Molecular and Cellular Evolution of Microbial Eukaryotes
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Newcastle
EMBO World 09
Molecular Evolution Workshop 2010
Trachipleistophora hominis

Professor Robert P. Hirt

Contact information

  • Phone number: +44 (0)191 222 6963
  • e-mail adress: robert.hirt (at) ncl.ac.uk

Robert's publications

  • Alsmark C, Foster PG, Sicheritz-Ponten T, Nakjang S, Embley TM, Hirt RP. Patterns of prokaryotic lateral gene transfers affecting parasitic microbial eukaryotes. Genome Biol. vol 14 (2013). pubmed
  • Hirt RP. Trichomonas vaginalis virulence factors: an integrative overview. Sex Transm Infect. (2013). pubmed
  • Nakjang S, Williams TA, Heinz E, Watson AK, Foster PG, Sendra KM, Heaps SE, Hirt RP, Embley TM. Reduction and expansion in microsporidian genome evolution: new insights from comparative genomics. Genome Biol Evol. vol 5 p. 2285-303 (2013). pubmed
  • Collison M, Hirt RP, Wipat A, Nakjang S, Sanseau P, Brown JR. Data mining the human gut microbiota for therapeutic targets. Brief Bioinform. epub (2012). pubmed
  • Flanagan K, Nakjang S, Hallinan J, Harwood C, Hirt RP, Pocock MR, Wipat A. Microbase2.0: a generic framework for computationally intensive bioinformatics workflows in the cloud . J Integr Bioinform. vol 9 p. doi: 10.2390 (2012). pubmed
  • Heinz E, Williams TA, Nakjang S, Noel CJ, Swan DC, Goldberg AV, Harris SR, Weinmaier T, Markert S, Becher D, Bernhardt J, Dagan T, Hacker C, Lucocq JM, Schweder T, Rattei T, Hall N, Hirt RP, Embley TM. The Genome of the Obligate Intracellular Parasite Trachipleistophora hominis: New Insights into Microsporidian Genome Dynamics and Reductive Evolution. PLoS Pathog. vol 8 p. e1002979 (2012). pubmed
  • Nakjang S, Ndeh AN, Wipat A, Bolam DN, Hirt RP. A Novel Extracellular Metallopeptidase Domain Shared by Animal Host-Associated Mutualistic and Pathogenic Microbes. PLoS ONE. vol 7 p. doi: 10.1371 (2012). pubmed
  • Hirt RP, de Miguel N, Nakjang S, Dessi D, Liu YC, Diaz N, Rappelli P, Acosta-Serrano A, Fiori PL, Mottram JC. Trichomonas vaginalis Pathobiology New Insights from the Genome Sequence. Adv Parasitol. vol 77 p. 87-140 (2011). pubmed
  • Kolluru B, Nakjang S, Hirt RP, Wipat A, Ananiadou S. Automatic extraction of microorganisms and their habitats from free text using mining workflows. J Integr Bioinform. vol 8 p. 184 (2011). pubmed
  • Carlton JM, Malik SB, Sullivan SA, Sicheritz-Ponten T, Tang P, Hirt RP. Trichomonas vaginalis genome. In: Anaerobic Parasitic Protozoa: Genomics and Molecular Biology. Horizon Press. p. 45-80 (2010).
  • Hjort K, Goldberg AV, Tsaousis AD, Hirt RP, Embley TM. Diversity and reductive evolution of mitochondria among microbial eukaryotes. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci. vol 365 p. 713-27 (2010). pubmed
  • Noel CJ, Diaz N, Sicheritz-Ponten T, Safarikova L, Tachezy J, Tang P, Fiori P-L, Hirt RP. Trichomonas vaginalis vast BspA-like gene family: evidence for functional diversity from structural organisation and transcriptomics. BMC Genomics. vol 8 (2010). pubmed
  • Simoes-Barbosa A, Hirt RP, Johnson PJ. A metazoan/plant-like capping enzyme and cap modified nucleotides in the protist Trichomonas vaginalis. PLoS Pathogens. vol 6 p. e1000999 (2010). pubmed
  • Alsmark UC, Sicheritz-Ponten T, Foster PG, Hirt RP, Embley TM. Horizontal gene transfer in eukaryotic parasites: a case study of Entamoeba histolytica and Trichomonas vaginalis. Methods in Molecular Biology. vol 532 p. 489-500 (2009). pubmed
  • Cox CJ, Foster PG, Hirt RP, Harris SR, Embley TM. The archaebacterial origin of eukaryotes. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. vol 105 p. 20356-61 (2008). pubmed
  • Goldberg AV, Molik S, Tsaousis AD, Neumann K, Kuhnke G, Delbac F, Vivares CP, Hirt RP, Lill R and Embley TM. Localization and functionality of microsporidian iron-sulphur cluster assembly proteins. Nature. vol 452 p. 624-8 (2008). pubmed
  • Smid O, Matuskova A, Harris SR, Kucera T, Novotny M, Horvathova L, Hrdy I, Kutejova E, Hirt RP, Embley TM, Janata J, Tacheyy J. Reductive evolution of the mitochondrial processing peptidases of the unicellular parasites trichomonas vaginalis and giardia intestinalis.. PLoS Pathog.. vol 4 p. e1000243 (2008). pubmed
  • Tsaousis AD, Kunji ER, Goldberg AV, Lucocq JM, Hirt RP and Embley TM. A novel route for ATP acquisition by the remnant mitochondria of Encephalitozoon cuniculi. Nature. vol 453 p. 553-6 (2008). pubmed
  • Andersson JO, Sjogren AM, Horner DS, Murphy CA, Dyal PL, Svard SG, Logsdon JM Jr, Ragan MA, Hirt RP and Roger AJ. A genomic survey of the fish parasite Spironucleus salmonicida indicates genomic plasticity among diplomonads and significant lateral gene transfer in eukaryote genome evolution. BMC Genomics. vol 8 (2007). pubmed
  • Carlton JM, Hirt RP, Silva JC, Delcher AL, Schatz M, Zhao Q, Wortman JR, Bidwell SL, Alsmark UC, Besteiro S, Sicheritz-Ponten T, Noel CJ, Dacks JB, Foster PG, Simillion C, Van de Peer Y, Miranda-Saavedra D, Barton GJ, Westrop GD, Muller S, Dessi D, Fiori PL, Ren Q, Paulsen I, Zhang H, Bastida-Corcuera FD, Simoes-Barbosa A, Brown MT, Hayes RD, Mukherjee M, Okumura CY, Schneider R, Smith AJ, Vanacova S, Villalvazo M, Haas BJ, Pertea M, Feldblyum TV, Utterback TR, Shu CL, Osoegawa K, de Jong PJ, Hrdy I, Horvathova L, Zubacova Z, Dolezal P, Malik SB, Logsdon JM Jr, Henze K, Gupta A, Wang CC, Dunne RL, Upcroft JA, Upcroft P, White O, Salzberg SL, Tang P, Chiu CH, Lee YS, Embley TM, Coombs GH, Mottram JC, Tachezy J, Fraser-Liggett CM and Johnson PJ. Draft genome sequence of the sexually transmitted pathogen Trichomonas vaginalis. Science. vol 315 p. 207-12 (2007). pubmed
  • Clark CG, Alsmark UC, Tazreiter M, Saito-Nakano Y, Ali V, Marion S, Weber C, Mukherjee C, Bruchhaus I, Tannich E, Leippe M, Sicheritz-Ponten T, Foster PG, Samuelson J, Noel CJ, Hirt RP, Embley TM, Gilchrist CA, Mann BJ, Singh U, Ackers JP, Bhattacharya S, Bhattacharya A, Lohia A, Guillén N, Duchêne M, Nozaki T and Hall N. Structure and content of the Entamoeba histolytica genome. Adv Parasitol.. vol 67 p. 51-190 (2007). pubmed
  • Hirt RP, Noel CJ, Sicheritz-Ponten T, Tachezy J and Fiori PL. Trichomonas vaginalis surface proteins: a view from the genome. Trends Parasitol.. (2007). pubmed
  • Wilkinson M, McInerney JO, Hirt RP, Foster PG and Embley TM. Of clades and clans: terms for phylogenetic relationships in unrooted trees. Trends Ecol Evol. vol 22 p. 114-5 (2007). pubmed
  • Andersson JO, Hirt RP, Foster PG and Roger AJ. Evolution of four gene families with patchy phylogenetic distributions: influx of genes into protist genomes. BMC Evol Biol. vol 6 p. 27 (2006). pubmed
  • Lal K, Noel CJ, Field MC, Goulding D and Hirt RP. Dramatic reorganisation of Trichomonas endomembranes during amoebal transformation: A possible role for G-proteins. Mol Biochem Parasitol. vol 148 p. 99-102 (2006). pubmed
  • Lal K, Field MC, Carlton JM, Warwicker J and Hirt RP. Identification of a very large Rab GTPase family in the parasitic protozoan Trichomonas vaginalis. Mol Biochem Parasitol. vol 143 p. 226-35 (2005). pubmed
  • Loftus B anderson I, Davies R, Alsmark UC, Samuelson J, Amedeo P, Roncaglia P, Berriman M, Hirt RP, Mann BJ, Nozaki T, Suh B, Pop M, Duchene M, Ackers J, Tannich E, Leippe M, Hofer M, Bruchhaus I, Willhoeft U, Bhattacharya A, Chillingworth T, Churcher C, Hance Z, Harris B, Harris D, Jagels K, Moule S, Mungall K, Ormond D, Squares R, Whitehead S, Quail MA, Rabbinowitsch E, Norbertczak H, Price C, Wang Z, Guillen N, Gilchrist C, Stroup SE, Bhattacharya S, Lohia A, Foster PG, Sicheritz-Ponten T, Weber C, Singh U, Mukherjee C, El-Sayed NM, Petri WA Jr, Clark CG, Embley TM, Barrell B, Fraser CM and Hall N. The genome of the protist parasite Entamoeba histolytica. Nature. vol 433 p. 865-8 (2005). pubmed
  • Coombs GH, Westrop GD, Suchan P, Puzova G, Hirt RP, Embley TM, Mottram JC and Muller S. The amitochondriate eukaryote Trichomonas vaginalis contains a divergent thioredoxin-linked peroxiredoxin antioxidant system. J Biol Chem. vol 279 p. 5249-56 (2004). pubmed
  • Hirt RP and Horner DS. Organelles, genomes and eukaryote phylogeny: an evolutionary synthesis in the age of genomics. CRC Press, New York. Pp. 400. (2004).
  • Horner DS and Hirt RP. An overview of eukaryote origins and evolution: the beauty of the cell and the fabulous gene phylogenies. p. 1-23 in RP Hirt and DS Horner, eds. Organelles, genomes and eukaryotic phylogeny. CRC Press, New York. (2004).
  • Hrdy I, Hirt RP, Dolezal P, Bardonova L, Foster PG, Tachezy J and Embley TM. Trichomonas hydrogenosomes contain the NADH dehydrogenase module of mitochondrial complex I. Nature. vol 432 p. 618-22 (2004). pubmed
  • Williams BA and Hirt RP. RACE and RAGE cloning in parasitic microbial eukaryotes. Methods Mol Biol. vol 270 p. 151-72 (2004). pubmed
  • Hirt RP, Lal K, Pinxteren J, Warwicker J, Healy B, Coombs GH, Field MC and Embley TM. Biochemical and genetic evidence for a family of heterotrimeric G-proteins in Trichomonas vaginalis. Mol Biochem Parasitol. vol 129 p. 179-89 (2003). pubmed
  • Richards TA, Hirt RP, Williams BA and Embley TM. Horizontal gene transfer and the evolution of parasitic protozoa. Protist. vol 154 p. 17-32 (2003). pubmed
  • Baxter NJ, Hirt RP, Bodrossy L, Kovacs KL, Embley TM, Prosser JI and Murrell JC. The ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase gene cluster of Methylococcus capsulatus (Bath). Arch Microbiol. vol 177 p. 279-89 (2002). pubmed
  • Hirt RP, Harriman N, Kajava AV and Embley TM. A novel potential surface protein in Trichomonas vaginalis contains a leucine-rich repeat shared by micro-organisms from all three domains of life. Mol Biochem Parasitol. vol 125 p. 195-9 (2002). pubmed
  • Hirt RP, Muller S, Embley TM and Coombs GH. The diversity and evolution of thioredoxin reductase: new perspectives. Trends Parasitol. vol 18 p. 302-8 (2002). pubmed
  • Williams BA, Hirt RP, Lucocq JM and Embley TM. A mitochondrial remnant in the microsporidian Trachipleistophora hominis. Nature. vol 418 p. 865-9 (2002). pubmed
  • Hirt RP, Logsdon JM Jr, Healy B, Dorey MW, Doolittle WF and Embley TM. Microsporidia are related to Fungi: evidence from the largest subunit of RNA polymerase II and other proteins. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. vol 96 p. 580-5 (1999). pubmed
  • Horner DS, Hirt RP and Embley TM. A single eubacterial origin of eukaryotic pyruvate: ferredoxin oxidoreductase genes: implications for the evolution of anaerobic eukaryotes. Mol Biol Evol. vol 16 p. 1280-91 (1999). pubmed
  • Embley TM and Hirt RP. Early branching eukaryotes?. Curr Opin Genet Dev. vol 8 p. 624-9 (1998). pubmed
  • Hirt RP, Healy B, Vossbrinck CR, Canning EU and Embley TM. A mitochondrial Hsp70 orthologue in Vairimorpha necatrix: molecular evidence that microsporidia once contained mitochondria. Curr Biol. vol 7 p. 995-8 (1997). pubmed
  • van der Giezen M, Rechinger KB, Svendsen I, Dur and R, Hirt RP, Fevre M, Embley TM and Prins RA. A mitochondrial-like targeting signal on the hydrogenosomal malic enzyme from the anaerobic fungus Neocallimastix frontalis: support for the hypothesis that hydrogenosomes are modified mitochondria. Mol Microbiol. vol 23 p. Nov-21 (1997). pubmed
  • Horner DS, Hirt RP, Kilvington S, Lloyd D and Embley TM. Molecular data suggest an early acquisition of the mitochondrion endosymbiont. Proc R Soc Lond B Biol Sci. vol 263 p. 1053-9 (1996). pubmed
  • Embley TM, Finlay BJ, Dyal PL, Hirt RP, Wilkinson M and Williams AG. Multiple origins of anaerobic ciliates with hydrogenosomes within the radiation of aerobic ciliates. Proc R Soc Lond B Biol Sci. vol 262 p. 87-93 (1995). pubmed
  • Hirt RP, Dyal PL, Wilkinson M, Finlay BJ, Roberts DM and Embley TM. Phylogenetic relationships among karyorelictids and heterotrichs inferred from small subunit rRNA sequences: resolution at the base of the ciliate tree. Mol Phylogenet Evol. vol 4 p. 77-87 (1995). pubmed
  • Poulain-Godefroy O, Hirt RP, Fasel N and Kraehenbuhl JP. The polymeric immunoglobulin receptor: signals for polarized expression. Adv Exp Med Biol. vol 371A p. 217-20 (1995). pubmed
  • Embley TM, Hirt RP and Williams DM. Biodiversity at the molecular level: the domains, kingdoms and phyla of life. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci. vol 345 p. 21-33 (1994). pubmed
  • Finlay BJ, Esteban G, Clarke KJ, Williams AG, Embley TM and Hirt RP. Some rumen ciliates have endosymbiotic methanogens. FEMS Microbiol Lett. vol 117 p. 157-61 (1994). pubmed
  • Hirt RP, Fasel N and Kraehenbuhl JP. Inducible protein expression using a glucocorticoid-sensitive vector. Methods Cell Biol. vol 43 Pt p. 247-62 (1994). pubmed
  • Hirt RP, Hughes GJ, Frutiger S, Michetti P, Perregaux C, Poulain-Godefroy O, Jeanguenat N, Neutra MR and Kraehenbuhl JP. Transcytosis of the polymeric Ig receptor requires phosphorylation of serine 664 in the absence but not the presence of dimeric IgA. Cell. vol 74 p. 245-55 (1993). pubmed
  • Hirt RP, Poulain-Godefroy O, Billotte J, Kraehenbuhl JP and Fasel N. Highly inducible synthesis of heterologous proteins in epithelial cells carrying a glucocorticoid-responsive vector. Gene. vol 111 p. 199-206 (1992). pubmed