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Rhopalodia gibba: The First Steps in the Birth of a Novel Organelle?

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Endosymbiosis

Abstract

The diatom Rhopalodia gibba harbours unusual cell inclusions termed spheroid bodies. Those are separated from the host cytoplasm by an additional membrane, vertically transmitted to the next generation and provide nitrogen autonomy to their host cell. Morphological observations and phylogenetic analyses revealed a cyanobacterial origin of these obligate endosymbionts. Phylogenetic data and fossil records suggest that the origin of this endosymbiosis dates back to late Eocene to Miocene (~25 Ma). Genomic analyses support this determination, as the genomic changes in the spheroid body suggest that the endosymbiosis is in a relatively early stage.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by grants of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG SFB TR1). We would like to thank Helen Rennie for critical notes on the manuscript and Magnus Rath for microscopic support.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratorium für Zellbiologie, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Karl-von-Frisch Str. 8, 35032, Marburg, Germany

    Susann Adler, Eike M. Trapp, Christine Dede, Uwe G. Maier & Stefan Zauner

  2. LOEWE-Zentrum für Synthetische Mikrobiologie (SynMikro), Hans-Meerwein-Strasse, 35032, Marburg, Germany

    Uwe G. Maier

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  1. Susann Adler
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  2. Eike M. Trapp
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  3. Christine Dede
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  4. Uwe G. Maier
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  5. Stefan Zauner
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Correspondence to Stefan Zauner .

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  1. Department of Biochemistry, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria

    Wolfgang Löffelhardt

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Adler, S., Trapp, E.M., Dede, C., Maier, U.G., Zauner, S. (2014). Rhopalodia gibba: The First Steps in the Birth of a Novel Organelle?. In: Löffelhardt, W. (eds) Endosymbiosis. Springer, Vienna. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-7091-1303-5_9

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