The Complete Plastid Genome Sequence of the Haptophyte Emiliania huxleyi: a Comparison to Other Plastid Genomes

The complete nucleotide sequence of the plastid genome of thehaptophyte Emiliania huxleyi has been determined. E. huxleyiis the most abundant coccolithophorid and has a key role inthe carbon cycle. It is also implicated in the production ofdimethylsulphide (DMS), which is involved in cloud nucleationand may affect the global climate. Here, we report the plastidgenome sequence of this ecologically and economically importantspecies and compare its gene content and arrangement to otherknown plastid genomes. The genome is circular and consists of105,309 bp with an inverted repeat of 4,841 bp. In terms ofboth genome size and gene content E. huxleyi cpDNA is substantiallysmaller than any other from the red plastid lineage. The geneticinformation is densely packed, with 86.8% of the genome specifying110 identified protein-coding genes, 9 open reading frames,28 different tRNAs, and 3 rRNAs. A detailed comparison to otherplastid genomes, based on gene content, gene function, and genecluster analysis is discussed. These analyses suggest a closerelationship of the E. huxleyi cpDNA to the chlorophyll c-containingplastids from heterokonts and cryptophytes, and they supportthe origin of the chromophyte plastids from the red algal lineage.