The structure of eukaryotic flagellum is significant to its ability to function properly and allow movement for the cell. The transition zone is an intermediate structure found between the basal body and axoneme that is responsible for managing flagellar traffic. Mutations within genes that code for the transition zone proteins cause genetic disorders called ciliopathies. In this study, an inventory of 7 genomes and 13 transcriptome sequences for both flagellated and non-flagellated eukaryotes was conducted for 121 genes that are specific to the transition zone. A python custom script for gene inventory was used to these genes using a query genome. The goal of the study was to investigate if non-flagellated amoebae retained most of the genes required for transition zone. Results show that the average percentage of transition zone genes in the flagellated organisms is 65, while the average percentage of non-flagellated organisms is 53. The high number of detection of these genes in non-flagellated amoeba likely indicates that amoebae were ancestrally flagellated. During evolution these genes likely switched function to serve other purposes. The findings of this study demonstrates that non-flagellates can be used as model to study for disorders related to flagellum such as ciliopathies.
