The end of 2007 brought us draft genome sequences of two eukaryotic microorganisms, Babesia bovis and Malassezia globosa, as well as complete genomes of the ammonia-oxidizing archaeal chemoautotroph Nitrosopumilus maritimus, and several environmental bacteria (Table 1). In terms of genome size, this list covers both sides of the spectrum: the 245 kb genome of an obligate insect symbiont Sulcia ...

The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) provides an environment that is highly optimized for oxidative protein folding. Rather than relying on small molecule oxidants like glutathione, it is now clear that disulfide formation is driven by a protein relay involving Ero1, a novel conserved FAD-dependent enzyme, and protein disulfide isomerase (PDI); Ero1 is oxidized by molecular oxygen and in turn acts as...