Bikont

Bikonts
	A radiolarian
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
(unranked):	Bikonta; Cavalier-Smith, 1993
Subgroups
	Apusozoa; Rhizaria; Excavata; Archaeplastida; Chromalveolata
Synonyms
	Biciliata Cavalier-Smith, 1993; Diaphoretickes Adl et al., 2012; Diphoda Derelle et al., 2015;

A bikont ("two flagellae") is any eukaryotic organism in the group Bikonta. Many single-celled members of the group, and the presumed ancestor, have two flagella.^[1]

The TSAR supergroup is a group of Bikonts containing telonemia (T), stramenopiles (S), alveolata (A), and rhizaria (R).

The SAR supergroup is a group of Bikonts containing stramenopiles (S), alveolata (A), and rhizaria (R).

Enzymes

Another shared trait of bikonts is the fusion of two genes into a single unit. The genes for thymidylate synthase (TS) and dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) code for a single protein with two functions.^[2]

The genes are separately translated in unikonts.

References

↑ Burki F. & Pawlowski J. (2006). "Monophyly of Rhizaria and multigene phylogeny of unicellular bikonts". Mol. Biol. Evol. 23 (10): 1922–30. doi:10.1093/molbev/msl055. PMID 16829542.
↑ Cavalier-Smith, Thomas (2006). "Protist phylogeny and the high-level classification of Protozoa". European Journal of Protistology. 39 (4): 338–348. doi:10.1078/0932-4739-00002.

[pmid16829542-1] Burki F. & Pawlowski J. (2006). "Monophyly of Rhizaria and multigene phylogeny of unicellular bikonts". Mol. Biol. Evol. 23 (10): 1922–30. doi:10.1093/molbev/msl055. PMID 16829542.

[2] Cavalier-Smith, Thomas (2006). "Protist phylogeny and the high-level classification of Protozoa". European Journal of Protistology. 39 (4): 338–348. doi:10.1078/0932-4739-00002.

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