Molecular karyotype analysis of Perkinsus atlanticus (Phylum Perkinsozoa) by pulsed field gel electrophoresis

Perkinsus atlanticus is a pathogenic protist that infects the clam Ruditapes decussatus. Although it was recently proposed that the genus Perkinsus belongs to a new phylum, Perkinsozoa, in the infra-kingdom Alveolata, there remain different opinions about whether this genus should form a phylum on its own and consequently divergent views about its taxonomic characterization. In this work, we have identified nine chromosomes by pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) combined with densitometry analysis. The obtained karyotype of Perkinsus atlanticus, like that of other early branches of the dinoflagellate lineage, displays a more conventional chromosome organization, different from that of most dinoflagellates.