TY - JOUR
T1 - Myxozoans
T2 - Ancient metazoan parasites find a home in phylum Cnidaria
AU - Atkinson, Stephen D.
AU - Bartholomew, Jerri L.
AU - Lotan, Tamar
N1 - Funding Information: We thank Thomas Bosch for the invitation to submit this perspective paper. This research was supported by Research Grant No. IS-5001-17C from BARD, The United States-Israel Binational Agricultural Research and Development Fund and from Grant No. 47496 from USA-Israel Binational Science Foundation (BSF), Jerusalem, Israel . Publisher Copyright: © 2018 Elsevier GmbH
PY - 2018/8
Y1 - 2018/8
N2 - Myxozoans are endoparasites with complex life cycles that alternate between invertebrate and vertebrate hosts. Though considered protozoans for over 150 years, they are now recognized as metazoans, given their multicellularity and ultrastructural features. In recognition of synapomorphies and cnidarian-specific genes, myxozoans were placed recently within the phylum Cnidaria. Although they have lost genetic and structural complexity on the path to parasitism, myxozoans have retained characteristic cnidarian cnidocysts, but use them for initiating host infection. Myxozoans represent at least 20% of phylum Cnidaria, but as a result of rapid evolution, extensive diversification and host specialization, they are probably at least as diverse as their free-living relatives. The ability of myxozoans to infect freshwater, marine and terrestrial hosts implies that Cnidaria are no longer constrained to the aquatic environment.
AB - Myxozoans are endoparasites with complex life cycles that alternate between invertebrate and vertebrate hosts. Though considered protozoans for over 150 years, they are now recognized as metazoans, given their multicellularity and ultrastructural features. In recognition of synapomorphies and cnidarian-specific genes, myxozoans were placed recently within the phylum Cnidaria. Although they have lost genetic and structural complexity on the path to parasitism, myxozoans have retained characteristic cnidarian cnidocysts, but use them for initiating host infection. Myxozoans represent at least 20% of phylum Cnidaria, but as a result of rapid evolution, extensive diversification and host specialization, they are probably at least as diverse as their free-living relatives. The ability of myxozoans to infect freshwater, marine and terrestrial hosts implies that Cnidaria are no longer constrained to the aquatic environment.
KW - Cnidaria
KW - Myxozoa
KW - cnidocyst
KW - parasite
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85050773360&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.zool.2018.06.005
DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.zool.2018.06.005
M3 - Article
C2 - 30170750
SN - 0944-2006
VL - 129
SP - 66
EP - 68
JO - Zoology
JF - Zoology
ER -
