The genome sequence and gene predictions of Antonospora locustae were not determined by the JGI, but were downloaded from JBPC and have been published (Corradi N et al., 2007). Please note that this copy of the genome is not maintained by the author and is therefore not automatically updated.
Members of the phylum Microsporidia are highly successful, obligate intracellular eukaryotic parasites with remarkably small genomes of 2.3-20 megabases (MB). They infect nearly all the invertebrate phyla, most commonly arthropods, and all five classes of vertebrates. In agricultural settings, some microsporidial species serve as biological control agents of pests, including Antonospora locustae (Nolo Bait) while others are significant pathogens of beneficial insects. A survey of genomic sequences from Antonospora locustae, a microsporidian that is distantly related to E. cuniculi, suggested that this compaction has further effects on the evolution of microsporidian genomes. Specifically, this survey showed that the order of genes in the A. locustae and E. cuniculi genomes share a high degree of conservation, and that this conservation was correlated with short intergenic spaces. Conservation of gene order usually degrades rapidly in eukaryotic genomes leading to the suggestion that genome compaction could slow the rate of genome rearrangements. This comparison also challenged the hypothesis that the rate of genome evolution may be correlated with the rate of sequence evolution since the rate of sequence evolution between the two species is relatively high.
Genome Reference(s)
Slamovits CH, Fast NM, Law JS, Keeling PJ
Genome compaction and stability in microsporidian intracellular parasites.
Curr Biol. 2004 May 25;14(10):891-6. doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2004.04.041
Corradi N, Akiyoshi DE, Morrison HG, Feng X, Weiss LM, Tzipori S, Keeling PJ
Patterns of genome evolution among the microsporidian parasites Encephalitozoon cuniculi, Antonospora locustae and Enterocytozoon bieneusi.
PLoS One. 2007 Dec 5;2(12):e1277. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0001277
Citation
- Antonospora locustae Genome Project, Marine Biological Laboratory at Woods Hole, funded by NSF award number 0135272