Bikont
Eukaryotes defined by a fused TS-DHFR gene, including plants and many protists.
Last updated
Zygmunt Put · CC BY-SA 4.0
Bikonts are a major group of eukaryotic organisms primarily defined by a fused TS-DHFR gene, not by the presence of two flagella. This group includes many single-celled and multi-celled organisms, and while many bikonts have two flagella, the defining molecular trait is the fusion of the genes for thymidylate synthase and dihydrofolate reductase into a single unit. Bikonts are significant in evolutionary biology as one of the two primary divisions of eukaryotes, the other being unikonts.
Quick Facts
- Key trait
- Fusion of thymidylate synthase and dihydrofolate reductase genes into a single unit
- Alternative name
- Diphoda (proposed in 2015)
- Contrasting group
- Unikonts (separate TS and DHFR genes)
Facts from the source article.
Did You Know?
- Cavalier-Smith suggested that Apusozoa, typically considered incertae sedis, are actually bikonts.
- In Cavalier-Smith's system, corticates are a subgroup within bikonts, not roughly equivalent to bikonts as a whole.
More in Higher-Level Taxonomy & Evolution
Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Bikont (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Word definitions: the Codexery glossary, each quoted from its Wikipedia article.
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