Bodo saltans Genome sequencing. Bodo saltans

The purpose of a B. saltans genome sequence is to provide an 'outgroup' for comparative genomic studies. As it is among the closest bodonid relatives of the trypanosomatids, it will provide a model of the ancestral trypanosomatid to distinguish those derived parts of the parasite genomes (i.e., unique trypanosomatid adaptations) from those which are a legacy of the free-living ancestor. This objective can be resolved into three principal comparative issues: 1. Trypanosomatid disease; understanding how human trypanosomatid parasites acquired their distinct pathological strategies; 2. Evolution of parasitism; understanding how the ancestral trypanosomatid became parasitic in terms of derived innovations (e.g., cell surfaces) and loss of genomic repertoire; 3. Eukaryotic evolution; understanding how typical kinetoplastid features (e.g., glycosomes) evolved and how these might have been modified for parasitism.