Nature
Published November 14, 2018 13:00 ET
The genetic and evolutionary analyses reported here place Hemimastigophora outside of all established eukaryote supergroups. The researchers argue that, based on the evolutionary distinctiveness of this group, the organisms instead comprise an independent supra-kingdom-level lineage. The researchers also established the first culture of a hemimastigote, which will facilitate future genomic and cell-biological investigations into eukaryote evolution and the last eukaryotic common ancestor. First observed in the 19th century, hemimastigotes are free-living predatory protists with two rows of flagella and unique cell architecture.
Corresponding author: Alastair Simpson, Dalhousie University – alastair.simpson@dal.ca
