Title | The complete chloroplast and mitochondrial DNA sequence of Ostreococcus tauri: organelle genomes of the smallest eukaryote are examples of compaction |
Publication Type | Journal Article |
Year of Publication | 2007 |
Authors | Robbens S, Derelle E, Ferraz C, Wuyts J, Moreau H, Van de Peer Y |
Journal | Molecular Biology and Evolution |
Volume | 24 |
Pagination | 956–968 |
Keywords | rcc |
Abstract | The complete nucleotide sequence of the mt (mitochondrial) and cp (chloroplast) genomes of the unicellular green alga Ostreococcus tauri has been determined. The mt genome assembles as a circle of 44,237 bp and contains 65 genes. With an overall average length of only 42 bp for the intergenic regions, this is the most gene-dense mt genome of all Chlorophyta. Furthermore, it is characterized by a unique segmental duplication, encompassing 22 genes and covering 44% of the genome. Such a duplication has not been observed before in green algae, although it is also present in the mt genomes of higher plants. The quadripartite cp genome forms a circle of 71,666 bp, containing 86 genes divided over a larger and a smaller single-copy region, separated by 2 inverted repeat sequences. Based on genome size and number of genes, the Ostreococcus cp genome is the smallest known among the green algae. Phylogenetic analyses based on a concatenated alignment of cp, mt, and nuclear genes confirm the position of O. tauri within the Prasinophyceae, an early branch of the Chlorophyta. |
URL | http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&dopt=Citation&list_uids=17251180 |