Although they are outside the cells, the filaments of Labyrinthulomycetes are surrounded by a membrane. They are formed and connected with the cytoplasm by a unique organelle called a sagenogen or bothrosome. The cells are uninucleated and typically ovoid, and move back and forth along the amorphous network at speeds varying from 5-150 μm per minute. Among the labyrinthulids, the cells are enclosed within the tubes, and among the thraustochytrids, they are attached to their sides.
Some characteristics of the labyrinthulomycetes can be explained by their origin from ancestral plastids. They produce omega-3 poly-unsaturated fatty acids using a desaturase usually present in chloroplasts. The zoospores of labyrinthulids have an eyespot composed of membrane-bound granules that resembles eyespots of photosynthetic stramenopiles, which are either within a plastid or believed to be derived from a plastid.
This class usually contained two orders, Labyrinthulales and Thraustochytriales (ICBN), or Labyrinthulida and Thraustochytrida (ICZN), but a different classification has recently been proposed.
Cavalier-Smith, T. (1997). "Sagenista and bigyra, two phyla of heterotrophic heterokont chromists". Archiv für Protistenkunde. 148 (3): 253–267. doi:10.1016/S0003-9365(97)80006-1. /wiki/Doi_(identifier)
Tsui, Clement K M; Marshall, Wyth; Yokoyama, Rinka; Honda, Daiske; Lippmeier, J Casey; Craven, Kelly D; Peterson, Paul D; Berbee, Mary L (January 2009). "Labyrinthulomycetes phylogeny and its implications for the evolutionary loss of chloroplasts and gain of ectoplasmic gliding". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 50 (1): 129–40. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2008.09.027. PMID 18977305. /wiki/Doi_(identifier)
Schärer, L.; Knoflach, D.; Vizoso, D. B.; Rieger, G.; Peintner, U. (2007). "Thraustochytrids as novel parasitic protists of marine free-living flatworms: Thraustochytrium caudivorum sp. nov. Parasitizes Macrostomum lignano" (PDF). Marine Biology. 152 (5): 1095. doi:10.1007/s00227-007-0755-4. S2CID 4836350. http://doc.rero.ch/record/319983/files/227_2007_Article_755.pdf
Pan, Jingwen (2016). Labyrinthulomycetes diversity meta-analysis (MSc). University of British Columbia. doi:10.14288/1.0223199. https://open.library.ubc.ca/media/stream/pdf/24/1.0223199/3
Gomaa, Fatma; Mitchell, Edward A. D.; Lara, Enrique (2013). "Amphitremida (poche, 1913) is a new major, ubiquitous labyrinthulomycete clade". PLoS One. 8 (1): e53046. Bibcode:2013PLoSO...853046G. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0053046. PMC 3544814. PMID 23341921. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3544814
Tsui, Clement K M; Marshall, Wyth; Yokoyama, Rinka; Honda, Daiske; Lippmeier, J Casey; Craven, Kelly D; Peterson, Paul D; Berbee, Mary L (January 2009). "Labyrinthulomycetes phylogeny and its implications for the evolutionary loss of chloroplasts and gain of ectoplasmic gliding". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 50 (1): 129–40. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2008.09.027. PMID 18977305. /wiki/Doi_(identifier)
Tsui, Clement K M; Marshall, Wyth; Yokoyama, Rinka; Honda, Daiske; Lippmeier, J Casey; Craven, Kelly D; Peterson, Paul D; Berbee, Mary L (January 2009). "Labyrinthulomycetes phylogeny and its implications for the evolutionary loss of chloroplasts and gain of ectoplasmic gliding". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 50 (1): 129–40. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2008.09.027. PMID 18977305. /wiki/Doi_(identifier)
Cavalier-Smith, Thomas (2017). "Kingdom Chromista and its eight phyla: a new synthesis emphasising periplastid protein targeting, cytoskeletal and periplastid evolution, and ancient divergences". Protoplasma. 255 (1): 297–357. doi:10.1007/s00709-017-1147-3. PMC 5756292. PMID 28875267. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5756292
Thakur, Rabindra; Shiratori, Takashi; Ishida, Ken-ichiro (2019). "Taxon-rich Multigene Phylogenetic Analyses Resolve the Phylogenetic Relationship Among Deep-branching Stramenopiles". Protist. 170 (5): 125682. doi:10.1016/j.protis.2019.125682. ISSN 1434-4610. PMID 31568885. S2CID 202865459. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1434461018300865
Bennett, Reuel M.; Honda, D.; Beakes, Gordon W.; Thines, Marco (2017). "Chapter 14. Labyrinthulomycota". In Archibald, John M.; Simpson, Alastair G.B.; Slamovits, Claudio H. (eds.). Handbook of the Protists. Springer. pp. 507–542. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-28149-0_25. ISBN 978-3-319-28147-6. 978-3-319-28147-6
Gomaa, Fatma; Mitchell, Edward A. D.; Lara, Enrique (2013). "Amphitremida (poche, 1913) is a new major, ubiquitous labyrinthulomycete clade". PLoS One. 8 (1): e53046. Bibcode:2013PLoSO...853046G. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0053046. PMC 3544814. PMID 23341921. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3544814
Anderson, O. Roger; Cavalier-Smith, Thomas (2012). "Ultrastructure of Diplophrys parva, a New Small Freshwater Species, and a Revised Analysis of Labyrinthulea (Heterokonta)". Acta Protozoologica. 8 (1): 291–304. doi:10.4467/16890027AP.12.023.0783. http://www.eko.uj.edu.pl/ap
FioRito, Rebecca; Leander, Celeste; Leander, Brian (2016). "Characterization of three novel species of Labyrinthulomycota isolated from ochre sea stars (Pisaster ochraceus)". Marine Biology. 163 (8): 170. doi:10.1007/s00227-016-2944-5. S2CID 43399688. /wiki/Doi_(identifier)
Adl SM, Bass D, Lane CE, Lukeš J, Schoch CL, Smirnov A, Agatha S, Berney C, Brown MW, Burki F, Cárdenas P, Čepička I, Chistyakova L, del Campo J, Dunthorn M, Edvardsen B, Eglit Y, Guillou L, Hampl V, Heiss AA, Hoppenrath M, James TY, Karnkowska A, Karpov S, Kim E, Kolisko M, Kudryavtsev A, Lahr DJG, Lara E, Le Gall L, Lynn DH, Mann DG, Massana R, Mitchell EAD, Morrow C, Park JS, Pawlowski JW, Powell MJ, Richter DJ, Rueckert S, Shadwick L, Shimano S, Spiegel FW, Torruella G, Youssef N, Zlatogursky V, Zhang Q (2019). "Revisions to the Classification, Nomenclature, and Diversity of Eukaryotes". Journal of Eukaryotic Microbiology. 66 (1): 4–119. doi:10.1111/jeu.12691. PMC 6492006. PMID 30257078. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6492006
Bennett, Reuel M.; Honda, D.; Beakes, Gordon W.; Thines, Marco (2017). "Chapter 14. Labyrinthulomycota". In Archibald, John M.; Simpson, Alastair G.B.; Slamovits, Claudio H. (eds.). Handbook of the Protists. Springer. pp. 507–542. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-28149-0_25. ISBN 978-3-319-28147-6. 978-3-319-28147-6
Bennett, Reuel M.; Honda, D.; Beakes, Gordon W.; Thines, Marco (2017). "Chapter 14. Labyrinthulomycota". In Archibald, John M.; Simpson, Alastair G.B.; Slamovits, Claudio H. (eds.). Handbook of the Protists. Springer. pp. 507–542. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-28149-0_25. ISBN 978-3-319-28147-6. 978-3-319-28147-6
Adl SM, Bass D, Lane CE, Lukeš J, Schoch CL, Smirnov A, Agatha S, Berney C, Brown MW, Burki F, Cárdenas P, Čepička I, Chistyakova L, del Campo J, Dunthorn M, Edvardsen B, Eglit Y, Guillou L, Hampl V, Heiss AA, Hoppenrath M, James TY, Karnkowska A, Karpov S, Kim E, Kolisko M, Kudryavtsev A, Lahr DJG, Lara E, Le Gall L, Lynn DH, Mann DG, Massana R, Mitchell EAD, Morrow C, Park JS, Pawlowski JW, Powell MJ, Richter DJ, Rueckert S, Shadwick L, Shimano S, Spiegel FW, Torruella G, Youssef N, Zlatogursky V, Zhang Q (2019). "Revisions to the Classification, Nomenclature, and Diversity of Eukaryotes". Journal of Eukaryotic Microbiology. 66 (1): 4–119. doi:10.1111/jeu.12691. PMC 6492006. PMID 30257078. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6492006
FioRito, Rebecca; Leander, Celeste; Leander, Brian (2016). "Characterization of three novel species of Labyrinthulomycota isolated from ochre sea stars (Pisaster ochraceus)". Marine Biology. 163 (8): 170. doi:10.1007/s00227-016-2944-5. S2CID 43399688. /wiki/Doi_(identifier)
Hassett, Brandon T.; Gradinger, Rolf (2018). "New Species of Saprobic Labyrinthulea (=Labyrinthulomycota) and the Erection of a gen. nov. to Resolve Molecular Polyphyly within the Aplanochytrids". Journal of Eukaryotic Microbiology. 65 (4): 475–483. doi:10.1111/jeu.12494. hdl:10037/13570. ISSN 1550-7408. PMID 29265676. S2CID 46820836. /wiki/Doi_(identifier)
Wideman, Jeremy G.; Monier, Adam; Rodríguez-Martínez, Raquel; Leonard, Guy; Cook, Emily; Poirier, Camille; Maguire, Finlay; Milner, David S.; Irwin, Nicholas A. T.; Moore, Karen; Santoro, Alyson E. (2019-11-25). "Unexpected mitochondrial genome diversity revealed by targeted single-cell genomics of heterotrophic flagellated protists". Nature Microbiology. 5 (1): 154–165. doi:10.1038/s41564-019-0605-4. hdl:10871/39819. ISSN 2058-5276. PMID 31768028. S2CID 208279678. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41564-019-0605-4
Elzanowski A, Ostell J, Leipe D, Soussov V. "The Genetic Codes". Taxonomy browser. National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), U.S. National Library of Medicine. Retrieved 11 August 2016. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/Taxonomy/taxonomyhome.html/index.cgi?chapter=tgencodes#thetop