Genetic tool development in marine protists: emerging model organisms for experimental cell biology
Drahomíra Faktorová, R. Ellen R. Nisbet, José A. Fernández Robledo, Elena Casacuberta, Lisa Sudek, Andrew E. Allen, Manuel Ares, Cristina Aresté, Cecilia Balestreri, Adrian C. Barbrook, Patrick C. Beardslee, Sara J. Bender, David S. Booth, François‐Yves Bouget, Chris Bowler, Susana A. Breglia, Colin Brownlee, Gertraud Burger, Heriberto Cerutti, Rachele Cesaroni, Miguel Ángel Chiurillo, Thomas E. Clemente, Duncan B. Coles, Jackie L. Collier, Elizabeth C. Cooney, Kathryn J. Coyne, Roberto Docampo, Christopher L. Dupont, Virginia P. Edgcomb, Elin Einarsson, Pía A. Elustondo, Fernán Federici, Verónica Freire-Benéitez, Nastasia J. Freyria, Kodai Fukuda, Paulo Alonso Gaona-García, Peter R. Girguis, Fatma Gomaa, Sebastian G. Gornik, Jian Guo, Vladimı́r Hampl, Yutaka Hanawa, Esteban R. Haro-Contreras, Elisabeth Hehenberger, Andrea Highfield, Yoshihisa Hirakawa, Amanda Hopes, Christopher J. Howe, Ian Hu, Jorge Ibañez-Vega, Nicholas A. T. Irwin, Yuu Ishii, Natalia Janowicz, Adam C. Jones, Ambar Kachale, Konomi Fujimura‐Kamada, Binnypreet Kaur, Jonathan Z. Kaye, Eleanna Kazana, Patrick J. Keeling, Nicole King, Lawrence A. Klobutcher, Noelia Lander, Imen Lassadi, Zhu‐Hong Li, Senjie Lin, Jean-Claude Lozano, Fulei Luan, Shinichiro Maruyama, Tamara Matúte, Cristina Miceli, Jun Minagawa, Mark Moosburner, Sebastián R. Najle, Deepak Nanjappa, Isabel Nimmo, Luke M. Noble, Anna M. G. Novák Vanclová, Mariusz Nowacki, Isaac Núñez, Arnab Pain, Angela Piersanti, Sandra Pucciarelli, Jan Pyrih, Joshua S. Rest, Mariana Rius, Deborah Robertson, Albane Ruaud, Iñaki Ruiz‐Trillo, Monika Abedin Sigg, Pamela A. Silver, Claudio H. Slamovits, G. Jason Smith, Brittany N. Sprecher, Rowena Stern, Estienne C. Swart, Anastasios D. Tsaousis, Lev Tsypin, Aaron P. Turkewitz, Jernej Turnšek
Abstract
Diverse microbial ecosystems underpin life in the sea. Among these microbes are many unicellular eukaryotes that span the diversity of the eukaryotic tree of life. However, genetic tractability has been limited to a few species, which do not represent eukaryotic diversity or environmentally relevant taxa. Here, we report on the development of genetic tools in a range of protists primarily from marine environments. We present evidence for foreign DNA delivery and expression in 13 species never before transformed and for advancement of tools for eight other species, as well as potential reasons for why transformation of yet another 17 species tested was not achieved. Our resource in genetic manipulation will provide insights into the ancestral eukaryotic lifeforms, general eukaryote cell biology, protein diversification and the evolution of cellular pathways.