Microsporidia and Their Closest Relatives: Modern Ideas about the Evolution of Unique Group of Extreme Parasites

The review considers modern ideas about the evolution and phylogeny of the obligate intracellular eukaryotic parasites (microsporidia). In the process of adaptation to intracellular parasitism, the genome and functional apparatus of these organisms underwent a significant reduction and modification....

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Biology bulletin reviews 2023, Vol.13 (Suppl 2), p.S133-S143
Main Authors: Timofeev, S. A., Senderskiy, I. V., Zhuravlev, V. S., Dolgikh, V. V.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adaptation
Biochemistry
Biomedical and Life Sciences
Branches
Cell Biology
Ecology
Evolution
Intracellular
Life Sciences
Microsporidia
Parasites
Parasitism
Phylogeny
Zoology
Citations: Items that this one cites
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:The review considers modern ideas about the evolution and phylogeny of the obligate intracellular eukaryotic parasites (microsporidia). In the process of adaptation to intracellular parasitism, the genome and functional apparatus of these organisms underwent a significant reduction and modification. The systematic position of this group remained unclear for a long time, and it was unknown for certain how the evolution of microsporidia occurred, when and how their unique adaptations to a parasitic lifestyle occurred. A true breakthrough in the study of the evolution of microsporidia was made only in the last few years. The groups occupying a position on the tree of life closest to microsporidia were discovered and described: Cryptomycota (Rozellida) and Aphelida. Sequencing of the genomes of representatives of these groups (that also belong to intracellular parasites) and the first genomic data on representatives of basal branches of microsporidia (obtained in 2013–2020) allowed to take a fresh look at the evolution of microsporidia and their closest relatives, to detect intermediate forms along the pathway of adaptation to intracellular parasitism.
ISSN:2079-0864
2079-0872
DOI:10.1134/S207908642308011X