Evolution of metabolic capabilities and molecular features of diplonemids, kinetoplastids, and euglenids.
Anzhelika ButenkoFred R OpperdoesOlga FlegontovaAleš HorákVladimír HamplPatrick KeelingRyan M R GawrylukDenis TikhonenkovPavel FlegontovJulius LukešPublished in: BMC biology (2020)
The loss of metabolic capabilities might not be associated with the switch to parasitic lifestyle in kinetoplastids, and the presence of a highly divergent (or unconventional) kinetochore machinery might not be restricted to this protist group. The data derived from the transcriptomes of free-living early branching prokinetoplastids suggests that the pre-replication complex of Trypanosomatidae is a highly divergent version of the conventional machinery. Our findings shed light on trends in the evolution of metabolism in protists in general and open multiple avenues for future research.