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Parasites go the full monty

Nature volume 414, pages 401–402 (2001)Cite this article

Energy metabolism is an essential function of life. Yet a resourceful parasite with a minimalist genome has discarded much of its metabolism, developing a unique alternative in the process.

Parasites are well known for stripping themselves down to the bare essentials, but how far will they go? Microsporidia are one group of single-celled parasites that have taken it to extremes and gone the 'full monty'. On page 450 of this issue1, Katinka and colleagues expose the shocking extent of this striptease in the complete genome sequence of the microsporidian Encephalitozoon cuniculi, which parasitizes a range of mammals, including humans. This genome is a mere shadow of those found in other eukaryotes (organisms with nucleated cells), as it consists of only 2.9 million base pairs — less than 0.1% the size of the human genome. This is even smaller than the genomes of many bacteria. Nevertheless, the genome is a treasure trove of information on the powerful reductive forces that shape these unusual parasites.

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Figure 1: Infection by parasites.

BRETISLAV KOUDELA

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  1. Department of Botany, Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, University of British Columbia, 3529–6270 University Boulevard, Vancouver, V6T 1Z4, British Columbia, Canada

    Patrick J. Keeling

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  1. Patrick J. Keeling
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Correspondence to Patrick J. Keeling.

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Keeling, P. Parasites go the full monty. Nature 414, 401–402 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1038/35106666

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