukaryotes, typically function in mitochondria, hydrogenosomes or mitosomes, 12 of which are found exclusively within these organelles. Interestingly, one of the proteins, aconitase, functions in the tricarboxylic acid cycle typical of aerobic mitochondria, whereas others, such as pyruvate:ferredoxin oxidoreductase and [FeFe] hydrogenase, are characteristic of anaerobic hydrogenosomes. Since Trimastix retains genetic evidence of a mitochondriate ancestry, we can now say definitively that all known living eukaryote lineages descend from a common ancestor that had mitochondria.

Suggested Citation

  • Vladimir Hampl & Jeffrey D Silberman & Alexandra Stechmann & Sara Diaz-Triviño & Patricia J Johnson & Andrew J Roger, 2008. "Genetic Evidence for a Mitochondriate Ancestry in the ‘Amitochondriate’ Flagellate Trimastix pyriformis," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 3(1), pages 1-9, January.
  • Handle: RePEc:plo:pone00:0001383
    DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0001383
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Sabrina D. Dyall & Weihong Yan & Maria G. Delgadillo-Correa & Adam Lunceford & Joseph A. Loo & Catherine F. Clarke & Patricia J. Johnson, 2004. "Non-mitochondrial complex I proteins in a hydrogenosomal oxidoreductase complex," Nature, Nature, vol. 431(7012), pages 1103-1107, October.
    2. Bryony A. P. Williams & Robert P. Hirt & John M. Lucocq & T. Martin Embley, 2002. "A mitochondrial remnant in the microsporidian Trachipleistophora hominis," Nature, Nature, vol. 418(6900), pages 865-869, August.
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