Normal Eukaryotic Cell

[LEIBOWITZ at OCELOT.RUTGERS.EDU]

I like Mike's suggestion of identifying the weirdest eukaryotic cell.  Although
there are lots of good candidates, I must chauvinistically vote for
Pneumocystis carinii, which has only a single rRNA gene repeat on one of its
chromosomes.  Does anyone know of another such case?

It also cannot be grown axenically yet is plentiful in ambient air, has a
vegetative phase resembling protozoa but molecular taxonomy clearly identifies
it as a fungus, and has mutiple casettes for major surface glycoproteins which
superficially resemble gene regulation in trypanosomes.

I'll bet some of you can top that.

Mike Leibowitz
UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School