Single-cell sequencing reveals genome streamlining and functional diversity in ecologically dominant marine protists

Lopez-Escardo, D.; Obiol, A.; Marimon, G.; Lopez-Alforja, X.; Vaque, D.; Forn, I.; Logares, R.; Yau, S.; Fornas, O.; Martinez-Garcia, M.; Massana, R.

doi:10.64898/2026.04.17.719054

bioRxiv · 10.64898/2026.04.17.719054

Single-cell sequencing reveals genome streamlining and functional diversity in ecologically dominant marine protists

Lopez-Escardo, D.·Obiol, A.·Marimon, G.·Lopez-Alforja, X.·Vaque, D.·Forn, I.·Logares, R.·Yau, S.·Fornas, O.·Martinez-Garcia, M.·Massana, R.

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Abstract

A large fraction of marine protists, particularly the smallest ones, belong to uncultured lineages that lack genomic data, limiting insights into their ecological roles and evolutionary strategies. Here, we generated 325 single-cell amplified genomes (SAGs) from 2-5 {micro}m planktonic protists, which resulted in 147 genomes from dominant marine species at varying levels of completeness (40 of them >50%). These genomes matched the in situ community, with Prymnesiophyceae, Mamiellophyceae and Chrysophyceae dominating pigmented cells and MAST, Choanoflagellata and Picozoa prevailing among heterotrophic colourless cells. This resource allowed us to describe the genomic architecture of marine protist species, and revealed a pronounced genome streamlining in ecologically successful lineages. Comparative analyses highlighted unique functions enriched in photosynthetic and heterotrophic taxa (including motility, signal transduction, digestion and secondary metabolism), and revealed a broad distribution of gene families with adaptive traits such as polyketide synthases and rhodopsins. This large-scale single-cell genomics dataset provides a mechanistic foundation for investigating functional diversity, ecological strategies and genome evolution in the ocean.

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Lopez-Escardo, D., Obiol, A., Marimon, G., Lopez-Alforja, X., Vaque, D., Forn, I., Logares, R., Yau, S., Fornas, O., Martinez-Garcia, M., Massana, R.. 2026-04-21. Single-cell sequencing reveals genome streamlining and functional diversity in ecologically dominant marine protists. https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.04.17.719054

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