Comparative single-cell #genomics of two uncultivated #Naegleria species harboring #Legionella #cobionts
ABSTRACT Amoeboflagellates of the genus Naegleria are free-living protists ubiquitously found in soil and freshwater habitats worldwide. They include the “brain-eating amoeba” Naegleria fowleri , an opportunistic pathogen that causes primary amoebic meningoencephalitis , a rare but fatal infection of humans. Beyond their direct pathogenicity, protists can also act as environmental reservoirs for intracellular bacterial pathogens , such as Legionella spp., to persist and multiply in the environment. In this study, we carried out single-cell genome sequencing of two uncultivated Naegleria species isolated from the River Leam in England . From single cells, we generated two highly complete Naegleria genomes . Phylogenetic analyses placed these species as close relatives of Naegleria fultoni and Naegleria pagei . Exploring Naegleria evolutionary genomics, we identified gene families encoding antistasin-like domains, which have been characterized as factors that inhibit coagulation in...