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MICROBIOLOGY

A genetic toolbox for marine protists

Nature Methods volume 17, pages 469–470 (2020)Cite this article

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A resource of detailed DNA delivery and expression protocols for marine protists will enable new studies to understand the fundamental and ancestral features of eukaryotic cells.

Microbial life is most often associated with prokaryotes (Bacteria and Archaea). However, enormous biological diversity lies in protists, or eukaryotic microbes. For much of the history of biological investigation, protists have been the focus of far less intense research than complex multicellular eukaryotes. However, over the last twenty years the molecular biological revolution has brought the importance of protists to light. Faktorová et al.1 now provide a set of tools for the genetic manipulation of diverse protists, which will enable many new types of studies.

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Fig. 1: Genetic transformation across the tree of eukaryotes.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biological Sciences, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, MS, USA

    Matthew W. Brown & Alexander K. Tice

  2. Institute for Genomics, Biocomputing & Biotechnology, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, MS, United States

    Matthew W. Brown & Alexander K. Tice

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  1. Matthew W. Brown
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  2. Alexander K. Tice
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Correspondence to Matthew W. Brown.

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Brown, M.W., Tice, A.K. A genetic toolbox for marine protists. Nat Methods 17, 469–470 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41592-020-0794-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41592-020-0794-z

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