Search

The article presents a proposal for rejecting the current use of the family name Goniodomataceae. Particular focus is given to the problematic treatment of Goniodomataceae. Also mentioned are scope of the family Thoracosphaeraceae, alternative solutions to the taxonomic error, and possible substitute names for taxa assigned to Goniodomataceae.

The article presents a proposal for conserving the current use of the name Scrippsiella against Heteraulacus and Dinophyceae. Particular focus is given to the taxonomic history of Peridinium acuminatum, as well as its designated lectotype and epitype. Also mentioned are the three generic names of Peridinium acuminatum, heterotypic synonym of Heteraulacus, and nomenclural instability of the species.

In the microscopy realm, a large body of dark biodiversity still awaits to be uncovered. Unarmoured dinophytes are particularly neglected here, as they only present inconspicuous traits. In a remote German locality, we collected cells, from which a monoclonal strain was established, to study morphology using light and electron microscopy and to gain DNA sequences from the rRNA operon. In parallel, we detected unicellular eukaryotes in ponds of the Botanical Garden Munich‐Nymphenburg by DNA‐metabarcoding (V4 region of the 18S rRNA gene), weekly sampled over the course of a year. Strain GeoK*077 turned out to be a new species of Borghiella with a distinct position in molecular phylogenetics and characteristic coccoid cells of ovoid shape as the most important diagnostic trait. Borghiella ovum, sp. nov., was also present in artificial ponds of the Botanical Garden and was the second most abundant dinophyte detected in the samples. More specifically, Borghiella ovum, sp. nov., shows a clear seasonality, with high frequency during winter months and complete absence during summer months. The study underlines the necessity to assess the biodiversity, particularly of the microscopy realm more ambitiously, if even common species such as formerly Borghiella ovum are yet unknown to science. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To determine the intraspecific variability of microscopic organisms such as dinophytes is challenging, but can be achieved using cultured material. Unusual morphologies of Peridinium tuberosum assigned to the Peridinium cinctum species group have been described as bulges on the posterior end of the cell a hundred years ago and more, but its taxonomic significance is unclear at present. We collected field material in Germany and Poland in order to establish strains to study cell morphology using light and scanning electron microscopy. For the cultured material, DNA sequence data from the rRNA operon was gained as well and included in molecular phylogenetics (including 22 new partial rRNA sequences). Two new, closely related ribotypes were detected, and all strains showed the principle morphology of P. cinctum having an asymmetric epitheca, a large first apical plate and a sulcus extending onto the epitheca. In the single-strain GeoM*979 assigned to one of the two new ribotypes, cells with bulges appeared rarely but consistently, mostly on the hypotheca, but other variations also occurred. Overall, cells of this strain display traits not observed before while studying cultured P. cinctum, and this distinction is further supported by molecular data and additional details of epithecal opening. However, there does not remain enough information to determine strain GeoM*979 as a separate species (namely P. tuberosum) and therefore, it is identified as Peridinium aff. cinctum until further notice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scientific names permit humans and search engines to access knowledge about the biodiversity that surrounds us, and names linked to DNA sequences are playing an ever-greater role in search-and-match identification procedures. Here, we analyze how users and curators of the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) are flagging and curating sequences derived from nomenclatural type material, which is the only way to improve the quality of DNA-based identification in the long run. For prokaryotes, 18,281 genome assemblies from type strains have been curated by NCBI staff and improve the quality of prokaryote naming. For Fungi, type-derived sequences representing over 21,000 species are now essential for fungus naming and identification. For the remaining eukaryotes, however, the numbers of sequences identifiable as type-derived are minuscule, representing only 739 species of arthropods, 1542 vertebrates, and 125 embryophytes. An increase in the production and curation of such sequences will come from (i) sequencing of types or topotypic specimens in museum collections, (ii) the March 2023 rule changes at the International Nucleotide Sequence Database Collaboration requiring more metadata for specimens, and (iii) efforts by data submitters to facilitate curation, including informing NCBI curators about a specimen's type status. We illustrate different type-data submission journeys and provide best-practice examples from a range of organisms. Expanding the number of type-derived sequences in DNA databases, especially of eukaryotes, is crucial for capturing, documenting, and protecting biodiversity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tertiary endosymbiosis is proven through dinophytes, some of which (i.e. Kryptoperidiniaceae) have engulfed diatom algae containing a secondary plastid. Chloroplasts are usually inherited together permanently with the host cell, leading to co-phylogeny. We compiled a diatom sequence data matrix of two nuclear and two chloroplast loci. Almost all endosymbionts of Kryptoperidiniaceae found their closest relatives in free-living diatoms and not in other harboured algae, rejecting co-phylogeny and indicating that resident diatoms were taken up by dinophytes multiple times independently. Almost intact ultrastructure and insignificant genome reduction are supportive for young, if not recent events of diatom capture. With their selective specificity on the one hand and extraordinary degree of endosymbiotic flexibility on the other hand, dinophytes hosting diatoms share more traits with lichens or facultatively phototrophic ciliates than with green algae and land plants. Time estimates indicate the dinophyte lineages as consistently older than the hosted diatom lineages, thus also favouring a repeated uptake of endosymbionts. The complex ecological role of dinophytes employing a variety of organismic interactions may explain their high potential and plasticity in acquiring a great diversity of plastids. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim To examine the historical biogeography of the Boraginales using molecular dating and ancestral area reconstruction. Location World-wide. Methods We constructed data sets that included all major clades of Boraginales and all orders of asterids using previously published sequences of four plastid markers ( trnL -trnF, rps16, ndhF, rbcL). We estimated divergence times using a Bayesian uncorrelated, lognormal relaxed clock approach with four different fossil calibration schemes. Ancestral areas were reconstructed using maximum likelihood methods (Dispersal-Extinction-Cladogenesis). Results Boraginales originated during the Early to Late Cretaceous and started its diversification in the Late Cretaceous. The inferred ancestral area of Boraginales includes the Americas and Africa. The two major clades of Boraginales diversified during the Early Paleogene from African and American ancestors respectively. Early branching families in both clades (Codonaceae and Wellstediaceae in one clade and Hydrophyllacee and Namaceae in the other) may have remained restricted to their areas of origin. The other families started diversifying in several regions of the world during the Eocene (Boraginaceae s.str., Heliotropiaceae, Ehretiaceae) or later (Cordiaceae). Main conclusions Molecular dating and ancestral area reconstruction may be broadly consistent with the idea of a vicariant origin of the two major clades of Boraginales after the break-up of West Gondwana, followed by several independent trans-oceanic dispersal events into most areas of the world. However, uncertainty in both divergence times and ancestral area reconstruction do not rule out the possibility of an origin involving long-distance dispersal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Detailed anatomical studies of flowers and fruits may render traits of phylogenetic importance, but are still rare in the Boraginales. An Old World clade of Cordia comprises many dioecious species, but the floral anatomy is largely unexplored and, hence, the structural basis for sex separation. Fresh material of buds, functionally unisexual flowers and fruits were studied using a stack shot camera. Fixed such material of Cordia crenata, C. cf. grandicalyx and C. sinensis was sectioned using a microtome and stained with safranin red and astra blue, and the gynoecial surface was studied using SEM. The stamens of the female flowers are largely intact, but do not produce pollen, whereas the gynoecium of the male flowers is highly reduced though develops ovules lacking an embryo sac. The morphologically rather unreduced stamens of the female flower may have undergone a shift of function from producing pollen towards attracting pollinators by optical signals. The outer parenchyma of the gynoecium is strongly stained and after fertilisation, one through three ovules are maturing towards seeds. The presence of more than a single seed enclosed in the undivided endocarp is rare in Cordiaceae. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phylogenetic relationships inferred from multilocus organellar and nuclear DNA data are often difficult to resolve because of evolutionary conflicts among gene trees. However, conflicting or "outlier" associations (i.e., linked pairs of "operational terminal units" in two phylogenies) among these data sets often provide valuable information on evolutionary processes such as chloroplast capture following hybridization, incomplete lineage sorting, and horizontal gene transfer. Statistical tools that to date have been used in cophylogenetic studies only also have the potential to test for the degree of topological congruence between organellar and nuclear data sets and reliably detect outlier associations. Two distance-based methods, namely ParaFit and Procrustean Approach to Cophylogeny (PACo), were used in conjunction to detect those outliers contributing to conflicting phylogenies independently derived from chloroplast and nuclear sequence data. We explored their efficiency of retrieving outlier associations, and the impact of input data (unit branch length and additive trees) between data sets, by using several simulation approaches. To test their performance using real data sets, we additionally inferred the phylogenetic relationships within Neotropical Catasetinae (Epidendroideae,Orchidaceae), which is a suitable group to investigate phylogenetic incongruence because of hybridization processes between some of its constituent species. A comparison between trees derived from chloroplast and nuclear sequence data reflected strong, well-supported incongruence within Catasetum, Cycnoches, and Mormodes. As a result, outliers among chloroplast and nuclear data sets, and in experimental simulations, were successfully detected by PACo when using patristic distance matrices obtained from phylograms, but not from unit branch length trees. The performance of ParaFit was overall inferior compared to PACo, using either phylograms or unit branch lengths as input data. Because workflows for applying cophylogenetic analyses are not standardized yet, we provide a pipeline for executing PACo and ParaFit as well as displaying outlier associations in plots and trees by using the software R. The pipeline renders a method to identify outliers with high reliability and to assess the combinability of the independently derived data sets by means of statistical analyses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Character evolution in calcareous dinophytes and their relatives is poorly understood at present, particularly regarding the transformations of the epitheca. The precise taxonomic identity of Chimonodinium lomnickii var. (≡ Peridinium) wierzejskii is unclear, but two different arrangements of the epithecal plate pattern have been reported. We studied dinophyte material collected across Central Europe, including the type localities of Peridinium wierzejskii (Polish Tatra) and Peridinium lomnickii var. punctulatum (Berlin), and investigated the morphology of eight monoclonal strains in detail. We further obtained rRNA sequences of the strains, including 27 new GenBank entries, for a molecular phylogenetic study using a representative taxon sample of the Thoracosphaeroideae. Five ITS ribotypes could be distinguished in Chimonodinium, but neither the distribution nor morphological differentiation seems to correlate with these ribotypes. An evolutionary transformation of the epitheca is inferred from the phylogenetic tree, with the predominant plate pattern found in C. lomnickii var. wierzejskii exemplifying the derived character state. However, the rare epithecal plate pattern of C. lomnickii var. wierzejskii represents the ancestral character state today found in, for example, Peridinium and Scrippsiella. This is an indication of an atavism, of which only very few cases are known from the microbial domain. The name Peridinium wierzejskii is taxonomically clarified by epitypification. HIGHLIGHTS • Rare documentation of atavism in the microbial domain• Deep morphology of strain established from type locality• Molecular phylogenetics inferred from concatenated rRNA sequence data [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dioecious and thorny Rochefortia Sw. is a poorly known though distinct element of the Ehretiaceae comprising woody plants restricted to the Caribbean and the adjacent American mainland. The approximately ten species display a great morphological variability and overlapping taxonomic boundaries, which makes it difficult to differentiate them (particularly in the Caribbean region). We investigated the phylogenetic relationships of Rochefortia using DNA sequence data from one nuclear locus (Internal Transcribed Spacer) and three chloroplast DNA loci ( rps16, trnL- trnF, trnS- trnG). The monophyly of Rochefortia was confirmed, with a sister group relationship between an American mainland clade and a Caribbean clade. The latter segregates into three, morphologically rather variable lineages, distributed either in the Lesser Antilles or in the eastern Greater Antilles or in the western Greater Antilles. Thus, geographic occurrence rather than morphology is indicative of taxonomic delimitation in Rochefortia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: All amniotes are probably infected by specific papillomaviruses (PVs), but knowledge about PV diversity remains sparse. An insufficient taxon sampling, and a focus on humans as hosts, may perturb phylogenetic analyses leading to wrong conclusions about PV evolution. We performed a systematic approach to explore the diversity of PVs combining rolling circle amplification with the use of “universal” primers to search for the presence of novel PV sequences in animal samples. We communicate 12 sequences putatively corresponding to novel PVs gained from 10 host species in eight mammal families: Bovidae, Canidae, Cervidae, Equidae, Hominidae, Phocoenidae, Procyonidae and Pteropodidae. The phylogenetic position of the new sequences was inferred with an evolutionary placement algorithm under a Maximum Likelihood framework using a pre-computed, well-resolved tree constructed with the E1–E2–L1 gene sequences as a backbone. The new sequences were phylogenetically diverse and could be respectively placed with confidence within all four PV crown groups. The prevailing presence of sequences from the crown groups Alpha+Omikron-PVs and Beta+Xi-PVs may correspond to an increased viral diversity in these taxa, or rather reflect a combination of anthropocentric bias and preferential amplification from commonly used “universal” primers. Our results combined with literature data support the view that the number and diversity of animal PVs is overwhelmingly large. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

A significant fraction of human cancers is associated with infections by different papillomaviruses (PVs). In other vertebrates, the presence of specific PVs is also associated with different neoplasias. The popular view of PVs conceives them to be largely static and relies on generalized assumptions that have rarely been rigorously tested such as: virus–host codivergence, strict tissue tropism and host-specificity, their very low mutation rate and the absence of recombination. Here, we want to stress the need and the medical importance of understanding the evolutionary history and present-day dynamics of PVs. Understanding the way that PV genomes have evolved will clarify the link between a given genotype and the phenotypic and clinical outcome of the corresponding viral infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: β-Papillomaviruses (PV) seem to be involved in the pathogenesis of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma and its early stage actinic keratosis. In this study, typing was extended of a previously described consensus primer-mediated β- and γ-cutaneous HPV PCR method followed by reverse-line-blotting (BGC-PCR/RLB) to detect all 25 known β-PV and to examine their prevalence in actinic keratosis. The typing format of the BGC-PCR assay was extended by adding hybridization probes of six β-PV (HPV 75, 76, 80, 92, 93, and 96) to the RLB system. Subsequently, tumor and normal skin tissues were collected from 75 patients with actinic keratosis, allowing typing for a total of 25 β- and 5 γ-types. The analytical sensitivity was between 10 copies (HPV 75, 80, 92, 93, and 96) and 100 copies (HPV 76). Except for that of HPV 76, none of the added probes showed any cross-hybridization with other β-HPV. HPV DNA was detected in 45% of actinic keratosis and in 33% of normal skin by BGC-PCR, and at least one of the six added β-types was present in 19% of actinic keratoses and in 13% of normal skin. Six β-HPV types were added successfully to the typing format of the BGC-PCR/RLB system. The potential role of these types in the development of non-melanoma skin cancer awaits further studies. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Contemporary delimitation of species and populations in the microbial domain relies on an integrative approach combining molecular and morphological techniques. In case of the dinophyte Peridinium volzii, a considerable number of infraspecific taxonomic entities have been reported, but it is unclear at present whether the corresponding traits are stable within reproductively isolated units or refer to intraspecific variability. We established 26 monoclonal strains from Central Europe with a morphology that is consistent for P. volzii and characterised them by sequences gained from the rRNA operon. Ten of such strains, representative for the entire diversity observed, were investigated in detail morphologically using light and electron microscopy. In the molecular tree, P. volzii was monophyletic, sister group of Peridinium willei, and three ITS ribotypes could be distinguished. Some traits corresponding to previously described varieties and forms were found in individual cells across the strains under investigation, but not as stable characters correlating to certain ribotypes. We also observed new morphological variability (e.g., unusual shape of plate 4″). Cell size and displacement of the cingulum were significantly different between certain ribotypes but in turn, such diagnostic traits are impossible to assign to already described taxa due to their ambiguity. Based on the small first apical plate as diagnostic trait and putative apomorphy, P. volzii is a characteristic species but the present data given, we are reserved to accept more than a single reproductive unit. Thus, more research is necessary, including a focus on species delimitation to putative close relatives such as Peridinium maeandricum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite their ecological importance and wide distribution, Cordiaceae have not been subject to detailed anatomical study yet. We examined flower and fruit anatomies of Cordia nodosa and Varronia bonplandii (using paraffin sectioning and light microscopy) in comparison with other woody members of Boraginales. The internal architecture of the superior bicarpellate ovary resulted from the development of secondary septa including apical, basal and false septa, as reported also from other Boraginales. Novel characters of Cordiaceae were identified such as an extensive tissue surrounding the gynoecium of C. nodosa and a lignified cap on top of the endocarp in V. bonplandii. Fruits containing a single seed may have originated several times independently in Cordiaceae deriving from the four-seeded condition present today in most other non-capsular Boraginales. Distyly of V. bonplandii does not appear genetically fixed but may result from different ecological conditions. Hemianatropous ovules are now considered the derived character state in Cordiaceae, originating from anatropous ovules present in other Boraginales. Studies like this improve the knowledge about generative organs in general and identify phylogenetically informative characters. However, better knowledge of functional morphology and ecological importance regarding many traits identified require further investigations on the diversity of Cordiaceae. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Arctic regions have experienced pronounced biological and biophysical transformations as a result of global change processes over the last several decades. Current hypotheses propose an elevated impact of those environmental changes on the biodiversity, community composition and metabolic processes of species. The effects on ecosystem function and services, particularly when invasive or toxigenic harmful species become dominant, can be expressed over a wide range of temporal and spatial scales in plankton communities. Our study focused on the comparison of molecular biodiversity of three size-fractions (micro-, nano-, picoplankton) in the coastal pelagic zone of West Greenland and their association with environmental parameters. Molecular diversity was assessed via parallel amplicon sequencing the 28S rRNA hypervariable D1/D2 region. We showed that biodiversity distribution within the area of Uummannaq Fjord, Vaigat Strait and Disko Bay differed markedly within and among size-fractions. In general, we observed a higher diversity within the picoplankton size fraction compared to the nano- and microplankton. In multidimensional scaling analysis, community composition of all three size fractions correlated with cell size, silicate and phosphate, chlorophyll a (chl a ) and dinophysistoxin (DTX). Individually, each size fraction community composition also correlated with other different environmental parameters, i.e. temperature and nitrate. We observed a more homogeneous community of the picoplankton across all stations compared to the larger size classes, despite different prevailing environmental conditions of the sampling areas. This suggests that habitat niche occupation for larger-celled species may lead to higher functional trait plasticity expressed as an enhanced range of phenotypes, whereas smaller organisms may compensate for lower potential plasticity with higher diversity. The presence of recently identified toxigenic harmful algal bloom (HAB) species (such as Alexandrium fundyense and A. ostenfeldii ) in the area points out the potential risk for this vulnerable ecosystem in a changing world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The diversity of extant calcareous dinophytes (Thoracosphaeraceae, Dinophyceae) is not fully recorded at present. The establishment of algal strains collected at multiple localities is necessary for a rigorous study of taxonomy, morphology and evolution in these unicellular organisms. We collected sediment and water tow samples from more than 60 localities in coastal areas of the eastern Mediterranean Sea and documented 15 morphospecies of calcareous dinophytes. Internal transcribed spacer (ITS) barcoding identified numerous species of the Scrippsiella trochoidea species complex that were genetically distinct, but indistinguishable in gross morphology (i.e. with the same tabulation patterns of the motile theca and similar spiny coccoid stages). We assessed a possible minimal number of cryptic species using ITS ribotype networks that indicated the existence of at least 21 species within the Scrippsiella trochoidea species complex. Species diversity of calcareous dinophytes appears higher in the Mediterranean Sea than in other parts of the world's oceans such as the North Sea. Our data underline the importance of field work to record the diversity of calcareous dinophytes and other unicellular life forms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• 7 lineages at high taxonomic level based on rRNA alignment of curated DNA sequences. • character evolution with loss of X-plate inside Gonyaulacales. • Transformation from sexiform towards quinqueform hypothecal conformation. • Taxonomy of Lingulodinium polyedra clarified by epitypification. • Epitype collected close to the type locality and capturing original author's intent. Gonyaulacales include a considerable number of harmful algae and to understand their origin and rise, knowledge of the evolutionary relationships is necessary. Many scientific names of protists introduced prior to the availability of DNA analytics are ambiguous and impede communication about biological species and their traits in the microbial world. Strains of Lingulodinium polyedra were established from its type locality in the Kiel Fjord (Germany) to clarify its taxonomy. Moreover, the phylogeny of Gonyaulacales was inferred based on 329 rRNA sequence accessions compiled in a curated sequence data base, with as much as possible type material equivalents included. Gonyaulacales were monophyletic and segregated into seven lineages at high systematic level, of which †Lingulodiniaceae constituted the first branch of the Gonyaulacales. Their type species had a plate formula APC (Po, X, cp), 3′, 3a, 6′′ 6c, 6s, 6′′′, 2′′′′ and is taxonomically clarified by epitypification. Recommendations for this important taxonomic tool are provided, with a focus on microorganisms. Most gonyaulacalean taxa established at generic rank are monophyletic, with Alexandrium, Coolia and Gonyaulax as notable exceptions. From an evolutionary perspective, gonyaulacalean dinophytes with quinqueform hypotheca are monophyletic and derive from a paraphyletic group showing the sexiform configuration. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS) is widely employed in phylogenomics. • We employ GBS to resolve relationships within a recalcitrant orchid species complex. • About 50% of GBS loci recovered lack phylogenetic informativeness (PI) • The PI of the 42 most informative GBS loci is comparable with that of nrITS. • Phylogenomics of GBS datasets recircumscribes six prior taxa as only three species. Poor morphological and molecular differentiation in recently diversified lineages is a widespread phenomenon in plants. Phylogenetic relationships within such species complexes are often difficult to resolve because of the low variability in traditional molecular loci. Furthermore, biological phenomena responsible for topological incongruence such as Incomplete Lineage Sorting (ILS) and hybridisation complicate the resolution of phylogenetic relationships among closely related taxa. In this study, we employ a Genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS) approach to disentangle evolutionary relationships within a species complex belonging to the Neotropical orchid genus Cycnoches. This complex includes seven taxa distributed through Central America and the Colombian Chocó, and is nested within a clade estimated to have first diversified in the early Quaternary. Previous phylogenies inferred from few loci failed to provide support for internal relationships within the complex. Our Neighbour-net and coalescent-based analyses inferred from ca. 13,000 GBS loci obtained from 31 individuals belonging to six of the seven traditionally accepted Cycnoches taxa provided a robust phylogeny for this group. The genus Cycnoches includes three main clades that are further supported by morphological traits and geographic distributions. Similarly, a topology reconstructed through maximum likelihood (ML) inference of concatenated GBS loci produced results that are comparable with those reconstructed through coalescence and network-based methods. Our comparative phylogenetic informativeness analyses suggest that the low support evident in the ML phylogeny might be attributed to the abundance of uninformative GBS loci, which can account for up to 50% of the total number of loci recovered. The phylogenomic framework provided here, as well as morphological evidence and geographical patterns, suggest that the six entities previously thought to be different species or subspecies might actually represent only three distinct segregates. We further discuss the limited phylogenetic informativeness found in our GBS approach and its utility to disentangle relationships within recent and rapidly evolving species complexes. Our study is the first to demonstrate the utility of GBS data to reconstruct relationships within young (~2 Ma) Neotropical plant clades, opening new avenues for studies of species complexes that populate the species-rich orchid family. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During evolution of Dinophyceae, size reduction of the episome has occurred in several lineages (including unarmoured Amphidiniales and armoured Prorocentrales). One such species is Amphidinium crassum, whose taxonomic identity is elusive though showing morphological similarities with Oxytoxaceae (currently placed in armoured Peridiniales). Plankton samples were taken at the type locality of A. crassum in Kiel Bight (Baltic Sea) in order to establish monoclonal strains. The protist material was examined in detail using light and electron microscopy, and a long (2984 bp) ribosomal RNA sequence gained was part of a taxon sample comprising 206 specimen vouchers and representing the known molecular diversity of Dinophyceae. Cells of A. crassum were ovoid and exhibited a plate pattern po, 4', 1a, 6'', 5c, 4s, 5''', 1''''. In the molecular phylogeny, the species seemed to belong neither to Amphidiniales nor to Peridiniales but to Prorocentrales and clustered with other representatives of Oxytoxaceae. The morphological diversity of Prorocentrales appears thus expanded, and the group may include a number of previously unrecognised representatives unusually having five postcingular and only a single antapical plate. The taxonomic identity of A. crassum is clarified by epitypification, and the species notably exhibits both an apical pore and an additional epithecal pore., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Among the photosynthetically active dinophytes, the Kryptoperidiniaceae are unique in having a diatom as endosymbiont instead of the widely present peridinin chloroplast. Phylogenetically, it is unresolved at present how the endosymbionts are inherited, and the taxonomic identities of two iconic dinophyte names, Kryptoperidinium foliaceum and Kryptoperidinium triquetrum, are also unclear. Multiple strains were newly established from the type locality in the German Baltic Sea off Wismar and inspected using microscopy as well as molecular sequence diagnostics of both host and endosymbiont. All strains were bi-nucleate, shared the same plate formula (i.e., po, X, 4', 2a, 7'', 5c, 7s, 5''', 2'''') and exhibited a narrow and characteristically L-shaped precingular plate 7''. Within the molecular phylogeny of Bacillariaceae, endosymbionts were scattered over the tree in a highly polyphyletic pattern, even if they were gained from different strains of a single species, namely K. triquetrum. Notably, endosymbionts from the Baltic Sea show molecular sequences distinct from the Atlantic and the Mediterranean Sea, which is the first report of such a spatial fragmentation in a planktonic species of dinophytes. The two names K. foliaceum and K. triquetrum are taxonomically clarified by epitypification, with K. triquetrum having priority over its synonym K. foliaceum. Our study underlines the need of stable taxonomy for central questions in evolutionary biology., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Prorocentrum comprises dinophytes with several unique traits, including the presence of two large thecal plates and apical insertion of flagella. Species delimitation for many small and similar planktonic species is challenging, as SEM analyses and DNA sequence information of type material are rarely available. Based on a strain from the North Atlantic Prorocentrum spinulentum, sp. nov. is described here. Cells were small (9.0-12.8 µm long, 8.5-11.9 µm deep), oval to almost round in lateral view and moderately compressed. The ovoid nucleus was in median or slightly sub-median position on the cells ventral side. The plate surface appeared spiny in light microscopy with thecal pores visible in empty thecae. Electron microscopy revealed plates densely covered by relatively long spines and two size classes of thecal pores. The periflagellar area consisted of 8 platelets, and there was a prominent wing (ca. 1 µm wide and long) on platelet 1. The new species is distinct in DNA trees and embedded in the Prorocentrum shikokuense species group. It differs from the protologues of other small species of Prorocentrum by the unique combination of cell size and shape, the presence of long spines on the thecal plate surface and scattered thecal pores. The thorough morphological description of this species, representing a previously uncharacterised lineage within Prorocentrum, increases and improves our knowledge of the diversity within this important group of planktonic organisms.

Dinophyte evolution is essentially inferred from the pattern of thecal plates, and two different labelling systems are used for the important subgroups Gonyaulacales and Peridiniales. The partiform hypotheca of cladopyxidoid dinophytes fits into the morphological concepts of neither group, although they are assigned to the Gonyaulacales. Here, we describe the thecate dinophyte Fensomea setacea, gen. & sp. nov., which has a cladopyxidoid tabulation. The cells displayed a Kofoidean plate formula APC, 3', 4a, 7″, 7C, 6S, 6''', 2'''', and slender processes were randomly distributed over the echinate or baculate surface. In addition, we obtained rRNA sequences of F. setacea, gen. & sp. nov., but dinophytes that exhibit a partiform hypotheca did not show a close relationship to Gonyaulacales. Character evolution of thecate dinophytes may have progressed from the ancestral state of six postcingular plates, and two more or less symmetrically arranged antapical plates, towards patterns of only five postcingular plates (Peridiniales) or more asymmetrical configurations (Gonyaulacales). Based on our phylogenetic reconsiderations the contact between the posterior sulcal plate and the first postcingular plate, as well as the contact between an antapical plate and the distalmost postcingular plate, do not represent a rare, specialized gonyaulacoid plate configuration (i.e., the partiform hypotheca of cladopyxidoid dinophytes). Instead, these contacts correspond to the common and regular configuration of peridinioid (and other) dinophytes.

Dinophytes are widely distributed in marine- and fresh-waters, but have yet to be conclusively documented in terrestrial environments. Here, we evaluated the presence of these protists from an environmental DNA metabarcoding dataset of Neotropical rainforest soils. Using a phylogenetic placement approach with a reference alignment and tree, we showed that the numerous sequencing reads that were phylogenetically placed as dinophytes did not correlate with taxonomic assignment, environmental preference, nutritional mode, or dormancy. All the dinophytes in the soils are rather windblown dispersal units of aquatic species and are not biologically active residents of terrestrial environments., (© 2020 The Authors. Journal of Eukaryotic Microbiology published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of International Society of Protistologists.)

We report the complete genome sequences of Rusa timorensis papillomavirus 1 (RtimPV1) and Rusa timorensis papillomavirus 2 (RtimPV2), isolated from hair follicles of asymptomatic skin from the same Timor deer specimen. RtimPV1 and RtimPV2 are evolutionarily only distantly related. RtimPV1 lacks a canonical E2-binding site, and RtimPV2 does not carry an E6 gene., (Copyright © 2018 Mengual-Chuliá et al.)

Background: Rochefortia is a small taxon of woody plants in the Ehretiaceae (Boraginales) exhibiting coriaceous leaves with cystoliths, small whitish flowers and drupaceous fruits containing four pyrenes. It shares the dioecious sex distribution with its sister group Lepidocordia and can be delimited from the latter (and all other Ehretiaceae) by the presence of thorns. Neotropical Rochefortia is distributed over most Caribbean islands, Central America and northern South America. Twenty-eight validly published names (corresponding to twenty-one typified taxa at the species level and below) are available in Rochefortia, but the precise number of species to be accepted has been elusive before this revision., New Information: In the course of the present revision, 353 herbarium collections, comprising approximately 540 Rochefortia specimens, were entried into a BRAHMS data base providing information about protologues and types and retrospective georeferences if possible. Based on the combination of molecular and morphological data we propose to recognise nine species of Rochefortia, namely R. acanthophora, R. bahamensis, R. barloventensis, R. cubensis, R. cuneata, R. lundellii, R. oblongata, R. spinosa and R. stellata (the remaining nineteen validly published names are synonymised under such names). Morphological description of each species and an identification key are provided.

Infection by papillomaviruses (PVs) has been linked to different types of neoplasias, in both human and non-human hosts. Knowledge about PV diversity is essential to reliably infer the evolutionary history of these pathogens and to elucidate the link between infection and disease. We cloned and sequenced the complete genome of a novel PV, EhelPV1, isolated from hair bulbs from a captive straw-colored fruit bat Eidolon helvum (Pteropodidae, Chiroptera). We also retrieved partial sequences of the E1 and L1 genes from hair bulbs from a captive Indian flying fox Pteropus giganteus (Pteropodidae, Chiroptera). The detected virus (PgigPV1) presumably corresponded to a novel type as well. Maximum likelihood phylogenetic analyses were conducted using a representative collection of 132 PVs. EhelPV1 belonged to the Lambda+Mu-PV crown group and was most closely related to another bat PV, MschPV2. Both fragments of PgigPV1 were placed alongside with EhelPV1. The novel PVs were phylogenetically distant from other previously described bat PVs, namely MrPV1, MschPV1 and RaPV1. We have further characterized the sequence patterns of the E2-binding sites occurring in the upstream regulatory region of Lambda+Mu-PVs. Common fingerprints within this region are shared by certain PVs. However, there is not a sharp correspondence between the repertoire of transcription factor binding sites in the viral regulatory region and host range, tissue tropism or viral life style. Our results reinforce the hypothesis that PVs have undergone an initial radiation prior to the divergence of the mammalian hosts, giving rise to the present-day PV crown groups., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The associations between pathogens and their hosts are complex and can result from a variety of evolutionary processes including codivergence, lateral transfer, or duplication. Papillomaviruses (PVs) are double-stranded DNA viruses ubiquitously present in mammals and are a suitable target for rigorous statistical tests of potential virus-host codivergence. We analyze the evolutionary dynamics of PV diversification by comparing robust phylogenies of PVs and their respective hosts using different statistical approaches to assess topological and branch-length congruence. Mammalian PVs segregated into four diverse major clades that overlapped to varying degrees in terms of their mammalian host lineages. The hypothesis that PVs and hosts evolved independently was globally rejected (P = 0.0001), although only 90 of 207 virus-host associations (43%) were significant in individual tests. Virus-host codivergence accounted roughly for one-third of the evolutionary events required to reconcile PV-host evolutionary histories. When virus-host associations were analyzed locally within each of the four viral clades, numerous independent topological congruencies were identified that were incompatible with respect to the global trees. These results support an evolutionary scenario in which early PV radiation was followed by independent codivergence between viruses within each of the major clades and their hosts. Moreover, heterogeneous groups of closely related PVs infecting non-related hosts suggest several interspecies transmission events. Our results argue thus for the importance of alternative events in PV evolution, in contrast to the prevailing opinion that these viruses show a high degree of host specificity and codivergence.

Several cutaneotropic human papillomavirus (HPV) types seem to be involved in the early onset of cutaneous squamous-cell carcinoma. To test the hypothesis that cutaneotropic HPV infections are facilitated because of close and frequent skin contact (for example, between child and mother), we examined HPV prevalence in hair follicle cells from 134 volunteers (1-89 years of age, median 42 years) from 13 families. We used a high-throughput HPV-typing approach with a sensitive beta-/gamma-cutaneous PCR method, followed by reverse line blotting, to detect 30 cutaneotropic HPV types. HPV prevalence in all individuals was 42% and increased with age from 5% at < or =20 years to 27% at 21-40 years, 53% at 41-60 years, and 76% at >60 years. The effect of life age was significant, independent of couples and family members shown by regression analyses (P < or =10(-8)). A higher similarity of HPV infection patterns was observed in couples versus two randomly chosen individuals (P

The diversity of papillomaviruses (PVes) infecting stratified squamous epithelia of warm-blooded animals, such as birds and mammals, is only fragmentarily documented. The PV types are sequenced from 9 of 18 placental taxa at the order level to date. Current phylogenetic analyses of PV sequences frequently do not consider evolutionary polarity and statistical evaluation of internal nodes, that are required for robust evolutionary conclusions. In this study, we isolated and characterized three putatively novel animal PV types from hair follicles comprising the first known insectivoran PV and two cervid PVes. With the help of the primer pair FAP59/FAP64, we amplified L1 gene fragments consisting of approximately 470 base pairs. Phylogenetic analyses were performed with a representative set of 73 PV sequences that included the three novel PVes using Maximum Likelihood, Bayesian inference, Maximum Parsimony, and distance-based methods on amino acid alignments. The three novel PVes appear to be components of the beta+gamma+pi+xi-PV supertaxon, within which the insectivoran PV has an isolated phylogenetic position. The two cervid PVes constitute a distinct group that is only distantly related to the core cervid PVes of the delta-PVes. The molecular data supports a complex evolutionary scenario for PVes which is driven by multiple mechanisms comprising host-linked evolution, adaptive radiation establishing different ecological niches, and multiple infections across species borders.

The circular, double-stranded 8-kb DNA genome of papillomaviruses (PVes) consists mainly of 4 large genes, E1, E2, L2, and L1. Approximately 150 papillomavirus genomes have been sequenced to date. We analyzed a representative sample of 53 PVes genomes using maximum likelihood, Bayesian inference, maximum parsimony, and distance-based methods both on nucleotide (nt) and on amino acid (aa) alignments. When the 4 genes were analyzed separately, aa-inferred phylogenies contradicted each other less than nt-inferred trees (judged by partition homogeneity tests). In particular, gene combinations including the L2 gene generated significant incongruence (P < 0.001). Combined analyses of the remaining genes E1-E2-L1 produced a well-supported phylogeny including supertaxon beta + gamma + pi + xi-PVes (infecting Artiodactyla, Carnivora, Primates, and Rodentia) and supertaxon kappa + lambda + mu + nu + sigma-PVes (infecting Carnivora, Lagomorpha, Primates, and Rodentia). Based on the tree topology, host-linked evolution appears plausible at shallow, rather than deeper, taxonomic levels. Diversification within PVes may also involve adaptive radiation establishing different niches (within a single-host species) and recombination events (within single-host cells). Heterogeneous groups of closely related PVes infecting, for example, humans and domestic animals such as hamster, dog, and cattle suggest multiple infections across species borders. Additional evolutionary phenomena such as strong codon usage preferences, and computational biases including reconstruction artifacts and insufficient taxon sampling, may contribute to the incomplete resolution of deep phylogenetic nodes. The molecular data globally supports a complex evolutionary scenario for PVes, which is driven by multiple mechanisms but not exclusively by coevolution with corresponding hosts.

Carcinogenesis is a multi-step process resulting from the accumulation of genetic mutations and subsequently leading to dysregulated genes, but the number and identity of differentially expressed genes in cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is unknown at present. In order to identify dysregulated genes, we examined the relative mRNA expression present in cutaneous SCC and its precursor lesion actinic keratosis (AK) by comparison to normal skin. Snap frozen biopsies from 20 specimens of normal skin, 10 AK, and 10 cutaneous SCC were examined. Total-RNA was extracted, reversely transcribed, and 14 genes were investigated using gene-specific intron-flanking primers and quantitative real-time reverse transcription PCR. Specificity was confirmed by sequencing of the PCR amplicons. Ten of 14 genes were significantly dysregulated in AK and/or cutaneous SCC by comparison to normal skin. The genes CNN2, COX4I1, COX5B, COX7C, CRLF3, CTSC, NDRG1, and LMNA showed increased expression in skin cancer (p < 0.02), while RPL15 and LGTN were down-regulated (p < 0.03). The genes differentially expressed during skin carcinogenesis may prove useful in order to understand the origin and progression of cutaneous SCC and for diagnostic approaches.