Transcriptome sequencing of 2 unicellular relatives of animals (Abeoforma, Chromosphaera)

The genomic foundations of origin of animal multicellularity requires the study of their closest unicellular relatives in order to reconstruct the ancestral genome content of early animals. We present the transcriptome sequences of 2 unicellular eukaryotes belonging to Teretosporea: Abeoforma whisleri and Chromosphaera perkinsii (Ichthyosporea, Teretosporea). These transcriptomes come from Illumina RNA-seq data of whole cell cultures (one sample per species) and were produced in order to assist in the genome annotation process. Together with Choanoflagellata, Filastera and Metazoa (animals), Teretosporea belong to the Holozoa clade, which is sister group to Fungi within the Opisthokonta.