The dinoflagellates Durinskia baltica and Kryptoperidinium foliaceum are among the most complex cells known to us. They are distinguished by the presence of a tertiary endosymbiont which, despite significant reduction, still retains its own nucleus, plastids, and mitochondria. These genome-containing compartments of the endosymbiont co-exist alongside the nucleus of the host, its own mitochondria, and an eye spot, which is thought to be the relic of the original dinoflagellate plastid. These two species, therefore, are almost unparalleld in their level of complexity, and more specifically in retaining two evolutionarily distinct mitochondria. This paper investigates this rare organelle redundancy.

Full citation

Imanian B, Keeling PJ. 2007. The dinoflagellates Durinskia baltica and Kryptoperidinium foliaceum retain functionally overlapping mitochondria from two evolutionarily distinct lineages. BMC Evolutionary Biology, 7:172 (24 September 2007).


http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2148/7/172