Gene Transfer from Bacteria and Archaea Facilitated Evolution of an Extremophilic Eukaryote

Hot, Toxic Eukaryote Unusually, the single-celled eukaryote red alga, Galdieria sulphuraria , can thrive in hot, acidic springs. This organism is endowed with extraordinary metabolic talents and can consume a variety of strange carbohydrates, as well as turn on photosynthesis when the food runs out. Schönknecht et al. (p. 1207 ; see the Perspective by Rocha ) discerned from phylogenetic analysis of its genome that during its evolution, G. sulphuraria appears to have commandeered at least 75 bacterial and archaeal genes by horizontal gene transfer and then applied gene expansion to boost its metabolic repertoire.