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Jumping Genes and Shrinking Genomes ‐ Probing the Evolution of Eukaryotic Photosynthesis with Genomics
Author(s) -
Archibald John M.
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
iubmb life
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.132
H-Index - 113
eISSN - 1521-6551
pISSN - 1521-6543
DOI - 10.1080/15216540500167732
Subject(s) - endosymbiosis , plastid , biology , genome , evolutionary biology , genomics , comparative genomics , gene , organelle , computational biology , genetics , chloroplast
The advent of comparative genomics has revolutionized the study of the origin and evolution of eukaryotes and their organelles. Genomic analysis has revealed that the endosymbiosis that gave rise to plastids ‐ the light‐harvesting apparatus of photosynthetic eukaryotes ‐ had a profound impact on the genetic composition of the host, far beyond the contribution of cyanobacterial genes for plastid‐specific functions. Here I discuss recent advances in our appreciation of the mosaic nature of the eukaryotic nuclear genome, and the ongoing role endosymbiosis plays in shaping its content.IUBMB Life, 57: 539‐547, 2005