Wonderful genome: Coral symbiont has a unique genome

The weird and wonderful genome of dinoflagellate is completely different from that of other eukaryotes

According to a new study, the genomes of single-celled plankton called dinoflagellate are organized in an incredibly strange and unusual way

Researchers from the United States and Germany KAUST investigated the genomic organization of the coral symbiont Dinoflagellate adriaticum

The research team used a technology called Hi-C to detect interactions in the chromatin of dinoflagellate, which is a combination of DNA and protein that make up the chromosome

The international research team found that the genome of dinoflagellates has a unique organization compared to the genomes of other eukaryotes

A surprising finding is that the genes in the genome tend to be organized in alternating unidirectional blocks

"Nature can behave in a way that is completely different from what we imagined

This organization is also reflected in the three-dimensional structure of the genome.

This unusual connection is consistent with another strange fact about dinoflagellates—their genomes have very few transcription factors, and they don’t seem to respond to environmental changes by altering gene expression

Another open question is the origin of this particular genome structure

The dinoflagellate genome breaks the expectations and dogmas established from the study of other eukaryotes

references:

"Genetic and spatial organization of the unusual chromosomes of the dinoflagellate Symbiodinium microadriaticum" by Ankita Nand, Ye Zhan, Octavio R.