Use of a de novo transcriptome assembly for the alga Euglena gracilis to predict its protein complement.. Euglena gracilis transcriptome

Euglena gracilis is a highly complex protozoan alga which shows some of the characteristics of plants and animals yet is evolutionarily related to neither. Here we present a de novo transcriptome assembly for this well-studied alga. This initial sequencing effort reveals the full diversity of genetic material in Euglena and the unusual protein architectures used. It has also revealed unexpected metabolic pathways including cyclopropane fatty acids and the unusual thiols trypanothiol and ovothiol, which we have confirmed as having biological relevance in Euglena. In addition complex natural product synthases are apparent in the transcriptome, though no product has been purified from this organism. The metabolic pathways for lipids, amino acids, carbohydrates and vitamins provide the basis for molecular and functional genomics required to direct metabolic engineering efforts to enhance the quality and quantity of high value products from this organism