Rosculus

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Rosculus
Scientific classification
Domain:
(unranked):
SAR
(unranked):
Phylum:
Class:
Order:
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Genus:
Rosculus

Hawes, 1963
Species
  • R. eleongataJousset, Bass & Geisen 2016
  • R. ithacusHawes 1963
  • R. macrobrachii(Aravindan, Kalavati & Sheeja 2002)
  • R. terrestrisJousset, Bass & Geisen 2016
  • R. tropidonotiKalavati & Lakshminarayana 1982

Rosculus is a genus of parasitic organisms which are poorly studied. Taxonomically, Rosculus is currently accepted to be in the family Sainouroidea, which contains a sister genus and Rosculus. Many species in this genus are aquatic, but genomic data shows that some species are terrestrial. Rosculus is thought to thrive in anaerobic and aerobic environments. This protist if very small in size, and it contains a massive genome. One defining characteristic of Rosculus is its discoidal cristae but morphologically.

Taxonomy

Rosculus is a genus of organisms in the supergroup Rhizaria. [2] Under Rhizaria, we see a group of cercozoan flagellates, called Sainouroidea, which contains two genera of amoebae: Rosculus and its sister group, Guttulinopsis. [3] [4] These two groups are distinguished because Guttulinopsis displays aggregate multicellularity, and they can have a fruiting body stage, and Rosculus does not. [4] Other than the fruiting structures and aggregate multicellularity, there is little to no morphological difference between these sister taxa. [4] 18S rDNA must be sequenced in many cases to differentiate species in the genus Rosculus vs. Guttulinopsis. [3] Using 18S V4 amplicons, researchers were able to place Rosculus as a Cercozoan flagellate to begin with. [3] Little research has been published on Sainouroideans, however, data suggests that this group is very genetically remarkably diverse. [4] Current publications suggest that Sainoiroidea contain five genera: Cholamonas, Sainouron, Helkesimastix, Guttulinopsis, and Rosculus. [4] Rosculus is not a well-studied genus in protistology. Like many protists, Rosculus has a limited quantity of published, up to date information. The taxonomic information published changes frequently and published scientific papers should be scouted recently for the most up to date information. Currently, Rosculus also contains a handful of published species.

Genomic information

Several published Rosculus species include R. ithacus, R. elongate, and R. terrestris. [3] One Rosculus species, R. vilicus is reported to have a massive mitochondrial genome, made up of about 185,000 bp. [2] For reference, human mitochondrial genomes only contain 16,569 bp. [5] Rosculus’s nuclear genome contains 41 billion bp. [2] This is again exceptionally large in comparison to the human genome, which contains about 3 billion bp. [6] This is an incredible amount of genetic information packed into a microscopic organism.  

Size and locomotion

Rosculus is tiny in size. This genus contains organisms that range from 2-13 micrometers in length. [2] What is more interesting is the locomotion of Rosculus. When these species are on the move, they often range from 4.2 to 5.5 micrometers in diameter. [2] These organisms have an interesting movement style. Organisms in this group move very rapidly or abruptly. They use one long hyaline pseudopod to traverse their environments. [2] One paper suggests that the movement of Rosculus is rippling or wave-like. [4] When looking closely at Rosculus scientists have also observed a cyst formation as well, which is a sort of dormant reproductive stage where we do not see this movement. [2]

Living environment and parasitism

Rosculus are often found in freshwater environments. This genus thrives between 20-25ºC. [2] Often, Rosculus are parasitic, and they can live in fish feces. [2] Although Rosculus is often associated with aquatic environments, Rosculus was first discovered in the European grass snake’s feces. [3] Rosculus is especially successful living in feces because animal excrements are very nutrient rich. These environments, however, are anaerobic, which indicates that Rosculus does not need a large amount of oxygen to thrive. [3] On the other hand, Rosculus can also live in other environments. Rosculus has been found in agricultural environments such as soil, which is typically richer in oxygen than digestive tracts, and elephant dung. [3] Since most Rosculus species are found in feces, it is very possible that soil which contains Rosculus is well fertilized. Rosculus is likely amphicozoic. That means that this genus is a free-living parasitic organism. It does not depend on its host for survival. [2] Rosculus is only known to parasitize animal hosts. [4] One (albeit older source claims that Rosculus has been found in human throats and on maize. One issue with poorly studied organisms is that there is a fair bit of information that may not be accurate anymore as our taxonomic understanding shifts. [7] While Rosculus is a known parasite, it is also a beast of a predator. This organism only needs to eat bacteria to survive, and in fecal material, they have no lack of bacterial resources. [3]

Other morphological traits

One defining trait for Rosculus is seen in their mitochondrial cristae. These cristae are mitochondrial folds. They are necessary for respiration in aerobic organisms, which is interesting, noting a previous statement that most of Rosculus is aerobic, however, some members of this group are anaerobic. These naked amoebae [4] have discoidal instead of tubulo-vescular cristae. [8] Furthermore, Rosculus has a spotted or sandy-like granuloplasm. A  granuloplasm is a textured location in the cytoplasm which consists of various organelles and assists in carrying out cellular functions. [4]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flagellate</span> Group of protists with at least one whip-like appendage

A flagellate is a cell or organism with one or more whip-like appendages called flagella. The word flagellate also describes a particular construction characteristic of many prokaryotes and eukaryotes and their means of motion. The term presently does not imply any specific relationship or classification of the organisms that possess flagella. However, the term "flagellate" is included in other terms which are more formally characterized.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Excavata</span> Supergroup of unicellular organisms belonging to the domain Eukaryota

Excavata is an extensive and diverse but paraphyletic group of unicellular Eukaryota. The group was first suggested by Simpson and Patterson in 1999 and the name latinized and assigned a rank by Thomas Cavalier-Smith in 2002. It contains a variety of free-living and symbiotic protists, and includes some important parasites of humans such as Giardia and Trichomonas. Excavates were formerly considered to be included in the now obsolete Protista kingdom. They were distinguished from other lineages based on electron-microscopic information about how the cells are arranged. They are considered to be a basal flagellate lineage.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cercozoa</span> Group of single-celled organisms

Cercozoa is a phylum of diverse single-celled eukaryotes. They lack shared morphological characteristics at the microscopic level, and are instead united by molecular phylogenies of rRNA and actin or polyubiquitin. They were the first major eukaryotic group to be recognized mainly through molecular phylogenies. They are the natural predators of many species of bacteria. They are closely related to the phylum Retaria, comprising amoeboids that usually have complex shells, and together form a supergroup called Rhizaria.

<i>Naegleria</i> Genus of protists

Naegleria is a free living amoebae protist genus consisting of 47 described species often found in warm aquatic environments as well as soil habitats worldwide. It has three life cycle forms: the amoeboid stage, the cyst stage, and the flagellated stage, and has been routinely studied for its ease in change from amoeboid to flagellated stages. The Naegleria genera became famous when Naegleria fowleri, a human pathogenic strain and the causative agent of primary amoebic meningoencephalitis (PAM), was discovered in 1965. Most species in the genus, however, are nonpathogenic, meaning they do not cause disease.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rhizaria</span> Infrakingdom of protists

The Rhizaria are a diverse and species-rich supergroup of mostly unicellular eukaryotes. Except for the Chlorarachniophytes and three species in the genus Paulinella in the phylum Cercozoa, they are all non-photosynthethic, but many foraminifera and radiolaria have a symbiotic relationship with unicellular algae. A multicellular form, Guttulinopsis vulgaris, a cellular slime mold, has been described. This group was used by Cavalier-Smith in 2002, although the term "Rhizaria" had been long used for clades within the currently recognized taxon. Being described mainly from rDNA sequences, they vary considerably in form, having no clear morphological distinctive characters (synapomorphies), but for the most part they are amoeboids with filose, reticulose, or microtubule-supported pseudopods. In the absence of an apomorphy, the group is ill-defined, and its composition has been very fluid. Some Rhizaria possess mineral exoskeletons, which are in different clades within Rhizaria made out of opal, celestite, or calcite. Certain species can attain sizes of more than a centimeter with some species being able to form cylindrical colonies approximately 1 cm in diameter and greater than 1 m in length. They feed by capturing and engulfing prey with the extensions of their pseudopodia; forms that are symbiotic with unicellular algae contribute significantly to the total primary production of the ocean.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phaeodarea</span> Class of protists

Phaeodarea or Phaeodaria is a group of amoeboid cercozoan organisms. They are traditionally considered radiolarians, but in molecular trees do not appear to be close relatives of the other groups, and are instead placed among the Cercozoa. They are distinguished by the structure of their central capsule and by the presence of a phaeodium, an aggregate of waste particles within the cell.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Monadofilosa</span> Group of protists

Monadofilosa is a grouping of Cercozoa. These organisms are single-celled amoeboid protists.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Telonemia</span> Phylum of single-celled organisms

Telonemia is a phylum of microscopic eukaryotes commonly known as telonemids. They are unicellular free-living flagellates with a unique combination of cell structures, including a highly complex cytoskeleton unseen in other eukaryotes.

Trimastix is a genus of excavate protists, the sole occupant of the order Trimastigida. Trimastix are bacterivorous, free living and anaerobic. It was first observed in 1881 by William Kent. There are few known species, and the genus's role in the ecosystem is largely unknown. However, it is known that they generally live in marine environments within the tissues of decaying organisms to maintain an anoxic environment. Much interest in this group is related to its close association with other members of Preaxostyla. These organisms do not have classical mitochondria, and as such, much of the research involving these microbes is aimed at investigating the evolution of mitochondria.

<i>Malawimonas</i> Genus of micro-organisms

Malawimonas is genus of unicellular, heterotrophic flagellates with uncertain phylogenetic affinities. They have variably being assigned to Excavata and Loukozoa. Recent studies suggest they may be closely related to the Podiata.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jakobid</span>

Jakobids are an order of free-living, heterotrophic, flagellar eukaryotes in the supergroup Excavata. They are small, and can be found in aerobic and anaerobic environments. The order Jakobida, believed to be monophyletic, consists of only twenty species at present, and was classified as a group in 1993. There is ongoing research into the mitochondrial genomes of jakobids, which are unusually large and bacteria-like, evidence that jakobids may be important to the evolutionary history of eukaryotes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thecofilosea</span> Class of single-celled organisms

Thecofilosea is a class of unicellular testate amoebae belonging to the phylum Cercozoa. They are amoeboflagellates, organisms with flagella and pseudopodia, distinguished from other cercozoa by their scale-lacking test composed of organic material. They are closely related to the Imbricatea, a group of testate amoebae with tests composed of inorganic silica scales.

<i>Proteromonas</i> Genus of single-celled organisms

Proteromonas is a genus of single-celled biflagellated microbial eukaryotes belonging to the Superphylum Stramenopiles which are characterized by the presence of tripartite, hair-like structures on the anteriorly-directed larger of the two flagella. Proteromonas on the other hand are notable by having tripartite hairs called somatonemes not on the flagella but on the posterior of the cell. Proteromonas are closely related to Karotomorpha and Blastocystis, which belong to the Opalines group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sarcomonadea</span> Class of flagellate protists

The sarcomonads or class Sarcomonadea are a group of amoeboid biciliate protists in the phylum Cercozoa. They are characterized by a propensity to move through gliding on their posterior cilium or through filopodia, a lack of scales or external theca, a soft cell surface without obvious cortical filamentous or membranous skeleton, two cilia without scales or hairs, tubular mitochondrial cristae, near-spherical extrusomes, and a microbody attached to the nucleus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Breviatea</span> Group of protists

Breviatea, commonly known as breviate amoebae, are a group of free-living, amitochondriate protists with uncertain phylogenetic position. They are biflagellate, and can live in anaerobic (oxygen-free) environments. They are currently placed in the Obazoa clade. They likely do not possess vinculin proteins. Their metabolism relies on fermentative production of ATP as an adaptation to their low-oxygen environment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vampyrellida</span> Order of single-celled organisms

The vampyrellids, colloquially known as vampire amoebae, are a group of free-living predatory amoebae classified as part of the lineage Endomyxa. They are distinguished from other groups of amoebae by their irregular cell shape with propensity to fuse and split like plasmodial organisms, and their life cycle with a digestive cyst stage that digests the gathered food. They appear worldwide in marine, brackish, freshwater and soil habitats. They are important predators of an enormous variety of microscopic organisms, from algae to fungi and animals. They are also known as aconchulinid amoebae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Diplonemidae</span> Family of protozoans

Diplonemidae is a family of biflagellated unicellular protists that may be among the more diverse and common groups of planktonic organisms in the ocean. Although this family is currently made up of three named genera; Diplonema, Rhynchopus, and Hemistasia, there likely exist thousands of still unnamed genera. Organisms are generally colourless and oblong in shape, with two flagella emerging from a subapical pocket. They possess a large mitochondrial genome composed of fragmented linear DNA. These non-coding sequences must be massively trans-spliced, making it one of the most complicated post-transcriptional editing process known to eukaryotes.

<i>Kraken</i> (Cercozoa) Genus of single-celled organisms

Kraken is a genus of amoebae within the Cercozoa, containing the sole species Kraken carinae. These amoebae are characterized by a small round cell body and a network of thin and very long filopodia that can reach up to a mm in diameter. Kraken amoebae feed on bacteria and live in freshwater and soil systems.

Helkesida is a group of microscopic protists belonging to the supergroup Rhizaria, both discovered through molecular phylogenetic analyses. It contains amoeboid flagellates with two flagella. They are either free-living, mostly on fecal matter, or live inside the gut of animals. Among these amoebae, one lineage has independently evolved aggregative multicellularity similarly to slime moulds.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stygiellidae</span> Family of saltwater protists

Stygiellidae is a family of free-living marine flagellates belonging to the order Jakobida, a deep-branching lineage within the eukaryotic supergroup Discoba. They are unicellular organisms that commonly inhabit anoxic, sulfide-rich and ammonium-rich marine habitats worldwide.

References

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