News in Brief Genetics

A marine parasite’s mitochondria lack DNA but still churn out energy

The missing genetic material turned up in the microbe’s nucleus

an infected ocean alga called Alexandrium

PARASITE LIFE  Parasitic Amoebophyra ceratii, which surprisingly is missing its mitochondrial DNA, can infect an ocean alga called Alexandrium (healthy, left; infected, middle and right). The photosynthetic part of the alga is shown in red and the parasite’s cytoplasm in green. 

Yameng Lu

By Tina Hesman Saey

- More than 2 years ago

One parasite that feeds on algae is so voracious that it even stole its own mitochondria’s DNA.