An Enigmatic GAPDH Gene in the Symbiotic Dinoflagellate Genus Symbiodinium and its Related Species (the Order Suessiales): Possible Lateral Gene Transfer between Two Eukaryotic Algae, Dinoflagellate and Euglenophyte

doi:10.1078/143446103322454176

Protist

Volume 154, Issues 3–4, October 2003, Pages 443-454

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Summary

A group of unicellular eukaryotic algae, the dinoflagellates, are known to possess two types of gene for glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH). An enzyme encoded by one type of gene possibly plays a key role in the glycolytic pathway of the cytosol and the other in the Calvin cycle of plastids. In the present study, an additional type of GAPDH gene (GapC3) was found in the symbiotic dinoflagellates, Symbiodinium spp. and their related species, Gymnodinium simplex and Polarella glacialis, all of which belong to the order Suessiales. Since no intracellular translocation signal is found at both amino- and carboxy-termini of its deduced amino acid sequence, the protein is predicted to function in the cytosol. However, it may not be involved in glycolysis due to the presence of an amino acid signature that allows binding for NADP⁺. It is likely that dinoflagellate species, other than Suessiales investigated in this study, lack this type of GAPDH. Phylogenetic analysis placed GapC3 from the Suessialean species firmly in the clade composed of GAPDH from spirochetes, euglenophytes (cytosolic type) and kinetoplastids (glycosomal type). Specifically, this enigmatic GAPDH gene in dinoflagellates was closely related to its cytosolic counterpart in euglenophytes. It has been previously reported that plastid-targeted (Calvin cycle) GAPDH genes of the dinoflagellates Pyrocystis spp. and that of the euglenophyte Euglena gracilis also seem to share a common ancestor. It appears highly likely that at least two genes (cytosolic and plastid-targeted GAPDH genes) have been laterally transferred between these two eukaryotic algal groups.

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An Enigmatic GAPDH Gene in the Symbiotic Dinoflagellate Genus Symbiodinium and its Related Species (the Order Suessiales): Possible Lateral Gene Transfer between Two Eukaryotic Algae, Dinoflagellate and Euglenophyte

Summary

Protist

Trends Cell Biol

Protist

Lateral gene transfer and the evolution of plastid-targeted proteins in the secondary plastid-containing alga, Bigelowiella natans

Proc Natl Acad Sci USA

Conspecificity and Indo-Pacific distribution of Symbiodinium genotypes (Dinophyceae) from giant clams

J Phycol

Cloning and sequence analysis of cDNAs encoding the cytosolic precursors of subunits GapA and GapB of chloroplast glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase from pea and spinach

Plant Mol Biol

Phylogenetic position of Symbiodinium (Dinophyceae) isolates from tridacnids (Bivalvia), cardiids (Bivalvia), a sponge (Porifera), a soft coral (Anthozoa), and a free-living strain

J Phycol

Determinants of coenzyme specificity in glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase: role of the acidic residue in the fingerprint region of the nucleotide binding fold

Biochemistry

Phylogeny of some of the major genera of dinoflagellates based on ultrastructure and partial LSU rDNA sequence data, including the erection of 3 new genera of unarmoured dinoflagellates

Phycologia

Phylogenetic classification and the universal tree

Science

Phylogenetic analysis indicates multiple origins of chloroplast glyceraldehyde-3- phosphate dehydrogenase genes in dinoflagellates

Mol Biol Evol

The phylogeny of glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase indicates lateral gene transfer from cryptomonads to dinoflagellates

J Mol Evol

Nuclear-encoded, plastid-targeted genes suggest a single common origin for apicomplexan and dinoflagellate plastids

Mol Biol Evol

GAPDH gene diversity in spirochetes: a paradigm for genetic promiscuity

Mol Biol Evol

Glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase gene diversity in eubacteria and eukaryotes: evidence for intra-and inter-kingdom gene transfer

Mol Biol Evol

A nuclear gene of eubacterial origin in Euglena gracilis reflects cryptic endosymbioses during protist evolution

Proc Natl Acad Sci USA

Second- and third-hand chloroplasts in dinoflagellates: phylogeny of oxygenevolving enhancer 1 (PsbO) protein reveals replacement of a nuclear-encoded plastid gene by that of a haptophyte tertiary endosymbiont

Proc Natl Acad Sci USA

The rapid generation of mutation data matrices from protein sequences

CABIOS