Comparison of the genomes of free-living Bodo saltans and those of parasitic trypanosomatids reveals that the transition from a free-living to a parasitic life style has resulted in the loss of approximately 50% of protein-coding genes. Despite this dramatic reduction in genome size, B. saltans and trypanosomatids still share a significant number of common metabolic traits: glycosomes; a unique set of the pyrimidine biosynthetic pathway genes; an ATP-PFK which is homologous to the bacterial PPi -PFKs rather than to the canonical eukaryotic ATP-PFKs; an alternative oxidase; three phosphoglycerate kinases and two GAPDH isoenzymes; a pyruvate kinase regulated by fructose-2,6-bisphosphate; trypanothione as a substitute for glutathione; synthesis of fatty acids via a unique set of elongase enzymes; and a mitochondrial acetate:succinate coenzyme A transferase. B. saltans has lost the capacity to synthesize ubiquinone. Among genes that are present in B. saltans and lost in all trypanosomatids are those involved in the degradation of mureine, tryptophan and lysine. Novel acquisitions of trypanosomatids are components of pentose sugar metabolism, pteridine reductase and bromodomain-factor proteins. In addition, only the subfamily Leishmaniinae has acquired a gene for catalase and the capacity to convert diaminopimelic acid to lysine.

A A Kharkevich Institute for Information Transmission Problems Russian Academy of Sciences Moscow 127 051 Russia

Biology Centre Institute of Parasitology Czech Academy of Sciences České Budějovice 370 05 Czech Republic

Canadian Institute for Advanced Research Toronto ON M5G 1Z8 Canada

e Duve Institute Université Catholique de Louvain Brussels B 1200 Belgium

Faculty of Science Institute of Environmental Technologies University of Ostrava Ostrava 710 00 Czech Republic

Faculty of Science University of South Bohemia České Budějovice 370 05 Czech Republic

Life Science Research Centre Faculty of Science University of Ostrava Ostrava 710 00 Czech Republic

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