Ultrastructure of Selenidium pendula, the Type Species of Archigregarines, and Phylogenetic Relations to Other Marine Apicomplexa

Archigregarines, an early branching lineage within Apicomplexa, are a poorly-known group of invertebrate parasites. By their phylogenetic position, archigregarines are an important lineage to understand the functional transition that occurred between free-living flagellated predators to obligatory parasites in Apicomplexa. In this study, we provide new ultrastructural data and phylogenies based on SSU rDNA sequences using the type species of archigregarines, the Selenidiidae Selenidium pendula Giard, 1884. We describe for the first time the syzygy and early gamogony at the ultrastructural level, revealing a characteristic nuclear multiplication with centrocones, cryptomitosis, filamentous network of chromatin, a cyst wall secretion and a 9+0 flagellar axoneme of the male gamete. S. pendula belongs to a monophyletic lineage that includes several other related species, all infecting Sedentaria Polychaeta (Spionidae, Sabellaridae, Sabellidae and Cirratulidae). All of these Selenidium species exhibit similar biological characters: a cell cortex with the plasma membrane - inner membrane complex - subpellicular microtubule sets, an apical complex with the conoid, numerous rhoptries and micronemes, a myzocytosis with large food vacuoles, a nuclear multiplication during syzygy and younggamonts. Two other distantly related Selenidium-like lineages infect Terebellidae and Sipunculida, underlying the ability of archigregarines to parasite a wide range of marine hosts.

Keyword(s)

Archigregarines, Apicomplexa, Selenidium pendula, ultrastructure, phylogeny, sporozoite

Full Text

FilePagesSizeAccess
Publisher's official version
3044 Mo
mmc1
13 Mo
mmc2
1458 Ko
mmc3
19 Ko
mmc4
1130 Ko
mmc5
1340 Ko
mmc6
159 Ko
Author's final draft
52994 Ko
How to cite
Schrevel Joseph, Valigurova Andrea, Prensier Gerard, Chambouvet Aurelie, Florent Isabelle, Guillou Laure (2016). Ultrastructure of Selenidium pendula, the Type Species of Archigregarines, and Phylogenetic Relations to Other Marine Apicomplexa. Protist. 167 (4). 339-368. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.protis.2016.06.001, https://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00350/46145/

Copy this text