The Phylogeny of Colpodellids (Alveolata) Using Small Subunit rRNA Gene Sequences Suggests They are the Free-living Sister Group to Apicomplexans

In an attempt to reconstruct early alveolate evolution, we have examined the phylogenetic position of colpodellids by analyzing small subunit rDNA sequences from Colpodella ponticaMyl’nikov 2000 and Colpodella sp. (American Type Culture Collection 50594). All phylogenetic analyses grouped the colpod...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Journal of eukaryotic microbiology 2002-11, Vol.49 (6), p.498-504
Main Authors: KUVARDINA, OLGA N, LEANDER, BRIAN S, ALESHIN, VLADIMIR V, MYL’NIKOV, ALEXANDER P, KEELING, PATRICK J, SIMDYANOV, TIMUR G
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Alveolates
Animals
Apicomplexa
Apicomplexa - genetics
Colpodella pontica
Dinoflagellata
DNA, Ribosomal - analysis
evolution
Evolution, Molecular
Genes, rRNA
Molecular Sequence Data
Phylogeny
Polymerase Chain Reaction
RNA, Protozoan - genetics
RNA, Ribosomal - genetics
Sequence Analysis, DNA
small subunit rDNA
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Summary:In an attempt to reconstruct early alveolate evolution, we have examined the phylogenetic position of colpodellids by analyzing small subunit rDNA sequences from Colpodella ponticaMyl’nikov 2000 and Colpodella sp. (American Type Culture Collection 50594). All phylogenetic analyses grouped the colpodellid sequences together with strong support and placed them strongly within the Alveolata. Most analyses showed colpodellids as the sister group to an apicomplexan clade, albeit with weak support. Sequences from two perkinsids, Perkinsus and Parvilucifera, clustered together and consistently branched as the sister group to dinoflagellates as shown previously. These data demonstrate that colpodellids and perkinsids are plesiomorphically similar in morphology and help provide a phylogenetic framework for inferring the combination of character states present in the last common ancestor of dinoflagellates and apicomplexans. We can infer that this ancestor was probably a myzocytotic predator with two heterodynamic flagella, micropores, trichocysts, rhoptries, micronemes, a polar ring, and a coiled open-sided conoid. This ancestor also very likely contained a plastid, but it is presently not certain whether it was photosynthetic, and it is not clear whether extant perkinsids or colpodellids have retained the organelle.
ISSN:1066-5234
1550-7408
DOI:10.1111/j.1550-7408.2002.tb00235.x