GAČR: Heterolobosea as a model group for studying the role of horizontal gene transfer in anaerobic eukaryotic lineages
Goal: Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) involves the transfer of genes between unrelated organisms. Recent studies indicate that HGT is an important source of evolutionary novelties in eukaryotes and provides the capacity to adapt to new environments. However, importance of HGT for eukaryotic evolution and evolution of anaerobosis is still subject of heated debate. The proposed project address role and impact of HGT using Heterolobosea, deep-branching eukaryotic group, as a model. The group displays huge genetic and morphological diversity and inhabit wide range of habitats including anoxic sediments, guts of animals, hypersaline brines, and thermal springs. We will analyze transcriptomic and genomic data of strategically sampled heterolobosean lineages to identify prokaryote-to-eukaryote and eukaryote-to-eukaryote HGTs and trace those events using phylogenomic framework. We will estimate number of HGTs in Heterolobosea with special attention to genes involved in anaerobiosis and compare impact of genes acquired by HGT with those present in the common ancestor of Heterolobosea.
Principal investigator: Tomáš Pánek
Grantor: Czech Science Foundation
Duration: 2020-01 to 2022-12
Grant number: 20-16549Y
IT4I: Open Access Competion for Computational Resources
Principal investigator: Tomáš Pánek
Grantor: IT4Innovations National Supercomputing Center
Duration: 2021-05 to 2022-3
Grant number: OPEN-22-48
GAUK: Evolution of organellar genomes and anaerobiosis in a new lineage of non-photosynthetic algae
Principal investigator: Pia Corre
Project supervisor: Tomáš Pánek
Grantor: Grant Agency of Charles University
Duration: 2022 to 2024
Grant number: 118222
GAUK: Assessing the diversity and distribution of anaerobic and pathogenic Heterolobosea by environmental rDNA operon sequence profiling
Principal investigator: Seda Mirzoyan
Project supervisor: Tomáš Pánek
Grantor: Grant Agency of Charles University
Duration: 2022 to 2024
Grant number: 382122