Gene loss, pseudogenization, and independent genome reduction in non-photosynthetic species of Cryptomonas (Cryptophyceae) revealed by comparative nucleomorph genomics.

Our results reveal fine-scale nucleomorph genome variation between distantly related congeneric taxa containing photosynthetic and non-photosynthetic species, including recent pseudogene formation, and provide a first glimpse into the possible impacts of the loss of photosynthesis on nucleomorph genome coding capacity and structure in independently evolved colorless strains.