Amphidinium

Amphidinium is a genus of dinoflagellates. The type for the genus is Amphidinium operculatum Claparède & Lachmann. The genus includes the species Amphidinium carterae which is used as a model organism.^[1]

Amphidinium
Lateral view of Amphidinium sulcatum. amy., amyloid body; chr., chromatophore; ep., anterior part of cell in front of transverse furrow; fl.p., flagellar pore; l.f., longitudinal furrow; n., cell nucleus; tr.f., transverse furrow (with flagellum); vac., vacuole.
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Clade:	Diaphoretickes
Clade:	SAR
Clade:	Alveolata
Phylum:	Myzozoa
Superclass:	Dinoflagellata
Class:	Dinophyceae
Order:	Gymnodiniales
Family:	Gymnodiniaceae
Genus:	Amphidinium Clap. & J.Lachm. 1859

As dinoflagellates, Amphidinium spp. have chloroplasts. The Amphidinium chloroplast genome is unusual in not having a single contiguous circular genome.^[2][3] Instead, chloroplast genes encoded in chloroplast DNA are found on numerous 2-3 kbp minicircles,^[2][3] analogous to plasmids. Most minicircles have only a few protein-coding genes; many have just a single gene.^[2][3] There are reports of minicircles that do not have known transcripts, like in the Amphidinium carterae chloroplast genome,^[3] although these were not found in the Symbiodinium sp. Clade C3 chloroplast genome.^[2] Minicircle-derived transcripts can be processed in ways not typical of eukaryotes, including the addition of a 3' poly(U) tail,^[3] as opposed to the typical poly(A) tail derived from polyadenylation of eukaryotic transcripts. Minicircle-derived antisense transcripts are also produced, but without 3' poly(U) tails.^[3]

See also

• Luteophanol, a type of amphidinol present in species of the genus.^[4]

References

1. Nash, E.; Barbrook, A.; Edwards-Stuart, R.; Bernhardt, K.; Howe, C.; Nisbet, R. (2007). "Organization of the mitochondrial genome in the dinoflagellate Amphidinium carterae". Molecular Biology and Evolution. 24 (7): 1528–1536. doi:10.1093/molbev/msm074. PMID 17440175.
2. Barbrook, Adrian C.; Voolstra, Christian R.; Howe, Christopher J. (2014). "The Chloroplast Genome of a Symbiodinium sp. Clade C3 Isolate". Protist. 165 (1): 1–13. doi:10.1016/j.protis.2013.09.006. hdl:10754/563301. PMID 24316380.
3. Dorrell, Richard G.; Nisbet, R. Ellen R.; Barbrook, Adrian C.; Rowden, Stephen J.L.; Howe, Christopher J. (2019). "Integrated Genomic and Transcriptomic Analysis of the Peridinin Dinoflagellate Amphidinium carterae Plastid". Protist. 170 (4): 358–373. doi:10.1016/j.protis.2019.06.001. PMID 31415953. S2CID 198240765.
4. Y. Doi et al., "Luteophanol A, a New Polyhydroxyl Compound from Symbiotic Marine Dinoflagellate Amphidinium sp.", Journal of Organic Chemistry (1997) doi:10.1021/jo970273l

Further reading

• Pagliaraa, Patrizia; Caroppo, Carmela (November 2012). "Toxicity assessment of Amphidinium carterae, Coolia cfr. monotis and Ostreopsis cfr. ovata (Dinophyta) isolated from the northern Ionian Sea (Mediterranean Sea)". Toxicon. 60 (6): 1203–14. doi:10.1016/j.toxicon.2012.08.005. PMID 22925842.
• Murray, Shauna A.; Garby, Tamsyn; Hoppenrath, Mona; Neilan, Brett A. (4 June 2012). "Genetic Diversity, Morphological Uniformity and Polyketide Production in Dinoflagellates (Amphidinium, Dinoflagellata)". PLOS ONE. 7 (6): e38253. Bibcode:2012PLoSO...738253M. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0038253. PMC 3366924. PMID 22675531.