Endosymbiotic selective pressure at the origin of eukaryotic cell biology
The dichotomy that separates prokaryotic from eukaryotic cells runs deep. The transition from pro- to eukaryote evolution is poorly understood due to a lack of reliable intermediate forms and definitions regarding the nature of the first host that could no longer be considered a prokaryote, the firs...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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eLife Sciences Publications Ltd
2022-11-01
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| Series: | eLife |
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| Online Access: | https://elifesciences.org/articles/81033 |
| _version_ | 1817969622675095552 |
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| author | Parth K Raval Sriram G Garg Sven B Gould |
| author_facet | Parth K Raval Sriram G Garg Sven B Gould |
| author_sort | Parth K Raval |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The dichotomy that separates prokaryotic from eukaryotic cells runs deep. The transition from pro- to eukaryote evolution is poorly understood due to a lack of reliable intermediate forms and definitions regarding the nature of the first host that could no longer be considered a prokaryote, the first eukaryotic common ancestor, FECA. The last eukaryotic common ancestor, LECA, was a complex cell that united all traits characterising eukaryotic biology including a mitochondrion. The role of the endosymbiotic organelle in this radical transition towards complex life forms is, however, sometimes questioned. In particular the discovery of the asgard archaea has stimulated discussions regarding the pre-endosymbiotic complexity of FECA. Here we review differences and similarities among models that view eukaryotic traits as isolated coincidental events in asgard archaeal evolution or, on the contrary, as a result of and in response to endosymbiosis. Inspecting eukaryotic traits from the perspective of the endosymbiont uncovers that eukaryotic cell biology can be explained as having evolved as a solution to housing a semi-autonomous organelle and why the addition of another endosymbiont, the plastid, added no extra compartments. Mitochondria provided the selective pressures for the origin (and continued maintenance) of eukaryotic cell complexity. Moreover, they also provided the energetic benefit throughout eukaryogenesis for evolving thousands of gene families unique to eukaryotes. Hence, a synthesis of the current data lets us conclude that traits such as the Golgi apparatus, the nucleus, autophagosomes, and meiosis and sex evolved as a response to the selective pressures an endosymbiont imposes. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-13T20:23:35Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-1dc34e3725b24e6480d6486d0f8fec0d |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2050-084X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-13T20:23:35Z |
| publishDate | 2022-11-01 |
| publisher | eLife Sciences Publications Ltd |
| record_format | Article |
| series | eLife |
| spelling | doaj.art-1dc34e3725b24e6480d6486d0f8fec0d2022-12-22T02:31:26ZengeLife Sciences Publications LtdeLife2050-084X2022-11-011110.7554/eLife.81033Endosymbiotic selective pressure at the origin of eukaryotic cell biologyParth K Raval0https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6151-437XSriram G Garg1https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4160-5228Sven B Gould2https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2038-8474Institute for Molecular Evolution, Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf, Dusseldorf, GermanyEvolutionary Biochemistry Group, Max-Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, Marburg, GermanyInstitute for Molecular Evolution, Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf, Dusseldorf, GermanyThe dichotomy that separates prokaryotic from eukaryotic cells runs deep. The transition from pro- to eukaryote evolution is poorly understood due to a lack of reliable intermediate forms and definitions regarding the nature of the first host that could no longer be considered a prokaryote, the first eukaryotic common ancestor, FECA. The last eukaryotic common ancestor, LECA, was a complex cell that united all traits characterising eukaryotic biology including a mitochondrion. The role of the endosymbiotic organelle in this radical transition towards complex life forms is, however, sometimes questioned. In particular the discovery of the asgard archaea has stimulated discussions regarding the pre-endosymbiotic complexity of FECA. Here we review differences and similarities among models that view eukaryotic traits as isolated coincidental events in asgard archaeal evolution or, on the contrary, as a result of and in response to endosymbiosis. Inspecting eukaryotic traits from the perspective of the endosymbiont uncovers that eukaryotic cell biology can be explained as having evolved as a solution to housing a semi-autonomous organelle and why the addition of another endosymbiont, the plastid, added no extra compartments. Mitochondria provided the selective pressures for the origin (and continued maintenance) of eukaryotic cell complexity. Moreover, they also provided the energetic benefit throughout eukaryogenesis for evolving thousands of gene families unique to eukaryotes. Hence, a synthesis of the current data lets us conclude that traits such as the Golgi apparatus, the nucleus, autophagosomes, and meiosis and sex evolved as a response to the selective pressures an endosymbiont imposes.https://elifesciences.org/articles/81033endomembrane systemmitochondriaeukaryogenesisFECALECAendosymbiosis |
| spellingShingle | Parth K Raval Sriram G Garg Sven B Gould Endosymbiotic selective pressure at the origin of eukaryotic cell biology eLife endomembrane system mitochondria eukaryogenesis FECA LECA endosymbiosis |
| title | Endosymbiotic selective pressure at the origin of eukaryotic cell biology |
| title_full | Endosymbiotic selective pressure at the origin of eukaryotic cell biology |
| title_fullStr | Endosymbiotic selective pressure at the origin of eukaryotic cell biology |
| title_full_unstemmed | Endosymbiotic selective pressure at the origin of eukaryotic cell biology |
| title_short | Endosymbiotic selective pressure at the origin of eukaryotic cell biology |
| title_sort | endosymbiotic selective pressure at the origin of eukaryotic cell biology |
| topic | endomembrane system mitochondria eukaryogenesis FECA LECA endosymbiosis |
| url | https://elifesciences.org/articles/81033 |
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