THURSDAY, Oct. 12, 2006 (HealthDay News) -- The smallest genome (set of genes) ever found in a cellular organism has been identified by American and Japanese scientists.
They made the discovery in symbiotic bacteria -- Carsonella ruddii -- that live inside special cells in a small insect. The genome is only a third the size of the previously reported smallest cellular genome, the study authors said.
Carsonella ruddii has 159,662 base pairs of DNA, which translates to only 182 protein-coding genes. The finding, which is in the Oct. 13 issue of the journal Science, provides new insight into bacterial evolution.
"It's the smallest genome -- not by a bit but by a long way," study co-author Nancy A. Moran, professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of Arizona in Tucson, said in a prepared statement.
"It's very surprising. It's unbelievable really. We would not have predicted such a small size. It's believed that more genes are required for a cell to work," Moran said.
More information
The U.S. National Human Genome Research Institute has more about genomics.
