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MBE Advance Access originally published online on March 21, 2008
Molecular Biology and Evolution 2008 25(6):1219-1230; doi:10.1093/molbev/msn070
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© The Author 2008. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Molecular Biology and Evolution. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org

Research Articles

Alveolins, a New Family of Cortical Proteins that Define the Protist Infrakingdom Alveolata

Sven B. Gould*, Wai-Hong Tham{dagger}, Alan F. Cowman{dagger}, Geoffrey I. McFadden* and Ross F. Waller*

* School of Botany, University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
{dagger} Walter & Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

E-mail: r.waller{at}unimelb.edu.au

Received for publication March 18, 2008. Alveolates are a recently recognized group of unicellular eukaryotes that unites disparate protists including apicomplexan parasites (which cause malaria and toxoplasmosis), dinoflagellate algae (which cause red tides and are symbionts in many corals), and ciliates (which are microscopic predators and common rumen symbionts). Gene sequence trees provide robust support for the alveolate alliance, but beyond the common presence of membranous sacs (alveoli) subtending the plasma membrane, the group has no unifying morphological feature. We describe a family of proteins, alveolins, associated with these membranous sacs in apicomplexa, dinoflagellates, and ciliates. Alveolins contain numerous simple peptide repeats and are encoded by multigene families. We generated antibodies against a peptide motif common to all alveolins and identified a range of apparently abundant proteins in apicomplexa, dinoflagellates, and ciliates. Immunolocalization reveals that alveolins are associated exclusively with the cortical regions of apicomplexa, dinoflagellates, and ciliates where the alveolar sacs occur. Alveolins are the first molecular nexus between the unifying structures that defines this eukaryotic group. They provide an excellent opportunity to explore the exceptional compartment that was apparently the key to a remarkable diversification of unique protists that occupy a wide array of lifestyle niches.

Key Words: alveoli • inner membrane complex • cytoskeleton • ciliate • dinoflagellate • apicomplexa

Andrew Roger, Associate Editor


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