Comparative genomics of social amoebas

Upon completion of the genome analysis of the genome from D. discoideum (Eichinger et al. 2005) we decided to start a comparative genomics approach within the Amoebozoa branch of evolution. Social amoebas within the Amoebozoa currently comprise ~50 members. All species show the same vegetative developmental cycle, albeit there are differences in details.
According to a 18S rRNA phylogenetic tree (Schaap et al. 2006) all species can be divided up into four distinct groups. The model organism D. discoideum belongs to group 4. We chose D. fasciculatum from group 1 and P. pallidum from group 2 for our comparative genomics approach. To enhance the genome quality the latter species will be sequenced and completely assembled in collaboration with the team of Pauline Schaap in Dundee. Our American partners from the Baylor College of Medicine aim at the sequencing of species from group 3 and 4. This way, we cover the whole evolutionary breadth of this evolutionary branch. We hope not only to get insight in the diversity of social amoebas, but also be able to better describe the model system D. discoideum. We will certainly be able to pinpoint species and genus specific genes.

References:
Eichinger L, Pachebat JA, Glöckner G, Rajandream MA, Sucgang R, Berriman M, Song J, Olsen R, Szafranski K, Xu Q, Tunggal B, Kummerfeld S, Madera M, Konfortov BA, Rivero F, Bankier AT, Lehmann R, Hamlin N, Davies R, Gaudet P, Fey P, Pilcher K, Chen G, Saunders D, Sodergren E, Davis P, Kerhornou A, Nie X, Hall N, Anjard C, Hemphill L, Bason N, Farbrother P, Desany B, Just E, Morio T, Rost R, Churcher C, Cooper J, Haydock S, van Driessche N, Cronin A, Goodhead I, Muzny D, Mourier T, Pain A, Lu M, Harper D, Lindsay R, Hauser H, James K, Quiles M, Madan Babu M, Saito T, Buchrieser C, Wardroper A, Felder M, Thangavelu M, Johnson D, Knights A, Loulseged H, Mungall K, Oliver K, Price C, Quail MA, Urushihara H, Hernandez J, Rabbinowitsch E, Steffen D, Sanders M, Ma J, Kohara Y, Sharp S, Simmonds M, Spiegler S, Tivey A, Sugano S, White B, Walker D, Woodward J, Winckler T, Tanaka Y, Shaulsky G, Schleicher M, Weinstock G, Rosenthal A, Cox EC, Chisholm RL, Gibbs R, Loomis WF, Platzer M, Kay RR, Williams J, Dear PH, Noegel AA, Barrell B, Kuspa A. (2005): The genome of the social amoeba Dictyostelium discoideum. Nature 435:43-57

Schaap P, Winckler T, Nelson M, Alvarez-Curto E, Elgie B, Hagiwara H, Cavender J, Milano-Curto A, Rozen DE, Dingermann T, Mutzel R, Baldauf SL (2006): Molecular phylogeny and evolution of morphology in the social amoebas. Science;314:661-3