Researchers studying nuclear genes in Blastocystis report that a large number of those genes require a process known as mRNA polyadenylation to create functional termination codons, a process necessary for correct cell functioning. This process is somewhat unique in the animal world, found in Blastocystis and a few other organisms, but rarely in human genes. Although the authors did not note the treatment potential, a number of other researchers have studied mRNA polyadenylation as a treatment target for HIV, and even endometriosis, suggesting that this might one day be investigated as a treatment for Blastocystis infection. The study was published in Genome Biology and Evolution.