The origin of metazoan lipoate metabolism can be traced back to holozoan protists.

MONTECCHIARINI, M; LAMBRUSCHI D.; UTTARO, ANTONIO D.

Congreso; L Reunión anual de la SAIB; 2014

As cofactor in the glycine cleavage system and in several oxoacid dehydrogenases, lipoate is an essential component for the cell. There are multiple strategies in Nature to assure its acquisition. We have explored the presence of the enzymes involved in lipoate synthesis and/or salvage in the protozoan Capsaspora owczarzaki, a symbiont of Biomphalaria snails (vector of the human parasites Schistosoma spp.). Capsaspora was recently highlighted as a model organism to study the origin of multicellularity in Metazoan. Phylogenetic analysis carried out on these enzymes and those from other interrelated pathways, like Krebs cycle and mitochondrial fatty acid synthase system, are all in concordance with the closeness relationship of Capsaspora and other holozoan organisms, like choanoflagellates and metazoans and with a more distant relationship to fungi, together to which they share the Opistokonta. The fact that humans and Capsaspora share similar pathways for lipoic acid acquisition makes this protozoan model very attractive in the study of metabolic defects associated to severe clinical traits in humans.