ArticleGenome biology and evolution2019
Dicyemid Mesozoans: A Unique Parasitic Lifestyle and a Reduced Genome.
Article in Genome biology and evolution, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 13 papers.
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13 citing papers in PubMed, 31 citations in OpenAlex.
- The shortest animal introns: insights from parasitic cnidarians.Molecular biology and evolution · 2026Article
- Amplicon sequencing reveals the cryptic diversity in the dicyemid parasites of coleoid cephalopods sampled from the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.Marine life science & technology · 2026Article
- Large-scale Genome Analyses Provide Insights into Hymenoptera Evolution.Molecular biology and evolution · 2025Article
- Substantial Hierarchical Reductions of Genetic and Morphological Traits in the Evolution of Rotiferan Parasites.Genome biology and evolution · 2025Article
- Evolution of the Cdk4/6-Cdkn2 system in invertebrates.Genes to cells : devoted to molecular & cellular mechanisms · 2024Article
- Emerging questions on the mechanisms and dynamics of 3D genome evolution in spiralians.Briefings in functional genomics · 2023Review
- Myxozoans (Cnidaria) do not Retain Key Oxygen-Sensing and Homeostasis Toolkit Genes.Genome biology and evolution · 2023Article
- A myxozoan genome reveals mosaic evolution in a parasitic cnidarian.BMC biology · 2022Article
- Metabolic Adaptations to Marine Environments: Molecular Diversity and Evolution of Ovothiol Biosynthesis in Bacteria.Genome biology and evolution · 2021Article
- Gene Duplication and Gain in the Trematode Atriophallophorus winterbourni Contributes to Adaptation to Parasitism.Genome biology and evolution · 2021Article
- The complex evolutionary history of sulfoxide synthase in ovothiol biosynthesis.Proceedings. Biological sciences · 2019Article
- Highlight-Lessons on Parasitism from the Curious Dicyemida.Genome biology and evolution · 2019Article
- Gene expression profiles of dicyemid life-cycle stages may explain how dispersing larvae locate new hosts.Zoological letters · 2019Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
4 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Dicyemids, previously called "mesozoans" (intermediates between unicellular protozoans and multicellular metazoans), are an enigmatic animal group. They have a highly simplified adult body, comprising only ∼30 cells, and they have a unique parasitic lifestyle. Recently, dicyemids were shown to be spiralians, with affinities to the Platyhelminthes. In order to understand molecular mechanisms involved in evolution of this odd animal, we sequenced the genome of Dicyema japonicum and a reference transcriptome assembly using mixed-stage samples. The D. japonicum genome features a high proportion of repetitive sequences that account for 49% of the genome. The dicyemid genome is reduced to ∼67.5 Mb with 5,012 protein-coding genes. Only four Hox genes exist in the genome, with no clustering. Gene distribution in KEGG pathways shows that D. japonicum has fewer genes in most pathways. Instead of eliminating entire critical metabolic pathways, parasitic lineages likely simplify pathways by eliminating pathway-specific genes, while genes with fundamental functions may be retained in multiple pathways. In principle, parasites can stand to lose genes that are unnecessary, in order to conserve energy. However, whether retained genes in incomplete pathways serve intermediate functions and how parasites overcome the physiological needs served by lost genes, remain to be investigated in future studies.
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