/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* <http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=PublicationURL&_cdi=5183&_pubType=J&_auth=y&_acct=C000043466&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=794998&md5=67a66e9c1e943f230b974362a47c6b6b> , Volume 23, Issue 4 <http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=PublicationURL&_tockey=%23TOC%235183%232007%23999769995%23647592%23FLA%23&_cdi=5183&_pubType=J&view=c&_auth=y&_acct=C000043466&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=794998&md5=42def28f7552d256287dcb8327ee6056> , 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) -- ========================================================= 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 =========================================================