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What Does the Microsporidian E. cuniculi Tell Us About the Origin of the Eukaryotic Cell?

Journal of Molecular Evolution volume 59, pages 695–702 (2004)Cite this article

Abstract

The relationship among the three cellular domains Archaea, Bacteria, and Eukarya has become a central problem in unraveling the tree of life. This relationship can now be studied as the completely sequenced genomes of representatives of these cellular domains become available. We performed a bioinformatic investigation of the Encephalitozoon cuniculi proteome. E. cuniculi has the smallest sequenced eukaryotic genome, 2.9 megabases coding for 1997 proteins. The proteins of E. cuniculi were compared with a previously characterized set of eukaryotic signature proteins (ESPs). ESPs are found in a eukaryotic cell, whether from an animal, a plant, a fungus, or a protozoan, but are not found in the Archaea and the Bacteria. We demonstrated that 85% of the ESPs have significant sequence similarity to proteins in E. cuniculi. Hence, E. cuniculi, a minimal eukaryotic cell that has removed all inessential proteins, still preserves most of the ESPs that make it a member of the Eukarya. The locations and functions of these ESPs point to the earliest history of eukaryotes.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported in part by NSF Grandt DBI-0205512. Support for this work was provided by the Medical College of Ohio Foundation. We would also like to thank Ms. Lisa Johnston for her excellent secretarial assistance.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Medicine, Medical College of Ohio, Toledo, OH, 43614, USA

    Alexei Fedorov

  2. Center for Biomedical Engineering NE47-377, MIT, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA

    Hyman Hartman

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  1. Alexei Fedorov
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  2. Hyman Hartman
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Correspondence to Hyman Hartman.

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Reviewing Editor: Dr. Manyuan Long

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Fedorov, A., Hartman, H. What Does the Microsporidian E. cuniculi Tell Us About the Origin of the Eukaryotic Cell?. J Mol Evol 59, 695–702 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00239-003-0085-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00239-003-0085-1

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