Phylogenetic position of foraminifera inferred from LSU rRNA gene sequences.

A 5'-terminal region of 1600-1800 base pairs was amplified, cloned, and sequenced in the large subunit rDNA (LSU rDNA) of four species of foraminifera. These sequences were compared with the homologous regions of 16 eukaryotic taxa in order to establish the phylogenetic position of foraminifera. Analysis of 610 unambiguously aligned bases shows that foraminifera branch closely to plasmodial and cellular slime molds in the middle of the eukaryotic tree--that is, much earlier than suggested by the fossil record. These data, the first DNA sequences reported for foraminifera, will help analyze this class of protists and the early evolution of eukaryotes.