Ostreococcus tauri: seeing through the genes to the genome
Patrick J. Keeling
The marine green alga Ostreococcus tauri is the
smallest-known free-living eukaryote. The recent sequencing of its
genome extends this distinction, because it also has one of the
smallest and most compact nuclear genomes. For other highly compacted
genomes (e.g. those of microsporidian parasites and relic endosymbiont
nucleomorphs), compaction is associated with severe gene loss. By
contrast, O. tauri has retained a large complement of genes.
Studying O. tauri should shed light on forces, other than
parasitism and endosymbiosis, that result in densely packed genomes.
Trends in Genetics ,
Volume
23, Issue 4 ,
April 2007,
Pages 151-154
(http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6TCY-4N55TBR-1&_user=794998&_rdoc=1&_fmt=&_orig=search&_sort=d&view=c&_acct=C000043466&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=794998&md5=15391cfc287f11f3516046f4e8b53665)
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Cindy Martens
VIB DEPARTMENT OF PLANT SYSTEMS BIOLOGY, UGent
Bioinformatics and Evolutionary Genomics
Technologiepark 927
B-9052 Gent
Belgium
Tel: +32 (0)9 331 38 22
Fax: +32 (0)9 331 38 09
E-mail: cindy.martens@psb.ugent.be
Website: http://www.psb.ugent.be/bioinformatics
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