Research Summary

• Gene and genome evolution
• Secondary endosymbiosis and the evolution of nucleomorph genomes
• Molecular evolution and systematics of microbial eukaryotes

The central focus of research in the Archibald Lab is to gain insight into the origin and evolution of eukaryotic genomes using microscopic algae (microalgae) as model organisms. Using a comparative genomics approach, the lab is interested in (1) elucidating some of the pivotal molecular and biochemical events that have shaped the evolution of eukaryotic cells, (2) understanding the evolutionary relationships amongst eukaryotic microbes and (3) understanding how eukaryotic genes, genomes and proteins change over time. Research Page, Lab Positions

Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada

Contact John Archibald

Recent Publications

Donaher, N., Tanifuji, G., Onodera, N. T., Malfatti, S. A., Chain, P. S. G., Hara, Y., & Archibald, J. M. 2009. The complete plastid genome sequence of the secondarily non-photosynthetic alga Cryptomonas paramecium: reduction, compaction, and accellerated evolutionary rate.Genome Biol. Evol. Online Early.

Burki, F., Inagaki, Y., Brate, J., Archibald, J. M., Keeling, P. J., Cavalier-Smith, T., Sakaguchi, M., Hashimoto, T., Horak, A., Kumar, S., Klaveness, D., Jakobsen, K. S., Pawkowski, J., & Shalchian-Tabrizi, K. 2009. Large-scale phylogenomic analyses reveal that two enigmatic protist lineages, Telonemia and Centroheliozoa, are related to photosynthetic chromalveolates.Genome Biol. Evol. doi:10.1093/gbe/evp022

Elias, M. & Archibald, J. M. 2009. Sizing up the genomic footprint of endosymbiosis. BioEssays. 31, 1273-1279. doi: 10.1002/bies.200900117

Moore, C. & Archibald, J. M. 2009. Nucleomorph genomes. Annu. Rev. Genet. 43: 251-254. PubMed

Elias, M. & Archibald, J. M. 2009. The RJL family of small GTPases is an ancient eukaryotic invention probably functionally associated with the flagellar apparatus. Gene. 442, 63-72.

Hopkins, J. & Archibald, J. M. 2009. Plastid evolution and the nuclear genomic 'footprint' of red and green algal endosymbionts. In: Red algae in the age of genomics. Seckbach, J. & Grube, M. (eds.). Springer-Verlag. In Press.

Archibald, J. M. 2009. Genomics: Green evolution, green revolution. Science. 324, 191-192. (PDF)

Ota, S., Silver, T. D., Archibald, J. M., & Ishida, K.-I. 2009. Lotharella oceanica sp. nov.—a new planktonic chlorarachniophyte studied by light and electron microscopy. Phycologia. 48, 315-323. Link

Hoef-Emden, K. & Archibald, J. M. 2009. Phylum Cryptophyta (Cryptomonads). In: Handbook of Protoctista, Second Edition. Margulis, L. (ed). Jones and Bartlett Publishers. In Press.

Lane, C. E. & Archibald, J. M. 2009. Reply to Bodyl, Stiller and Mackiewicz: "Chromalveolate plastids:direct descent or multiple endosymbioses?" Trends Ecol. Evol. 24, 121-122. (PDF)

Curtis, B. & Archibald, J. M. 2009. Problems and progress in understanding the origins of mitochondria and plastids. In: Symbiosis and stress. Seckbach, J. & Grube, M. (eds.). Springer-Verlag. In Press.

Archibald, J. M., and Lane, C. E. 2009. Going, going, not quite gone: nucleomorphs as a case study in nuclear genome reduction. J. Heredity. 100, 582-590. doi: 10.1093/jhered/esp055

Archibald, J. M. 2009. The origin and spread of eukaryotic photosynthesis—evolving views in light of genomics. Bot. Marina. 52,95-103. (PDF)

Archibald, J. M. 2009. The puzzle of plastid evolution. Curr. Biol. 19, R81-R88. (PDF)

Archibald, J. M. 2009. Secondary endosymbiosis. In: Encyclopedia of Microbiology, Third Edition. Schaechter, M. (ed.). Oxford: Elsevier. pp. 438-446.

Kim, E. & Archibald, J. M. 2009. Diversity and evolution of plastids and their genomes. In: The chloroplast—interactions with the environment. Aronsson, H. &, Sandelius, A. S. (eds.). Springer-Verlag, Berlin. Pp. 1-39. (PDF)

Archibald, J. M. 2008. The eocyte hypothesis and the origin of eukaryotic cells. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA. 51, 20049-20050. (PDF)

Hoef-Emden, K. & Archibald, J. M. 2008. Cryptomonads. Tree of Life web project. http://tolweb.org/Cryptomonads

Archibald, J. M. 2008. Plastid evolution: remnant algal genes in ciliates. Curr. Biol.18, 663-665. (PDF)

Kim, E., Lane, C. E., Curtis, B. A., Kozera, C., Bowman, S., & Archibald, J. M. 2008. Complete sequence and analysis of the mitochondrial genome of Hemiselmis andersenii CCMP644 (Cryptophyceae). BMC Genomics. 9, 215. (PDF)

Lane, C. E., & Archibald, J. M. 2008. The eukaryotic Tree of Life: endosymbiosis takes its TOL. Trends Ecol. Evol. 23, 268-275. (PDF) (Cover)

Keeling, P. J. & Archibald, J. M. 2008. Organelle evolution: what's in a name? Curr. Biol. 18, R345-R347. (PDF)

Lane, C. E.& Archibald, J. M. 2008. New members of the genus Hemiselmis (Cryptomonadales, Cryptophyceae). J. Phycol. 44, 439-450. (PDF)

Cuvelier, M. L., Ortiz, A., Kim, Eunsoo, Moehlig, H., Richardson, D. E., Heidelberg, J. F., Archibald, J. M. & Worden, A. Z. 2008. Widespread distribution of a unique marine protistan lineage. Env. Microbiol. doi: 10.1111/j.1462-2920.2008.01580.x (PDF)

Khan, H., & Archibald, J. M. 2008. Lateral transfer of introns in the cryptophyte plastid genome. Nucleic Acids Res. 36, 3043-3053. (PDF)

Fong, A., & Archibald, J. M. 2008. Evolutionary dynamics of light-independent protochlorophyllide oxidoreductase (LIPOR) genes in the secondary plastids of cryptophyte algae. Euk. Cell. 7, 550-553. (PDF)

Phipps, K., Donaher, N. A., Lane, C. E. & Archibald, J. M. 2008. Nucleomorph karyotype diversity in the freshwater cryptophyte genus Cryptomonas. J. Phycol. 44, 11-14. (PDF)

Lab News

• Government should care about research. The Chronicle Herald, February 18 2009.

• January 5, 2009--Goro and Naoko Tanifuji join the lab. WELCOME GORO AND NAOKO!

• November 24th. Tia Silver defends her Master's Thesis entitled "Phylogeny and karyotype diversity of the chlorarachniophyte nucleomorph". CONGRATULATIONS TIA!

New Tree of Life web resource for cryptophytes

• New Centre at Dalhousie: CGEB

• Dr. Chris Lane has started his own lab in the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Rhode Island. Congratulations and good luck Chris!

• Tia Silver and Natalie Donaher win prizes at PROTIST2008

• Archibald wins major CIHR and DMRF awards

• NEW LAB POSITIONS—bioinformatics, comparative genomics and genome evolution (click here)

• JGI-DOE Community Sequencing Program tackling cryptomonad and chlorarachniophyte nuclear genomes. (JGI-CSP)

• Dalhousie tops international list of The Scientist's "Best Places to Work in Academia"

Last updated: November 17, 2009