1
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Kraus M, Pleskot R, Van Damme D. Structural and Evolutionary Aspects of Plant Endocytosis. ANNUAL REVIEW OF PLANT BIOLOGY 2024; 75:521-550. [PMID: 38237062 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-arplant-070122-023455] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/24/2024]
Abstract
Endocytosis is an essential eukaryotic process that maintains the homeostasis of the plasma membrane proteome by vesicle-mediated internalization. Its predominant mode of operation utilizes the polymerization of the scaffold protein clathrin forming a coat around the vesicle; therefore, it is termed clathrin-mediated endocytosis (CME). Throughout evolution, the machinery that mediates CME is marked by losses, multiplications, and innovations. CME employs a limited number of conserved structural domains and folds, whose assembly and connections are species dependent. In plants, many of the domains are grouped into an ancient multimeric complex, the TPLATE complex, which occupies a central position as an interaction hub for the endocytic machinery. In this review, we provide an overview of the current knowledge regarding the structural aspects of plant CME, and we draw comparisons to other model systems. To do so, we have taken advantage of recent developments with respect to artificial intelligence-based protein structure prediction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Kraus
- Department of Plant Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium; ,
- VIB Center for Plant Systems Biology, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Roman Pleskot
- Institute of Experimental Botany, Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic;
| | - Daniël Van Damme
- Department of Plant Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium; ,
- VIB Center for Plant Systems Biology, Ghent, Belgium
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2
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Chakraborty S, Kanade M, Gayathri P. Mechanism of GTPase activation of a prokaryotic small Ras-like GTPase MglA by an asymmetrically interacting MglB dimer. J Biol Chem 2024; 300:107197. [PMID: 38508314 PMCID: PMC11016934 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2024.107197] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2024] [Accepted: 03/04/2024] [Indexed: 03/22/2024] Open
Abstract
Cell polarity oscillations in Myxococcus xanthus motility are driven by a prokaryotic small Ras-like GTPase, mutual gliding protein A (MglA), which switches from one cell pole to the other in response to extracellular signals. MglA dynamics is regulated by MglB, which functions both as a GTPase activating protein (GAP) and a guanine nucleotide exchange factor (GEF) for MglA. With an aim to dissect the asymmetric role of the two MglB protomers in the dual GAP and GEF activities, we generated a functional MglAB complex by coexpressing MglB with a linked construct of MglA and MglB. This strategy enabled us to generate mutations of individual MglB protomers (MglB1 or MglB2 linked to MglA) and delineate their role in GEF and GAP activities. We establish that the C-terminal helix of MglB1, but not MglB2, stimulates nucleotide exchange through a site away from the nucleotide-binding pocket, confirming an allosteric mechanism. Interaction between the N-terminal β-strand of MglB1 and β0 of MglA is essential for the optimal GEF activity of MglB. Specific residues of MglB2, which interact with Switch-I of MglA, partially contribute to its GAP activity. Thus, the role of the MglB2 protomer in the GAP activity of MglB is limited to restricting the conformation of MglA active site loops. The direct demonstration of the allosteric mechanism of GEF action provides us new insights into the regulation of small Ras-like GTPases, a feature potentially present in many uncharacterized GEFs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sukanya Chakraborty
- Department of Biology, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Pune, Pune, India
| | - Manil Kanade
- Department of Biology, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Pune, Pune, India
| | - Pananghat Gayathri
- Department of Biology, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Pune, Pune, India.
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3
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Biran A, Santos TCB, Dingjan T, Futerman AH. The Sphinx and the egg: Evolutionary enigmas of the (glyco)sphingolipid biosynthetic pathway. Biochim Biophys Acta Mol Cell Biol Lipids 2024; 1869:159462. [PMID: 38307322 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbalip.2024.159462] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2023] [Revised: 01/10/2024] [Accepted: 01/23/2024] [Indexed: 02/04/2024]
Abstract
In eukaryotes, the de novo synthesis of sphingolipids (SLs) consists of multiple sequential steps which are compartmentalized between the endoplasmic reticulum and the Golgi apparatus. Studies over many decades have identified the enzymes in the pathway, their localization, topology and an array of regulatory mechanisms. However, little is known about the evolutionary forces that underly the generation of this complex pathway or of its anteome, i.e., the metabolic pathways that converge on the SL biosynthetic pathway and are essential for its activity. After briefly describing the pathway, we discuss the mechanisms by which the enzymes of the SL biosynthetic pathway are targeted to their different subcellular locations, how the pathway per se may have evolved, including its compartmentalization, and the relationship of the pathway to eukaryogenesis. We discuss the circular interdependence of the evolution of the SL pathway, and comment on whether current Darwinian evolutionary models are able to provide genuine mechanistic insight into how the pathway came into being.
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Affiliation(s)
- Assaf Biran
- Department of Biomolecular Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 7610001, Israel
| | - Tania C B Santos
- Department of Biomolecular Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 7610001, Israel
| | - Tamir Dingjan
- Department of Biomolecular Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 7610001, Israel.
| | - Anthony H Futerman
- Department of Biomolecular Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 7610001, Israel
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4
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Tran LT, Akıl C, Senju Y, Robinson RC. The eukaryotic-like characteristics of small GTPase, roadblock and TRAPPC3 proteins from Asgard archaea. Commun Biol 2024; 7:273. [PMID: 38472392 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-024-05888-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2022] [Accepted: 02/06/2024] [Indexed: 03/14/2024] Open
Abstract
Membrane-enclosed organelles are defining features of eukaryotes in distinguishing these organisms from prokaryotes. Specification of distinct membranes is critical to assemble and maintain discrete compartments. Small GTPases and their regulators are the signaling molecules that drive membrane-modifying machineries to the desired location. These signaling molecules include Rab and Rag GTPases, roadblock and longin domain proteins, and TRAPPC3-like proteins. Here, we take a structural approach to assess the relatedness of these eukaryotic-like proteins in Asgard archaea, the closest known prokaryotic relatives to eukaryotes. We find that the Asgard archaea GTPase core domains closely resemble eukaryotic Rabs and Rags. Asgard archaea roadblock, longin and TRAPPC3 domain-containing proteins form dimers similar to those found in the eukaryotic TRAPP and Ragulator complexes. We conclude that the emergence of these protein architectures predated eukaryogenesis, however further adaptations occurred in proto-eukaryotes to allow these proteins to regulate distinct internal membranes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Linh T Tran
- Research Institute for Interdisciplinary Science, Okayama University, Okayama, 700-8530, Japan
| | - Caner Akıl
- Research Institute for Interdisciplinary Science, Okayama University, Okayama, 700-8530, Japan
- Division of Structural Biology, University of Oxford, Oxford, England
| | - Yosuke Senju
- Research Institute for Interdisciplinary Science, Okayama University, Okayama, 700-8530, Japan
| | - Robert C Robinson
- Research Institute for Interdisciplinary Science, Okayama University, Okayama, 700-8530, Japan.
- School of Biomolecular Science and Engineering (BSE), Vidyasirimedhi Institute of Science and Technology (VISTEC), Rayong, 21210, Thailand.
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5
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Mills J, Gebhard LJ, Schubotz F, Shevchenko A, Speth DR, Liao Y, Duggin IG, Marchfelder A, Erdmann S. Extracellular vesicle formation in Euryarchaeota is driven by a small GTPase. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2024; 121:e2311321121. [PMID: 38408251 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2311321121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2023] [Accepted: 01/14/2024] [Indexed: 02/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Since their discovery, extracellular vesicles (EVs) have changed our view on how organisms interact with their extracellular world. EVs are able to traffic a diverse array of molecules across different species and even domains, facilitating numerous functions. In this study, we investigate EV production in Euryarchaeota, using the model organism Haloferax volcanii. We uncover that EVs enclose RNA, with specific transcripts preferentially enriched, including those with regulatory potential, and conclude that EVs can act as an RNA communication system between haloarchaea. We demonstrate the key role of an EV-associated small GTPase for EV formation in H. volcanii that is also present across other diverse evolutionary branches of Archaea. We propose the name, ArvA, for the identified family of archaeal vesiculating GTPases. Additionally, we show that two genes in the same operon with arvA (arvB and arvC) are also involved in EV formation. Both, arvB and arvC, are closely associated with arvA in the majority of other archaea encoding ArvA. Our work demonstrates that small GTPases involved in membrane deformation and vesiculation, ubiquitous in Eukaryotes, are also present in Archaea and are widely distributed across diverse archaeal phyla.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joshua Mills
- Archaeal Virology, Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, Bremen 28359, Germany
| | - L Johanna Gebhard
- Archaeal Virology, Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, Bremen 28359, Germany
| | - Florence Schubotz
- MARUM Center for Marine Environmental Sciences, University of Bremen, Bremen 28359, Germany
| | - Anna Shevchenko
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Dresden 01307, Germany
| | - Daan R Speth
- Department of Biogeochemistry, Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, Bremen 28359, Germany
| | - Yan Liao
- The Australian Institute for Microbiology and Infection, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2007, Australia
| | - Iain G Duggin
- The Australian Institute for Microbiology and Infection, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2007, Australia
| | | | - Susanne Erdmann
- Archaeal Virology, Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, Bremen 28359, Germany
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6
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Klinger CM, Jimenez-Ruiz E, Mourier T, Klingl A, Lemgruber L, Pain A, Dacks JB, Meissner M. Evolutionary analysis identifies a Golgi pathway and correlates lineage-specific factors with endomembrane organelle emergence in apicomplexans. Cell Rep 2024; 43:113740. [PMID: 38363682 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2024.113740] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2023] [Revised: 12/20/2023] [Accepted: 01/18/2024] [Indexed: 02/18/2024] Open
Abstract
The organelle paralogy hypothesis (OPH) aims to explain the evolution of non-endosymbiotically derived organelles. It predicts that lineage-specific pathways or organelles should result when identity-encoding membrane-trafficking components duplicate and co-evolve. Here, we investigate the presence of such lineage-specific membrane-trafficking machinery paralogs in Apicomplexa, a globally important parasitic lineage. We are able to identify 18 paralogs of known membrane-trafficking machinery, in several cases co-incident with the presence of new endomembrane organelles in apicomplexans or their parent lineage, the Alveolata. Moreover, focused analysis of the apicomplexan Arf-like small GTPases (i.e., ArlX3) revealed a specific post-Golgi trafficking pathway. This pathway appears involved in delivery of proteins to micronemes and rhoptries, with knockdown demonstrating reduced invasion capacity. Overall, our data have identified an unforeseen post-Golgi trafficking pathway in apicomplexans and are consistent with the OPH mechanism acting to produce endomembrane pathways or organelles at various evolutionary stages across the alveolate lineage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christen M Klinger
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine and Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada; Women and Children's Health Research Institute, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Elena Jimenez-Ruiz
- Experimental Parasitology, Department of Veterinary Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, LMU, Munich, Germany
| | - Tobias Mourier
- Pathogen Genomics Laboratory, Bioscience Programme, Biological, and Environmental Sciences and Engineering (BESE) Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal 23955-6900, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
| | - Andreas Klingl
- Pflanzliche Entwicklungsbiologie, Biozentrum der Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, Munich, Germany
| | - Leandro Lemgruber
- Cellular Analysis Facility, College of Medical, Veterinary & Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
| | - Arnab Pain
- Pathogen Genomics Laboratory, Bioscience Programme, Biological, and Environmental Sciences and Engineering (BESE) Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal 23955-6900, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; International Institute for Zoonosis Control, GI-CoRE, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Joel B Dacks
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine and Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada; Women and Children's Health Research Institute, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada; Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre, Czech Academy of Sciences, České Budějovice (Budweis), Czech Republic; Centre for Life's Origin and Evolution, Department of Genetics, Evolution & Environment, University College London, London, UK.
| | - Markus Meissner
- Experimental Parasitology, Department of Veterinary Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, LMU, Munich, Germany.
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7
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Baum B, Spang A. On the origin of the nucleus: a hypothesis. Microbiol Mol Biol Rev 2023; 87:e0018621. [PMID: 38018971 PMCID: PMC10732040 DOI: 10.1128/mmbr.00186-21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2023] Open
Abstract
SUMMARYIn this hypothesis article, we explore the origin of the eukaryotic nucleus. In doing so, we first look afresh at the nature of this defining feature of the eukaryotic cell and its core functions-emphasizing the utility of seeing the eukaryotic nucleoplasm and cytoplasm as distinct regions of a common compartment. We then discuss recent progress in understanding the evolution of the eukaryotic cell from archaeal and bacterial ancestors, focusing on phylogenetic and experimental data which have revealed that many eukaryotic machines with nuclear activities have archaeal counterparts. In addition, we review the literature describing the cell biology of representatives of the TACK and Asgardarchaeaota - the closest known living archaeal relatives of eukaryotes. Finally, bringing these strands together, we propose a model for the archaeal origin of the nucleus that explains much of the current data, including predictions that can be used to put the model to the test.
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Affiliation(s)
- Buzz Baum
- MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Anja Spang
- Department of Marine Microbiology and Biogeochemistry, NIOZ, Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, Den Burg, the Netherlands
- Department of Evolutionary & Population Biology, Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics (IBED), University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
- Department of Marine Microbiology and Biogeochemistry, NIOZ, Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, Den Burg, the Netherlands
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8
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Eme L, Tamarit D, Caceres EF, Stairs CW, De Anda V, Schön ME, Seitz KW, Dombrowski N, Lewis WH, Homa F, Saw JH, Lombard J, Nunoura T, Li WJ, Hua ZS, Chen LX, Banfield JF, John ES, Reysenbach AL, Stott MB, Schramm A, Kjeldsen KU, Teske AP, Baker BJ, Ettema TJG. Inference and reconstruction of the heimdallarchaeial ancestry of eukaryotes. Nature 2023; 618:992-999. [PMID: 37316666 PMCID: PMC10307638 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-06186-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 50.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2021] [Accepted: 05/10/2023] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
In the ongoing debates about eukaryogenesis-the series of evolutionary events leading to the emergence of the eukaryotic cell from prokaryotic ancestors-members of the Asgard archaea play a key part as the closest archaeal relatives of eukaryotes1. However, the nature and phylogenetic identity of the last common ancestor of Asgard archaea and eukaryotes remain unresolved2-4. Here we analyse distinct phylogenetic marker datasets of an expanded genomic sampling of Asgard archaea and evaluate competing evolutionary scenarios using state-of-the-art phylogenomic approaches. We find that eukaryotes are placed, with high confidence, as a well-nested clade within Asgard archaea and as a sister lineage to Hodarchaeales, a newly proposed order within Heimdallarchaeia. Using sophisticated gene tree and species tree reconciliation approaches, we show that analogous to the evolution of eukaryotic genomes, genome evolution in Asgard archaea involved significantly more gene duplication and fewer gene loss events compared with other archaea. Finally, we infer that the last common ancestor of Asgard archaea was probably a thermophilic chemolithotroph and that the lineage from which eukaryotes evolved adapted to mesophilic conditions and acquired the genetic potential to support a heterotrophic lifestyle. Our work provides key insights into the prokaryote-to-eukaryote transition and a platform for better understanding the emergence of cellular complexity in eukaryotic cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Eme
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Science for Life Laboratory, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
- Laboratoire Écologie, Systématique, Évolution, CNRS, Université Paris-Saclay, AgroParisTech, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Daniel Tamarit
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Science for Life Laboratory, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, The Netherlands
- Department of Aquatic Sciences and Assessment, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden
- Theoretical Biology and Bioinformatics, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Eva F Caceres
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Science for Life Laboratory, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Courtney W Stairs
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Science for Life Laboratory, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
- Department of Biology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Valerie De Anda
- Department of Marine Science, Marine Science Institute, University of Texas Austin, Port Aransas, TX, USA
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | - Max E Schön
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Science for Life Laboratory, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Kiley W Seitz
- Department of Marine Science, Marine Science Institute, University of Texas Austin, Port Aransas, TX, USA
- Structural and Computational Biology, European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Nina Dombrowski
- Department of Marine Science, Marine Science Institute, University of Texas Austin, Port Aransas, TX, USA
- Department of Marine Microbiology and Biogeochemistry, NIOZ, Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, AB Den Burg, The Netherlands
| | - William H Lewis
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Science for Life Laboratory, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, The Netherlands
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Felix Homa
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Jimmy H Saw
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Science for Life Laboratory, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
- Department of Biological Sciences, The George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Jonathan Lombard
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Science for Life Laboratory, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Takuro Nunoura
- Research Center for Bioscience and Nanoscience (CeBN), Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC), Yokosuka, Japan
| | - Wen-Jun Li
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Resources and Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai), School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, PR China
| | - Zheng-Shuang Hua
- Chinese Academy of Sciences Key Laboratory of Urban Pollutant Conversion, Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, PR China
| | - Lin-Xing Chen
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Jillian F Banfield
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Emily St John
- Department of Biology, Portland State University, Portland, OR, USA
| | | | - Matthew B Stott
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand
| | - Andreas Schramm
- Section for Microbiology, Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Kasper U Kjeldsen
- Section for Microbiology, Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Andreas P Teske
- Department of Earth, Marine and Environmental Sciences, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Brett J Baker
- Department of Marine Science, Marine Science Institute, University of Texas Austin, Port Aransas, TX, USA
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | - Thijs J G Ettema
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Science for Life Laboratory, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, The Netherlands.
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9
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Dinet C, Mignot T. Unorthodox regulation of the MglA Ras-like GTPase controlling polarity in Myxococcus xanthus. FEBS Lett 2023; 597:850-864. [PMID: 36520515 DOI: 10.1002/1873-3468.14565] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2022] [Revised: 12/09/2022] [Accepted: 12/12/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Motile cells have developed a large array of molecular machineries to actively change their direction of movement in response to spatial cues from their environment. In this process, small GTPases act as molecular switches and work in tandem with regulators and sensors of their guanine nucleotide status (GAP, GEF, GDI and effectors) to dynamically polarize the cell and regulate its motility. In this review, we focus on Myxococcus xanthus as a model organism to elucidate the function of an atypical small Ras GTPase system in the control of directed cell motility. M. xanthus cells direct their motility by reversing their direction of movement through a mechanism involving the redirection of the motility apparatus to the opposite cell pole. The reversal frequency of moving M. xanthus cells is controlled by modular and interconnected protein networks linking the chemosensory-like frizzy (Frz) pathway - that transmits environmental signals - to the downstream Ras-like Mgl polarity control system - that comprises the Ras-like MglA GTPase protein and its regulators. Here, we discuss how variations in the GTPase interactome landscape underlie single-cell decisions and consequently, multicellular patterns.
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Affiliation(s)
- Céline Dinet
- Laboratoire de Chimie Bactérienne, Institut de Microbiologie de la Méditerranée, CNRS-Aix-Marseille University, France
| | - Tâm Mignot
- Laboratoire de Chimie Bactérienne, Institut de Microbiologie de la Méditerranée, CNRS-Aix-Marseille University, France
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10
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Zhou Z, Liu Y, Anantharaman K, Li M. The expanding Asgard archaea invoke novel insights into Tree of Life and eukaryogenesis. MLIFE 2022; 1:374-381. [PMID: 38818484 PMCID: PMC10989744 DOI: 10.1002/mlf2.12048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2022] [Revised: 11/13/2022] [Accepted: 11/13/2022] [Indexed: 06/01/2024]
Abstract
The division of organisms on the Tree of Life into either a three-domain (3D) tree or a two-domain (2D) tree has been disputed for a long time. Ever since the discovery of Archaea by Carl Woese in 1977 using 16S ribosomal RNA sequence as the evolutionary marker, there has been a great advance in our knowledge of not only the growing diversity of Archaea but also the evolutionary relationships between different lineages of living organisms. Here, we present this perspective to summarize the progress of archaeal diversity and changing notion of the Tree of Life. Meanwhile, we provide the latest progress in genomics/physiology-based discovery of Asgard archaeal lineages as the closest relative of Eukaryotes. Furthermore, we propose three major directions for future research on exploring the "next one" closest Eukaryote relative, deciphering the function of archaeal eukaryotic signature proteins and eukaryogenesis from both genomic and physiological aspects, and understanding the roles of horizontal gene transfer, viruses, and mobile elements in eukaryogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhichao Zhou
- Department of BacteriologyUniversity of Wisconsin–MadisonMadisonWisconsinUSA
| | - Yang Liu
- Archaeal Biology Center, Institute for Advanced StudyShenzhen UniversityShenzhenChina
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Marine Microbiome Engineering, Institute for Advanced StudyShenzhen UniversityShenzhenChina
| | | | - Meng Li
- Archaeal Biology Center, Institute for Advanced StudyShenzhen UniversityShenzhenChina
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Marine Microbiome Engineering, Institute for Advanced StudyShenzhen UniversityShenzhenChina
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11
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Raval PK, Garg SG, Gould SB. Endosymbiotic selective pressure at the origin of eukaryotic cell biology. eLife 2022; 11:e81033. [PMID: 36355038 PMCID: PMC9648965 DOI: 10.7554/elife.81033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2022] [Accepted: 10/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
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.
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Affiliation(s)
- Parth K Raval
- Institute for Molecular Evolution, Heinrich-Heine-University DüsseldorfDusseldorfGermany
| | - Sriram G Garg
- Evolutionary Biochemistry Group, Max-Planck Institute for Terrestrial MicrobiologyMarburgGermany
| | - Sven B Gould
- Institute for Molecular Evolution, Heinrich-Heine-University DüsseldorfDusseldorfGermany
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12
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Szadkowski D, Carreira LAM, Søgaard-Andersen L. A bipartite, low-affinity roadblock domain-containing GAP complex regulates bacterial front-rear polarity. PLoS Genet 2022; 18:e1010384. [PMID: 36067225 PMCID: PMC9481161 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1010384] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2022] [Revised: 09/16/2022] [Accepted: 08/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
The Ras-like GTPase MglA is a key regulator of front-rear polarity in the rod-shaped Myxococcus xanthus cells. MglA-GTP localizes to the leading cell pole and stimulates assembly of the two machineries for type IV pili-dependent motility and gliding motility. MglA-GTP localization is spatially constrained by its cognate GEF, the RomR/RomX complex, and GAP, the MglB Roadblock-domain protein. Paradoxically, RomR/RomX and MglB localize similarly with low and high concentrations at the leading and lagging poles, respectively. Yet, GEF activity dominates at the leading and GAP activity at the lagging pole by unknown mechanisms. Here, we identify RomY and show that it stimulates MglB GAP activity. The MglB/RomY interaction is low affinity, restricting formation of the bipartite MglB/RomY GAP complex almost exclusively to the lagging pole with the high MglB concentration. Our data support a model wherein RomY, by forming a low-affinity complex with MglB, ensures that the high MglB/RomY GAP activity is confined to the lagging pole where it dominates and outcompetes the GEF activity of the RomR/RomX complex. Thereby, MglA-GTP localization is constrained to the leading pole establishing front-rear polarity. Bacterial cells are spatially highly organized with proteins localizing to distinct subcellular locations. This spatial organization, or cell polarity, is important for many cellular processes including motility. The rod-shaped M. xanthus cells move with defined leading and lagging cell poles. This front-rear polarity is brought about by the polarity module, which consists of the small Ras-like GTPase MglA, its GEF (the RomR/RomX complex) and its GAP (MglB). Specifically, MglA-GTP localizes to the leading pole and stimulates assembly of the motility machineries. MglA-GTP localization, in turn, is spatially constrained by its GEF and GAP. Paradoxically, the RomR/RomX GEF and MglB GAP localize similarly with low and high concentrations at the leading and lagging poles, respectively. Yet, GEF activity dominates at the leading and GAP activity at the lagging pole. Here, we identify RomY and show that it stimulates MglB GAP activity. Interestingly, the MglB/RomY interaction is low affinity. Consequently, MglB/RomY complex formation almost exclusively occurs at the lagging cell pole with the high MglB concentration. Thus, the key to precisely stimulating MglB GAP activity only at the lagging pole is that the MglB/RomY interaction is low-affinity, ultimately restricting MglA-GTP to the leading pole.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dobromir Szadkowski
- Department of Ecophysiology, Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, Marburg, Germany
| | | | - Lotte Søgaard-Andersen
- Department of Ecophysiology, Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, Marburg, Germany
- * E-mail:
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13
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Nobs SJ, MacLeod FI, Wong HL, Burns BP. Eukarya the chimera: eukaryotes, a secondary innovation of the two domains of life? Trends Microbiol 2021; 30:421-431. [PMID: 34863611 DOI: 10.1016/j.tim.2021.11.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2021] [Revised: 10/31/2021] [Accepted: 11/03/2021] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
One of the most significant events in the evolution of life is the origin of the eukaryotic cell, an increase in cellular complexity that occurred approximately 2 billion years ago. Ground-breaking research has centered around unraveling the characteristics of the Last Eukaryotic Common Ancestor (LECA) and the nuanced archaeal and bacterial contributions in eukaryogenesis, resulting in fundamental changes in our understanding of the Tree of Life. The archaeal and bacterial roles are covered by theories of endosymbiogenesis wherein an ancestral host archaeon and a bacterial endosymbiont merged to create a new complex cell type - Eukarya - and its mitochondrion. Eukarya is often regarded as a unique and distinct domain due to complex innovations not found in archaea or bacteria, despite housing a chimeric genome containing genes of both archaeal and bacterial origin. However, the discovery of complex cell machineries in recently described Asgard archaeal lineages, and the growing support for diverse bacterial gene transfers prior to and during the time of LECA, is redefining our understanding of eukaryogenesis. Indeed, the uniqueness of Eukarya, as a domain, is challenged. It is likely that many microbial syntrophies, encompassing a 'microbial village', were required to 'raise' a eukaryote during the process of eukaryogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie-Jane Nobs
- School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia; Australian Centre for Astrobiology, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
| | - Fraser I MacLeod
- School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia; Australian Centre for Astrobiology, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
| | - Hon Lun Wong
- School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia; Australian Centre for Astrobiology, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia; Department of Aquatic Microbial Ecology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Biology Centre of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
| | - Brendan P Burns
- School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia; Australian Centre for Astrobiology, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia.
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14
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Penev PI, Fakhretaha-Aval S, Patel VJ, Cannone JJ, Gutell RR, Petrov AS, Williams LD, Glass JB. Supersized Ribosomal RNA Expansion Segments in Asgard Archaea. Genome Biol Evol 2021; 12:1694-1710. [PMID: 32785681 PMCID: PMC7594248 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evaa170] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/07/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
The ribosome’s common core, comprised of ribosomal RNA (rRNA) and universal ribosomal proteins, connects all life back to a common ancestor and serves as a window to relationships among organisms. The rRNA of the common core is similar to rRNA of extant bacteria. In eukaryotes, the rRNA of the common core is decorated by expansion segments (ESs) that vastly increase its size. Supersized ESs have not been observed previously in Archaea, and the origin of eukaryotic ESs remains enigmatic. We discovered that the large ribosomal subunit (LSU) rRNA of two Asgard phyla, Lokiarchaeota and Heimdallarchaeota, considered to be the closest modern archaeal cell lineages to Eukarya, bridge the gap in size between prokaryotic and eukaryotic LSU rRNAs. The elongated LSU rRNAs in Lokiarchaeota and Heimdallarchaeota stem from two supersized ESs, called ES9 and ES39. We applied chemical footprinting experiments to study the structure of Lokiarchaeota ES39. Furthermore, we used covariation and sequence analysis to study the evolution of Asgard ES39s and ES9s. By defining the common eukaryotic ES39 signature fold, we found that Asgard ES39s have more and longer helices than eukaryotic ES39s. Although Asgard ES39s have sequences and structures distinct from eukaryotic ES39s, we found overall conservation of a three-way junction across the Asgard species that matches eukaryotic ES39 topology, a result consistent with the accretion model of ribosomal evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Petar I Penev
- Georgia Institute of Technology, NASA Center for the Origin of Life, Atlanta, Georgia.,School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Sara Fakhretaha-Aval
- Georgia Institute of Technology, NASA Center for the Origin of Life, Atlanta, Georgia.,School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Vaishnavi J Patel
- Department of Integrative Biology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas
| | - Jamie J Cannone
- Department of Integrative Biology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas
| | - Robin R Gutell
- Department of Integrative Biology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas
| | - Anton S Petrov
- Georgia Institute of Technology, NASA Center for the Origin of Life, Atlanta, Georgia.,School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Loren Dean Williams
- Georgia Institute of Technology, NASA Center for the Origin of Life, Atlanta, Georgia.,School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia.,School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Jennifer B Glass
- Georgia Institute of Technology, NASA Center for the Origin of Life, Atlanta, Georgia.,School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia.,School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia
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15
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Vargová R, Wideman JG, Derelle R, Klimeš V, Kahn RA, Dacks JB, Eliáš M. A Eukaryote-Wide Perspective on the Diversity and Evolution of the ARF GTPase Protein Family. Genome Biol Evol 2021; 13:6319025. [PMID: 34247240 PMCID: PMC8358228 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evab157] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/02/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The evolution of eukaryotic cellular complexity is interwoven with the extensive diversification of many protein families. One key family is the ARF GTPases that act in eukaryote-specific processes, including membrane traffic, tubulin assembly, actin dynamics, and cilia-related functions. Unfortunately, our understanding of the evolution of this family is limited. Sampling an extensive set of available genome and transcriptome sequences, we have assembled a data set of over 2,000 manually curated ARF family genes from 114 eukaryotic species, including many deeply diverged protist lineages, and carried out comprehensive molecular phylogenetic analyses. These reconstructed as many as 16 ARF family members present in the last eukaryotic common ancestor, nearly doubling the previously inferred ancient system complexity. Evidence for the wide occurrence and ancestral origin of Arf6, Arl13, and Arl16 is presented for the first time. Moreover, Arl17, Arl18, and SarB, newly described here, are absent from well-studied model organisms and as a result their function(s) remain unknown. Analyses of our data set revealed a previously unsuspected diversity of membrane association modes and domain architectures within the ARF family. We detail the step-wise expansion of the ARF family in the metazoan lineage, including discovery of several new animal-specific family members. Delving back to its earliest evolution in eukaryotes, the resolved relationship observed between the ARF family paralogs sets boundaries for scenarios of vesicle coat origins during eukaryogenesis. Altogether, our work fundamentally broadens the understanding of the diversity and evolution of a protein family underpinning the structural and functional complexity of the eukaryote cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Romana Vargová
- Department of Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Science, University of Ostrava, Czech Republic
| | - Jeremy G Wideman
- Biodesign Center for Mechanisms of Evolution, School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, USA
| | - Romain Derelle
- Station d'Ecologie Théorique et Expérimentale, UMR CNRS 5321, Moulis, France
| | - Vladimír Klimeš
- Department of Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Science, University of Ostrava, Czech Republic
| | - Richard A Kahn
- Department of Biochemistry, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Joel B Dacks
- Division of Infectious Disease, Department of Medicine, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.,Centre for Life's Origin and Evolution, Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College of London, United Kingdom
| | - Marek Eliáš
- Department of Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Science, University of Ostrava, Czech Republic
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16
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Devos DP. Reconciling Asgardarchaeota Phylogenetic Proximity to Eukaryotes and Planctomycetes Cellular Features in the Evolution of Life. Mol Biol Evol 2021; 38:3531-3542. [PMID: 34229349 PMCID: PMC8382908 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msab186] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The relationship between the three domains of life—Archaea, Bacteria, and Eukarya—is one of Biology’s greatest mysteries. Current favored models imply two ancestral domains, Bacteria and Archaea, with eukaryotes originating within Archaea. This type of models has been supported by the recent description of the Asgardarchaeota, the closest prokaryotic relatives of eukaryotes. However, there are many problems associated with any scenarios implying that eukaryotes originated from within the Archaea, including genome mosaicism, phylogenies, the cellular organization of the Archaea, and their ancestral character. By contrast, all models of eukaryogenesis fail to consider two relevant discoveries: the detection of membrane coat proteins, and of phagocytosis-related processes in Planctomycetes, which are among the bacteria with the most developed endomembrane system. Consideration of these often overlooked features and others found in Planctomycetes and related bacteria suggest an evolutionary model based on a single ancestral domain. In this model, the proximity of Asgard and eukaryotes is not rejected but instead, Asgard are considered as diverging away from a common ancestor instead of on the way toward the eukaryotic ancestor. This model based on a single ancestral domain solves most of the ambiguities associated with the ones based on two ancestral domains. The single-domain model is better suited to explain the origin and evolution of all three domains of life, blurring the distinctions between them. Support for this model as well as the opportunities that it presents not only for reinterpreting previous results, but also for planning future experiments, are explored.
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Affiliation(s)
- Damien P Devos
- Centro Andaluz de Biología del Desarrollo (CABD) - CSIC, Junta de Andalucía, Universidad Pablo de Olavide, Carretera de Utrera Km 1, Seville, 41013, Spain
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17
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Zhang S, Hama Y, Mizushima N. The evolution of autophagy proteins - diversification in eukaryotes and potential ancestors in prokaryotes. J Cell Sci 2021; 134:270774. [PMID: 34228793 DOI: 10.1242/jcs.233742] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Autophagy is a degradative pathway for cytoplasmic constituents, and is conserved across eukaryotes. Autophagy-related (ATG) genes have undergone extensive multiplications and losses in different eukaryotic lineages, resulting in functional diversification and specialization. Notably, even though bacteria and archaea do not possess an autophagy pathway, they do harbor some remote homologs of Atg proteins, suggesting that preexisting proteins were recruited when the autophagy pathway developed during eukaryogenesis. In this Review, we summarize our current knowledge on the distribution of Atg proteins within eukaryotes and outline the major multiplication and loss events within the eukaryotic tree. We also discuss the potential prokaryotic homologs of Atg proteins identified to date, emphasizing the evolutionary relationships and functional differences between prokaryotic and eukaryotic proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sidi Zhang
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
| | - Yutaro Hama
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
| | - Noboru Mizushima
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
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18
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Liu Y, Makarova KS, Huang WC, Wolf YI, Nikolskaya AN, Zhang X, Cai M, Zhang CJ, Xu W, Luo Z, Cheng L, Koonin EV, Li M. Expanded diversity of Asgard archaea and their relationships with eukaryotes. Nature 2021; 593:553-557. [PMID: 33911286 PMCID: PMC11165668 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-021-03494-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 135] [Impact Index Per Article: 45.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2020] [Accepted: 03/26/2021] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
Asgard is a recently discovered superphylum of archaea that appears to include the closest archaeal relatives of eukaryotes1-5. Debate continues as to whether the archaeal ancestor of eukaryotes belongs within the Asgard superphylum or whether this ancestor is a sister group to all other archaea (that is, a two-domain versus a three-domain tree of life)6-8. Here we present a comparative analysis of 162 complete or nearly complete genomes of Asgard archaea, including 75 metagenome-assembled genomes that-to our knowledge-have not previously been reported. Our results substantially expand the phylogenetic diversity of Asgard and lead us to propose six additional phyla that include a deep branch that we have provisionally named Wukongarchaeota. Our phylogenomic analysis does not resolve unequivocally the evolutionary relationship between eukaryotes and Asgard archaea, but instead-depending on the choice of species and conserved genes used to build the phylogeny-supports either the origin of eukaryotes from within Asgard (as a sister group to the expanded Heimdallarchaeota-Wukongarchaeota branch) or a deeper branch for the eukaryote ancestor within archaea. Our comprehensive protein domain analysis using the 162 Asgard genomes results in a major expansion of the set of eukaryotic signature proteins. The Asgard eukaryotic signature proteins show variable phyletic distributions and domain architectures, which is suggestive of dynamic evolution through horizontal gene transfer, gene loss, gene duplication and domain shuffling. The phylogenomics of the Asgard archaea points to the accumulation of the components of the mobile archaeal 'eukaryome' in the archaeal ancestor of eukaryotes (within or outside Asgard) through extensive horizontal gene transfer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yang Liu
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Marine Microbiome Engineering, Institute for Advanced Study, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, P. R. China
| | - Kira S Makarova
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Wen-Cong Huang
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Marine Microbiome Engineering, Institute for Advanced Study, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, P. R. China
| | - Yuri I Wolf
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Anastasia N Nikolskaya
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Xinxu Zhang
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Marine Microbiome Engineering, Institute for Advanced Study, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, P. R. China
| | - Mingwei Cai
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Marine Microbiome Engineering, Institute for Advanced Study, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, P. R. China
| | - Cui-Jing Zhang
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Marine Microbiome Engineering, Institute for Advanced Study, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, P. R. China
| | - Wei Xu
- Key Laboratory of Marine Biogenetic Resources, Third Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, Xiamen, P. R. China
| | - Zhuhua Luo
- Key Laboratory of Marine Biogenetic Resources, Third Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, Xiamen, P. R. China
| | - Lei Cheng
- Key Laboratory of Development and Application of Rural Renewable Energy, Biogas Institute of Ministry of Agriculture, Chengdu, P. R. China
| | - Eugene V Koonin
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
| | - Meng Li
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Marine Microbiome Engineering, Institute for Advanced Study, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, P. R. China.
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19
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Abstract
mTORC1 is a central player in cell growth, a process that is tightly regulated by the availability of nutrients and that controls various aspects of metabolism in the normal cell and in severe diseases such as cancers. mTORC1 is a large multiprotein complex, composed of the kinase subunit mTOR, of Ragulator, which attaches mTOR to the lysosome membrane, of the atypical Rag GTPases and the small GTPase RheB, whose nucleotide states directly dictate its localization to the lysosome and its kinase activity, and of RAPTOR, an adaptor that assembles the complex. The activity of the Rag GTPases is further controlled by the GATOR1 and folliculin complexes, which regulate their GTP/GDP conversion. Here, we review recent structures of important components of the mTORC1 machinery, determined by cryo-electron microscopy for the most part, which allow to reconstitute the architecture of active mTORC1 at near atomic resolution. Notably, we discuss how these structures shed new light on the roles of Rag GTPases and their regulators in mTORC1 regulation, and the perspectives that they open towards understanding the inner workings of mTORC1 on the lysosomal membrane.
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Affiliation(s)
- Agata Nawrotek
- CNRS, LBPA, UMR 8113,École normale supérieure Paris-Saclay, Université Paris-Saclay, 4 avenue des Sciences, 91190 Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Jacqueline Cherfils
- CNRS, LBPA, UMR 8113,École normale supérieure Paris-Saclay, Université Paris-Saclay, 4 avenue des Sciences, 91190 Gif-sur-Yvette, France
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20
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Knopp M, Stockhorst S, van der Giezen M, Garg SG, Gould SB. The Asgard Archaeal-Unique Contribution to Protein Families of the Eukaryotic Common Ancestor Was 0.3. Genome Biol Evol 2021; 13:6248096. [PMID: 33892498 PMCID: PMC8220308 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evab085] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/20/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The identification of the asgard archaea has fueled speculations regarding the nature of the archaeal host in eukaryogenesis and its level of complexity prior to endosymbiosis. Here, we analyzed the coding capacity of 150 eukaryotes, 1,000 bacteria, and 226 archaea, including the only cultured member of the asgard archaea. Clustering methods that consistently recover endosymbiotic contributions to eukaryotic genomes recover an asgard archaeal-unique contribution of a mere 0.3% to protein families present in the last eukaryotic common ancestor, while simultaneously suggesting that this group's diversity rivals that of all other archaea combined. The number of homologs shared exclusively between asgard archaea and eukaryotes is only 27 on average. This tiny asgard archaeal-unique contribution to the root of eukaryotic protein families questions claims that archaea evolved complexity prior to eukaryogenesis. Genomic and cellular complexity remains a eukaryote-specific feature and is best understood as the archaeal host's solution to housing an endosymbiont.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Knopp
- Institute for Molecular Evolution, Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Simon Stockhorst
- Institute for Molecular Evolution, Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf, Germany
| | | | - Sriram G Garg
- Institute for Molecular Evolution, Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Sven B Gould
- Institute for Molecular Evolution, Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf, Germany
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21
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Baluška F, Lyons S. Archaeal Origins of Eukaryotic Cell and Nucleus. Biosystems 2021; 203:104375. [PMID: 33549602 DOI: 10.1016/j.biosystems.2021.104375] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2020] [Revised: 01/29/2021] [Accepted: 01/29/2021] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Symbiosis is a major evolutionary force, especially at the cellular level. Here we discuss several older and new discoveries suggesting that besides mitochondria and plastids, eukaryotic nuclei also have symbiotic origins. We propose an archaea-archaea scenario for the evolutionary origin of the eukaryotic cells. We suggest that two ancient archaea-like cells, one based on the actin cytoskeleton and another one based on the tubulin-centrin cytoskeleton, merged together to form the first nucleated eukaryotic cell. This archaeal endosymbiotic origin of eukaryotic cells and their nuclei explains several features of eukaryotic cells which are incompatible with the currently preferred autogenous scenarios of eukaryogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Sherrie Lyons
- Union College, 130 N. College, St. - Schenectady, NY, 12305, USA.
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22
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Vosseberg J, van Hooff JJE, Marcet-Houben M, van Vlimmeren A, van Wijk LM, Gabaldón T, Snel B. Timing the origin of eukaryotic cellular complexity with ancient duplications. Nat Ecol Evol 2020; 5:92-100. [PMID: 33106602 PMCID: PMC7610411 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-020-01320-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2020] [Accepted: 08/28/2020] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Eukaryogenesis is one of the most enigmatic evolutionary transitions, during which simple prokaryotic cells gave rise to complex eukaryotic cells. While evolutionary intermediates are lacking, gene duplications provide information on the order of events by which eukaryotes originated. Here we use a phylogenomics approach to reconstruct successive steps during eukaryogenesis. We found that gene duplications roughly doubled the proto-eukaryotic gene repertoire, with families inherited from the Asgard archaea-related host being duplicated most. By relatively timing events using phylogenetic distances we inferred that duplications in cytoskeletal and membrane trafficking families were among the earliest events, whereas most other families expanded predominantly after mitochondrial endosymbiosis. Altogether, we infer that the host that engulfed the proto-mitochondrion had some eukaryote-like complexity, which drastically increased upon mitochondrial acquisition. This scenario bridges the signs of complexity observed in Asgard archaeal genomes to the proposed role of mitochondria in triggering eukaryogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julian Vosseberg
- Theoretical Biology and Bioinformatics, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Jolien J E van Hooff
- Theoretical Biology and Bioinformatics, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands.,Ecologie Systématique Evolution, CNRS, Université Paris-Saclay, AgroParisTech, Orsay, France
| | - Marina Marcet-Houben
- Centre for Genomic Regulation, The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Barcelona, Spain.,Life Sciences Department, Barcelona Supercomputing Center, Barcelona, Spain.,Mechanisms of Disease, Institute for Research in Biomedicine, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Anne van Vlimmeren
- Theoretical Biology and Bioinformatics, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands.,Department of Biological Sciences, Columbia University, New York City, NY, USA
| | - Leny M van Wijk
- Theoretical Biology and Bioinformatics, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Toni Gabaldón
- Centre for Genomic Regulation, The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Barcelona, Spain. .,Life Sciences Department, Barcelona Supercomputing Center, Barcelona, Spain. .,Mechanisms of Disease, Institute for Research in Biomedicine, Barcelona, Spain. .,Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats, Barcelona, Spain.
| | - Berend Snel
- Theoretical Biology and Bioinformatics, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands.
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23
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Kanade M, Chakraborty S, Shelke SS, Gayathri P. A Distinct Motif in a Prokaryotic Small Ras-Like GTPase Highlights Unifying Features of Walker B Motifs in P-Loop NTPases. J Mol Biol 2020; 432:5544-5564. [PMID: 32750390 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2020.07.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2020] [Revised: 07/22/2020] [Accepted: 07/30/2020] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
A hallmark of the catalytically essential Walker B motif of P-loop NTPases is the presence of an acidic residue (aspartate/glutamate) for efficient Mg2+ coordination. Although the Walker B motif has been identified in well-studied examples of P-loop NTPases, its identity is ambiguous in many families, for example, in the prokaryotic small Ras-like GTPase family of MglA. MglA, belonging to TRAFAC class of P-loop NTPases, possesses a threonine at the position equivalent to Walker B aspartate in eukaryotic Ras-like GTPases. To resolve the identity of the Walker B residue in MglA, we carried out a comprehensive analysis of Mg2+ coordination on P-loop NTPase structures. Atoms in the octahedral coordination of Mg2+ and their interactions comprise a network including water molecules, Walker A, Walker B and switch motifs of P-loop NTPases. Based on the conserved geometry of Mg2+ coordination, we confirm that a conserved aspartate functions as the Walker B residue of MglA, and validate it through mutagenesis and biochemical characterization. Location of the newly identified aspartate is spatially equivalent to the Walker B residue of the ASCE division of P-loop NTPases. Furthermore, similar to the allosteric regulation of the Walker B aspartate conformation in MglA, we identify protein families in which large conformational changes involving Walker B motif potentially function as allosteric regulators. The study unravels conserved features of Mg2+ coordination among divergent families of P-loop NTPases, especially between ancient Ras-like GTPases and ASCE family of ATPases. The conserved geometric features provide a foundation for design of nucleotide-hydrolyzing enzymes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manil Kanade
- Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Pune, India
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24
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Turn RE, East MP, Prekeris R, Kahn RA. The ARF GAP ELMOD2 acts with different GTPases to regulate centrosomal microtubule nucleation and cytokinesis. Mol Biol Cell 2020; 31:2070-2091. [PMID: 32614697 PMCID: PMC7543072 DOI: 10.1091/mbc.e20-01-0012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
ELMOD2 is a ∼32 kDa protein first purified by its GTPase-activating protein (GAP) activity toward ARL2 and later shown to have uniquely broad specificity toward ARF family GTPases in in vitro assays. To begin the task of defining its functions in cells, we deleted ELMOD2 in immortalized mouse embryonic fibroblasts and discovered a number of cellular defects, which are reversed upon expression of ELMOD2-myc. We show that these defects, resulting from the loss of ELMOD2, are linked to two different pathways and two different GTPases: with ARL2 and TBCD to support microtubule nucleation from centrosomes and with ARF6 in cytokinesis. These data highlight key aspects of signaling by ARF family GAPs that contribute to previously underappreciated sources of complexity, including GAPs acting from multiple sites in cells, working with multiple GTPases, and contributing to the spatial and temporal control of regulatory GTPases by serving as both GAPs and effectors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachel E Turn
- Department of Biochemistry, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322.,Biochemistry, Cell & Developmental Biology Graduate Program, Laney Graduate School, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30307
| | - Michael P East
- Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599
| | - Rytis Prekeris
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Colorado, Aurora, CO 80045
| | - Richard A Kahn
- Department of Biochemistry, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322
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25
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Neveu E, Khalifeh D, Salamin N, Fasshauer D. Prototypic SNARE Proteins Are Encoded in the Genomes of Heimdallarchaeota, Potentially Bridging the Gap between the Prokaryotes and Eukaryotes. Curr Biol 2020; 30:2468-2480.e5. [PMID: 32442459 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2020.04.060] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2020] [Revised: 04/05/2020] [Accepted: 04/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
A defining feature of eukaryotic cells is the presence of numerous membrane-bound organelles that subdivide the intracellular space into distinct compartments. How the eukaryotic cell acquired its internal complexity is still poorly understood. Material exchange among most organelles occurs via vesicles that bud off from a source and specifically fuse with a target compartment. Central players in the vesicle fusion process are the soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor attachment protein receptor (SNARE) proteins. These small tail-anchored (TA) membrane proteins zipper into elongated four-helix bundles that pull membranes together. SNARE proteins are highly conserved among eukaryotes but are thought to be absent in prokaryotes. Here, we identified SNARE-like factors in the genomes of uncultured organisms of Asgard archaea of the Heimdallarchaeota clade, which are thought to be the closest living relatives of eukaryotes. Biochemical experiments show that the archaeal SNARE-like proteins can interact with eukaryotic SNARE proteins. We did not detect SNAREs in α-proteobacteria, the closest relatives of mitochondria, but identified several genes encoding for SNARE proteins in γ-proteobacteria of the order Legionellales, pathogens that live inside eukaryotic cells. Very probably, their SNAREs stem from lateral gene transfer from eukaryotes. Together, this suggests that the diverse set of eukaryotic SNAREs evolved from an archaeal precursor. However, whether Heimdallarchaeota actually have a simplified endomembrane system will only be seen when we succeed studying these organisms under the microscope.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emilie Neveu
- Department of Fundamental Neurosciences, University of Lausanne, Rue du Bugnon 9, 1005 Lausanne, Switzerland; Department of Computational Biology, University of Lausanne, Génopode, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Dany Khalifeh
- Department of Fundamental Neurosciences, University of Lausanne, Rue du Bugnon 9, 1005 Lausanne, Switzerland; Department of Computational Biology, University of Lausanne, Génopode, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Nicolas Salamin
- Department of Computational Biology, University of Lausanne, Génopode, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Dirk Fasshauer
- Department of Fundamental Neurosciences, University of Lausanne, Rue du Bugnon 9, 1005 Lausanne, Switzerland; Department of Computational Biology, University of Lausanne, Génopode, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland.
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26
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Stairs CW, Ettema TJ. The Archaeal Roots of the Eukaryotic Dynamic Actin Cytoskeleton. Curr Biol 2020; 30:R521-R526. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2020.02.074] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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27
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López-García P, Moreira D. The Syntrophy hypothesis for the origin of eukaryotes revisited. Nat Microbiol 2020; 5:655-667. [DOI: 10.1038/s41564-020-0710-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2019] [Accepted: 03/13/2020] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
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28
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Sun Y, Liu Y, Pan J, Wang F, Li M. Perspectives on Cultivation Strategies of Archaea. MICROBIAL ECOLOGY 2020; 79:770-784. [PMID: 31432245 DOI: 10.1007/s00248-019-01422-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2019] [Accepted: 08/01/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Archaea have been recognized as a major domain of life since the 1970s and occupy a key position in the tree of life. Recent advances in culture-independent approaches have greatly accelerated the research son Archaea. However, many hypotheses concerning the diversity, physiology, and evolution of archaea are waiting to be confirmed by culture-base experiments. Consequently, archaeal isolates are in great demand. On the other hand, traditional approaches of archaeal cultivation are rarely successful and require urgent improvement. Here, we review the current practices and applicable microbial cultivation techniques, to inform on potential strategies that could improve archaeal cultivation in the future. We first summarize the current knowledge on archaeal diversity, with an emphasis on cultivated and uncultivated lineages pertinent to future research. Possible causes for the low success rate of the current cultivation practices are then discussed to propose future improvements. Finally, innovative insights for archaeal cultivation are described, including (1) medium refinement for selective cultivation based on the genetic and transcriptional information; (2) consideration of the up-to-date archaeal culturing skills; and (3) application of multiple cultivation techniques, such as co-culture, direct interspecies electron transfer (DIET), single-cell isolation, high-throughput culturing (HTC), and simulation of the natural habitat. Improved cultivation efforts should allow successful isolation of as yet uncultured archaea, contributing to the much-needed physiological investigation of archaea.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yihua Sun
- Institute for Advanced Study, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, Guangdong, People's Republic of China
- Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Devices and Systems of Ministry of Education and Guangdong Province, College of Optoelectronic Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, Guangdong, People's Republic of China
| | - Yang Liu
- Institute for Advanced Study, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, Guangdong, People's Republic of China
| | - Jie Pan
- Institute for Advanced Study, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, Guangdong, People's Republic of China
| | - Fengping Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
- State Key Laboratory of Ocean Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
| | - Meng Li
- Institute for Advanced Study, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, Guangdong, People's Republic of China.
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29
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Larson RT, Dacks JB, Barlow LD. Recent gene duplications dominate evolutionary dynamics of adaptor protein complex subunits in embryophytes. Traffic 2019; 20:961-973. [DOI: 10.1111/tra.12698] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2019] [Revised: 09/10/2019] [Accepted: 09/11/2019] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Raegan T. Larson
- Division of Infectious Disease, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and DentistryUniversity of Alberta Edmonton Alberta Canada
| | - Joel B. Dacks
- Division of Infectious Disease, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and DentistryUniversity of Alberta Edmonton Alberta Canada
- Department of Life SciencesThe Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road London UK
| | - Lael D. Barlow
- Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of ScienceUniversity of Alberta Edmonton Alberta Canada
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30
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Anandapadamanaban M, Masson GR, Perisic O, Berndt A, Kaufman J, Johnson CM, Santhanam B, Rogala KB, Sabatini DM, Williams RL. Architecture of human Rag GTPase heterodimers and their complex with mTORC1. Science 2019; 366:203-210. [PMID: 31601764 PMCID: PMC6795536 DOI: 10.1126/science.aax3939] [Citation(s) in RCA: 77] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2019] [Accepted: 09/03/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
The Rag guanosine triphosphatases (GTPases) recruit the master kinase mTORC1 to lysosomes to regulate cell growth and proliferation in response to amino acid availability. The nucleotide state of Rag heterodimers is critical for their association with mTORC1. Our cryo-electron microscopy structure of RagA/RagC in complex with mTORC1 shows the details of RagA/RagC binding to the RAPTOR subunit of mTORC1 and explains why only the RagAGTP/RagCGDP nucleotide state binds mTORC1. Previous kinetic studies suggested that GTP binding to one Rag locks the heterodimer to prevent GTP binding to the other. Our crystal structures and dynamics of RagA/RagC show the mechanism for this locking and explain how oncogenic hotspot mutations disrupt this process. In contrast to allosteric activation by RHEB, Rag heterodimer binding does not change mTORC1 conformation and activates mTORC1 by targeting it to lysosomes.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Glenn R Masson
- MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge CB2 0QH, UK
| | - Olga Perisic
- MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge CB2 0QH, UK
| | - Alex Berndt
- MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge CB2 0QH, UK
| | | | | | | | - Kacper B Rogala
- Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - David M Sabatini
- Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
- Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
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31
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Gilbert SF. Evolutionary transitions revisited: Holobiont evo-devo. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL ZOOLOGY PART B-MOLECULAR AND DEVELOPMENTAL EVOLUTION 2019; 332:307-314. [PMID: 31565856 DOI: 10.1002/jez.b.22903] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2019] [Revised: 08/07/2019] [Accepted: 08/10/2019] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
John T. Bonner lists four essential transformations in the evolution of life: the emergence of the eukaryotic cell, meiosis, multicellularity, and the nervous system. This paper analyses the mechanisms for those transitions in light of three of Dr. Bonner's earlier hypotheses: (a) that the organism is its life cycle, (b) that evolution consists of alterations of the life cycle, and (c) that development extends beyond the body and into interactions with other organisms. Using the notion of the holobiont life cycle, this paper attempts to show that these evolutionary transitions can be accomplished through various means of symbiosis. Perceiving the organism both as an interspecies consortium and as a life cycle supports a twofold redefinition of the organism as a holobiont constructed by integrating together the life cycles of several species. These findings highlight the importance of symbiosis and the holobiont development in analyses of evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Scott F Gilbert
- Department of Biology, Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, Pennsylvania
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32
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Subirana JA, Messeguer X. Satellites in the prokaryote world. BMC Evol Biol 2019; 19:181. [PMID: 31533616 PMCID: PMC6749651 DOI: 10.1186/s12862-019-1504-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2019] [Accepted: 08/28/2019] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Satellites or tandem repeats are very abundant in many eukaryotic genomes. Occasionally they have been reported to be present in some prokaryotes, but to our knowledge there is no general comparative study on their occurrence. For this reason we present here an overview of the distribution and properties of satellites in a set of representative species. Our results provide novel insights into the evolutionary relationship between eukaryotes, Archaea and Bacteria. Results We have searched all possible satellites present in the NCBI reference group of genomes in Archaea (142 species) and in Bacteria (119 species), detecting 2735 satellites in Archaea and 1067 in Bacteria. We have found that the distribution of satellites is very variable in different organisms. The archaeal Methanosarcina class stands out for the large amount of satellites in their genomes. Satellites from a few species have similar characteristics to those in eukaryotes, but most species have very few satellites: only 21 species in Archaea and 18 in Bacteria have more than 4 satellites/Mb. The distribution of satellites in these species is reminiscent of what is found in eukaryotes, but we find two significant differences: most satellites have a short length and many of them correspond to segments of genes coding for amino acid repeats. Transposition of non-coding satellites throughout the genome occurs rarely: only in the bacteria Leptospira interrogans and the archaea Methanocella conradii we have detected satellite families of transposed satellites with long repeats. Conclusions Our results demonstrate that the presence of satellites in the genome is not an exclusive feature of eukaryotes. We have described a few prokaryotes which do contain satellites. We present a discussion on their eventual evolutionary significance. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12862-019-1504-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juan A Subirana
- Department of Computer Science, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, Jordi Girona 1-3, 08034, Barcelona, Spain.
| | - Xavier Messeguer
- Department of Computer Science, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, Jordi Girona 1-3, 08034, Barcelona, Spain
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33
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Abstract
The emergence of eukaryotes from ancient prokaryotic lineages embodied a remarkable increase in cellular complexity. While prokaryotes operate simple systems to connect DNA to the segregation machinery during cell division, eukaryotes use a highly complex protein assembly known as the kinetochore. Although conceptually similar, prokaryotic segregation systems and the eukaryotic kinetochore are not homologous. Here we investigate the origins of the kinetochore before the last eukaryotic common ancestor (LECA) using phylogenetic trees, sensitive profile-versus-profile homology detection, and structural comparisons of its protein components. We show that LECA's kinetochore proteins share deep evolutionary histories with proteins involved in a few prokaryotic systems and a multitude of eukaryotic processes, including ubiquitination, transcription, and flagellar and vesicular transport systems. We find that gene duplications played a major role in shaping the kinetochore; more than half of LECA's kinetochore proteins have other kinetochore proteins as closest homologs. Some of these have no detectable homology to any other eukaryotic protein, suggesting that they arose as kinetochore-specific folds before LECA. We propose that the primordial kinetochore evolved from proteins involved in various (pre)eukaryotic systems as well as evolutionarily novel folds, after which a subset duplicated to give rise to the complex kinetochore of LECA.
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34
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Sztul E, Chen PW, Casanova JE, Cherfils J, Dacks JB, Lambright DG, Lee FJS, Randazzo PA, Santy LC, Schürmann A, Wilhelmi I, Yohe ME, Kahn RA. ARF GTPases and their GEFs and GAPs: concepts and challenges. Mol Biol Cell 2019; 30:1249-1271. [PMID: 31084567 PMCID: PMC6724607 DOI: 10.1091/mbc.e18-12-0820] [Citation(s) in RCA: 156] [Impact Index Per Article: 31.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2019] [Revised: 02/26/2019] [Accepted: 03/11/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Detailed structural, biochemical, cell biological, and genetic studies of any gene/protein are required to develop models of its actions in cells. Studying a protein family in the aggregate yields additional information, as one can include analyses of their coevolution, acquisition or loss of functionalities, structural pliability, and the emergence of shared or variations in molecular mechanisms. An even richer understanding of cell biology can be achieved through evaluating functionally linked protein families. In this review, we summarize current knowledge of three protein families: the ARF GTPases, the guanine nucleotide exchange factors (ARF GEFs) that activate them, and the GTPase-activating proteins (ARF GAPs) that have the ability to both propagate and terminate signaling. However, despite decades of scrutiny, our understanding of how these essential proteins function in cells remains fragmentary. We believe that the inherent complexity of ARF signaling and its regulation by GEFs and GAPs will require the concerted effort of many laboratories working together, ideally within a consortium to optimally pool information and resources. The collaborative study of these three functionally connected families (≥70 mammalian genes) will yield transformative insights into regulation of cell signaling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth Sztul
- Department of Cell, Developmental and Integrative Biology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294
| | - Pei-Wen Chen
- Department of Biology, Williams College, Williamstown, MA 01267
| | - James E. Casanova
- Department of Cell Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22908
| | - Jacqueline Cherfils
- Laboratoire de Biologie et Pharmacologie Appliquée, CNRS and Ecole Normale Supérieure Paris-Saclay, 94235 Cachan, France
| | - Joel B. Dacks
- Division of Infectious Disease, Department of Medicine, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2H7, Canada
| | - David G. Lambright
- Program in Molecular Medicine and Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Amherst, MA 01605
| | - Fang-Jen S. Lee
- Institute of Molecular Medicine, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei 10002, Taiwan
| | | | - Lorraine C. Santy
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802
| | - Annette Schürmann
- German Institute of Human Nutrition, 85764 Potsdam-Rehbrücke, Germany
| | - Ilka Wilhelmi
- German Institute of Human Nutrition, 85764 Potsdam-Rehbrücke, Germany
| | - Marielle E. Yohe
- Pediatric Oncology Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD 20892
| | - Richard A. Kahn
- Department of Biochemistry, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322-3050
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35
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Abstract
The name “eukaryote” is derived from Greek, meaning “true kernel”, and describes the domain of organisms whose cells have a nucleus. The nucleus is thus the defining feature of eukaryotes and distinguishes them from prokaryotes (Archaea and Bacteria), whose cells lack nuclei. Despite this, we discuss the intriguing possibility that organisms on the path from the first eukaryotic common ancestor to the last common ancestor of all eukaryotes did not possess a nucleus at all—at least not in a form we would recognize today—and that the nucleus in fact arrived relatively late in the evolution of eukaryotes. The clues to this alternative evolutionary path lie, most of all, in recent discoveries concerning the structure of the nuclear pore complex. We discuss the evidence for such a possibility and how this impacts our views of eukaryote origins and how eukaryotes have diversified subsequent to their last common ancestor.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark C Field
- School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee, UK.,Biology Centre, Institute of Parasitology, Faculty of Sciences, University of South Bohemia, Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic
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36
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Proposal of the reverse flow model for the origin of the eukaryotic cell based on comparative analyses of Asgard archaeal metabolism. Nat Microbiol 2019; 4:1138-1148. [DOI: 10.1038/s41564-019-0406-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 106] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2018] [Accepted: 02/08/2019] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
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37
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MacLeod F, Kindler GS, Wong HL, Chen R, Burns BP. Asgard archaea: Diversity, function, and evolutionary implications in a range of microbiomes. AIMS Microbiol 2019; 5:48-61. [PMID: 31384702 PMCID: PMC6646929 DOI: 10.3934/microbiol.2019.1.48] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2018] [Accepted: 01/25/2019] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Elucidating the diversity of the Archaea has many important ecological and evolutionary implications. The Asgard superphylum of the archaea, described recently from metagenomic data, has reignited the decades-old debate surrounding the topology of the tree of life. This review synthesizes recent findings through publicly available genomes and literature to describe the current ecological and evolutionary significance of the Asgard superphylum. Asgard archaea have been found in a diverse range of microbiomes across the globe, primarily from sedimentary environments. Within these environments, positive correlations between specific members of the Asgard archaea and Candidate Division TA06 bacteria have been observed, opening up the possibility of symbiotic interactions between the groupings. Asgard archaeal genomes encode functionally diverse metabolic pathways, including the Wood-Ljungdahl pathway as a carbon-fixation strategy, putative nucleotide salvaging pathways, and novel mechanisms of phototrophy including new rhodopsins. Asgard archaea also appear to be active in nitrogen cycling. Asgard archaea encode genes involved in both dissimilatory nitrate reduction and denitrification, and for the potential to use atmospheric nitrogen or nitrite as nitrogen sources. Asgard archaea also may be involved in the transformation of sulfur compounds, indicating a putative role in sulfur cycling. To date, all Asgard archaeal genomes identified were described as obligately anaerobic. The Asgard archaea also appear to have important evolutionary implications. The presence of eukaryotic signature proteins and the affiliation of Asgard archaea in phylogenetic analyses appears to support two-domain topologies of the tree of life with eukaryotes emerging from within the domain of archaea, as opposed to the eukaryotes being a separate domain of life. Thus far, Heimdallarchaeota appears as the closest archaeal relative of eukaryotes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fraser MacLeod
- School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia.,Australian Centre for Astrobiology, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
| | - Gareth S Kindler
- School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia.,Australian Centre for Astrobiology, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
| | - Hon Lun Wong
- School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia.,Australian Centre for Astrobiology, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
| | - Ray Chen
- School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia.,Australian Centre for Astrobiology, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
| | - Brendan P Burns
- School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia.,Australian Centre for Astrobiology, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
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38
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Dacks JB. Evolving eukaryotes: an interview with Joel Dacks. BMC Biol 2018; 16:119. [PMID: 30382870 PMCID: PMC6211498 DOI: 10.1186/s12915-018-0586-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Joel Dacks is an Associate Professor and Canada Research Chair in Evolutionary Cell Biology at the University of Alberta, a Scientific Associate at the Natural History Museum (London), and the current President of the International Society for Evolutionary Protistology. His research group studies the evolution and diversity of the eukaryotic membrane-trafficking system, from origins to potential disease therapeutics. In this interview, Joel shares some perspectives on gaining a balanced view of comparative cell biology and the importance of a constructive peer review process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joel B Dacks
- Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, 5-31 Medical Science Building, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. .,Department of Life Sciences, The Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London, SW7 5BD, UK.
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39
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Abstract
It is widely assumed that there is a clear distinction between eukaryotes, with cell nuclei, and prokaryotes, which lack nuclei. This suggests the evolution of nuclear compartmentation is a singular event. However, emerging knowledge of the diversity of bacterial internal cell structures suggests the picture may not be as black-and-white as previously thought. For instance, some members of the bacterial PVC superphylum appear to have nucleus-like compartmentation, where transcription and translation are physically separated, and some jumbophages have recently been shown to create nucleus-like structures within their Pseudomonad hosts. Moreover, there is also tantalizing metagenomic identification of new Archaea that carry homologs of genes associated with internal cell membrane structure in eukaryotes. All these cases invite comparison with eukaryote cell biology. While the bacterial cases of genetic compartmentation are likely convergent, and thus viewed by many as not germane to the question of eukaryote origins, we argue here that, in addressing the broader question of the evolution of compartmentation, other instances are at least as important: they provide us with a point of comparison which is critical for a more general understanding of both the conditions favoring the emergence of intracellular compartmentation of DNA and the evolutionary consequences of such cellular architecture. Finally, we consider three classes of explanation for the emergence of compartmentation: physical protection, crosstalk avoidance and nonadaptive origins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heather L. Hendrickson
- Institute of Natural and Mathematical Sciences, Massey University, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Anthony M. Poole
- Bioinformatics Institute, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
- Te Ao Mârama/Centre for Fundamental Inquiry, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
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40
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Sager G, Gabaglio S, Sztul E, Belov GA. Role of Host Cell Secretory Machinery in Zika Virus Life Cycle. Viruses 2018; 10:E559. [PMID: 30326556 PMCID: PMC6213159 DOI: 10.3390/v10100559] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2018] [Revised: 10/11/2018] [Accepted: 10/12/2018] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The high human cost of Zika virus infections and the rapid establishment of virus circulation in novel areas, including the United States, present an urgent need for countermeasures against this emerging threat. The development of an effective vaccine against Zika virus may be problematic because of the cross reactivity of the antibodies with other flaviviruses leading to antibody-dependent enhancement of infection. Moreover, rapidly replicating positive strand RNA viruses, including Zika virus, generate large spectrum of mutant genomes (quasi species) every replication round, allowing rapid selection of variants resistant to drugs targeting virus-specific proteins. On the other hand, viruses are ultimate cellular parasites and rely on the host metabolism for every step of their life cycle, thus presenting an opportunity to manipulate host processes as an alternative approach to suppress virus replication and spread. Zika and other flaviviruses critically depend on the cellular secretory pathway, which transfers proteins and membranes from the ER through the Golgi to the plasma membrane, for virion assembly, maturation and release. In this review, we summarize the current knowledge of interactions of Zika and similar arthropod-borne flaviviruses with the cellular secretory machinery with a special emphasis on virus-specific changes of the secretory pathway. Identification of the regulatory networks and effector proteins required to accommodate the trafficking of virions, which represent a highly unusual cargo for the secretory pathway, may open an attractive and virtually untapped reservoir of alternative targets for the development of superior anti-viral drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Garrett Sager
- Department of Cell, Developmental and Integrative Biology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham AL 35294, UK.
| | - Samuel Gabaglio
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA.
| | - Elizabeth Sztul
- Department of Cell, Developmental and Integrative Biology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham AL 35294, UK.
| | - George A Belov
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA.
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41
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Lepore DM, Martínez-Núñez L, Munson M. Exposing the Elusive Exocyst Structure. Trends Biochem Sci 2018; 43:714-725. [PMID: 30055895 PMCID: PMC6108956 DOI: 10.1016/j.tibs.2018.06.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2018] [Revised: 06/18/2018] [Accepted: 06/29/2018] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
A major challenge for a molecular understanding of membrane trafficking has been the elucidation of high-resolution structures of large, multisubunit tethering complexes that spatially and temporally control intracellular membrane fusion. Exocyst is a large hetero-octameric protein complex proposed to tether secretory vesicles at the plasma membrane to provide quality control of soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor attachment protein receptor (SNARE)-mediated membrane fusion. Breakthroughs in methodologies, including sample preparation, biochemical characterization, fluorescence microscopy, and single-particle cryoelectron microscopy, are providing critical insights into the structure and function of the exocyst. These studies now pose more questions than answers for understanding fundamental functional mechanisms, and they open wide the door for future studies to elucidate interactions with protein and membrane partners, potential conformational changes, and molecular insights into tethering reactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dante M Lepore
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, 364 Plantation Street, Worcester, MA 01605, USA
| | - Leonora Martínez-Núñez
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, 364 Plantation Street, Worcester, MA 01605, USA
| | - Mary Munson
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, 364 Plantation Street, Worcester, MA 01605, USA.
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42
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Sleep NH. Geological and Geochemical Constraints on the Origin and Evolution of Life. ASTROBIOLOGY 2018; 18:1199-1219. [PMID: 30124324 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2017.1778] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
The traditional tree of life from molecular biology with last universal common ancestor (LUCA) branching into bacteria and archaea (though fuzzy) is likely formally valid enough to be a basis for discussion of geological processes on the early Earth. Biologists infer likely properties of nodal organisms within the tree and, hence, the environment they inhabited. Geologists both vet tenuous trees and putative origin of life scenarios for geological and ecological reasonability and conversely infer geological information from trees. The latter approach is valuable as geologists have only weakly constrained the time when the Earth became habitable and the later time when life actually existed to the long interval between ∼4.5 and ∼3.85 Ga where no intact surface rocks are known. With regard to vetting, origin and early evolution hypotheses from molecular biology have recently centered on serpentinite settings in marine and alternatively land settings that are exposed to ultraviolet sunlight. The existence of these niches on the Hadean Earth is virtually certain. With regard to inferring geological environment from genomics, nodes on the tree of life can arise from true bottlenecks implied by the marine serpentinite origin scenario and by asteroid impact. Innovation of a very useful trait through a threshold allows the successful organism to quickly become very abundant and later root a large clade. The origin of life itself, that is, the initial Darwinian ancestor, the bacterial and archaeal roots as free-living cellular organisms that independently escaped hydrothermal chimneys above marine serpentinite or alternatively from shallow pore-water environments on land, the Selabacteria root with anoxygenic photosynthesis, and the Terrabacteria root colonizing land are attractive examples that predate the geological record. Conversely, geological reasoning presents likely events for appraisal by biologists. Asteroid impacts may have produced bottlenecks by decimating life. Thermophile roots of bacteria and archaea as well as a thermophile LUCA are attractive.
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Affiliation(s)
- Norman H Sleep
- Department of Geophysics, Stanford University , Stanford, California
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43
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Fournier GP, Poole AM. A Briefly Argued Case That Asgard Archaea Are Part of the Eukaryote Tree. Front Microbiol 2018; 9:1896. [PMID: 30158917 PMCID: PMC6104171 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2018.01896] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2018] [Accepted: 07/27/2018] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The recent discovery of the Lokiarchaeota and other members of the Asgard superphylum suggests that closer analysis of the cell biology and evolution of these groups may help shed light on the origin of the eukaryote cell. Asgard lineages often appear in molecular phylogenies as closely related to eukaryotes, and possess “Eukaryote Signature Proteins” coded by genes previously thought to be unique to eukaryotes. This phylogenetic affinity to eukaryotes has been widely interpreted as indicating that Asgard lineages are “eukaryote-like archaea,” with eukaryotes evolving from within a paraphyletic Archaea. Guided by the established principles of systematics, we examine the potential implications of the monophyly of Asgard lineages and Eukarya. We show that a helpful parallel case is that of Synapsida, a group that includes modern mammals and their more “reptile-like” ancestors, united by shared derived characters that evolved in their common ancestor. While this group contains extinct members that share many similarities with modern reptiles and their extinct relatives, they are evolutionarily distinct from Sauropsida, the group which includes modern birds, reptiles, and all other amniotes. Similarly, Asgard lineages and eukaryotes are united by shared derived characters to the exclusion of all other groups. Consequently, the Asgard group is not only highly informative for our understanding of eukaryogenesis, but may be better understood as being early diverging members of a broader group including eukaryotes, for which we propose the name “Eukaryomorpha.” Significantly, this means that the relationship between Eukarya and Asgard lineages cannot, on its own, resolve the debate over 2 vs. 3 Domains of life; instead, resolving this debate depends upon identifying the root of Archaea with respect to Bacteria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gregory P Fournier
- Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, United States
| | - Anthony M Poole
- Bioinformatics Institute, Te Ao Mārama - Centre for Fundamental Inquiry, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
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44
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Schiavon CR, Griffin ME, Pirozzi M, Parashuraman R, Zhou W, Jinnah HA, Reines D, Kahn RA. Compositional complexity of rods and rings. Mol Biol Cell 2018; 29:2303-2316. [PMID: 30024290 PMCID: PMC6249804 DOI: 10.1091/mbc.e18-05-0274] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Rods and rings (RRs) are large linear- or circular-shaped structures typically described as polymers of IMPDH (inosine monophosphate dehydrogenase). They have been observed across a wide variety of cell types and species and can be induced to form by inhibitors of IMPDH. RRs are thought to play a role in the regulation of de novo guanine nucleotide synthesis; however, the function and regulation of RRs is poorly understood. Here we show that the regulatory GTPase, ARL2, a subset of its binding partners, and several resident proteins at the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) also localize to RRs. We also have identified two new inducers of RR formation: AICAR and glucose deprivation. We demonstrate that RRs can be disassembled if guanine nucleotides can be generated by salvage synthesis regardless of the inducer. Finally, we show that there is an ordered addition of components as RRs mature, with IMPDH first forming aggregates, followed by ARL2, and only later calnexin, a marker of the ER. These findings suggest that RRs are considerably more complex than previously thought and that the function(s) of RRs may include involvement of a regulatory GTPase, its effectors, and potentially contacts with intracellular membranes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cara R Schiavon
- Cancer Biology Graduate Program, Graduate Division of Biomedical and Biological Sciences, Laney Graduate School, Atlanta, GA 30307
| | - Maxwell E Griffin
- Cancer Biology Graduate Program, Graduate Division of Biomedical and Biological Sciences, Laney Graduate School, Atlanta, GA 30307
| | - Marinella Pirozzi
- EuroBioImaging Facility, Institute of Protein Biochemistry, 80131 Naples, Italy
| | - Raman Parashuraman
- EuroBioImaging Facility, Institute of Protein Biochemistry, 80131 Naples, Italy
| | - Wei Zhou
- Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322
| | - H A Jinnah
- Department of Neurology and Human Genetics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322
| | - Daniel Reines
- Department of Biochemistry, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322
| | - Richard A Kahn
- Department of Biochemistry, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322
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45
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Dacks JB, Field MC. Evolutionary origins and specialisation of membrane transport. Curr Opin Cell Biol 2018; 53:70-76. [PMID: 29929066 PMCID: PMC6141808 DOI: 10.1016/j.ceb.2018.06.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2018] [Revised: 04/09/2018] [Accepted: 06/05/2018] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
From unicellular protists to the largest megafauna and flora, all eukaryotes depend upon the organelles and processes of the intracellular membrane trafficking system. Well-defined machinery selectively packages and delivers material between endomembrane organelles and imports and exports material from the cell surface. This process underlies intracellular compartmentalization and facilitates myriad processes that define eukaryotic biology. Membrane trafficking is a landmark in the origins of the eukaryotic cell and recent work has begun to unravel how the revolution in cellular structure occurred.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joel B Dacks
- Department of Cell Biology, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2H7, Canada
| | - Mark C Field
- School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee DD1 5EH, UK.
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46
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Kauko A, Lehto K. Eukaryote specific folds: Part of the whole. Proteins 2018; 86:868-881. [PMID: 29675831 DOI: 10.1002/prot.25517] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2017] [Revised: 04/17/2018] [Accepted: 04/18/2018] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
The origin of eukaryotes is one of the central transitions in the history of life; without eukaryotes there would be no complex multicellular life. The most accepted scenarios suggest the endosymbiosis of a mitochondrial ancestor with a complex archaeon, even though the details regarding the host and the triggering factors are still being discussed. Accordingly, phylogenetic analyses have demonstrated archaeal affiliations with key informational systems, while metabolic genes are often related to bacteria, mostly to the mitochondrial ancestor. Despite of this, there exists a large number of protein families and folds found only in eukaryotes. In this study, we have analyzed structural superfamilies and folds that probably appeared during eukaryogenesis. These folds typically represent relatively small binding domains of larger multidomain proteins. They are commonly involved in biological processes that are particularly complex in eukaryotes, such as signaling, trafficking/cytoskeleton, ubiquitination, transcription and RNA processing, but according to recent studies, these processes also have prokaryotic roots. Thus the folds originating from an eukaryotic stem seem to represent accessory parts that have contributed in the expansion of several prokaryotic processes to a new level of complexity. This might have taken place as a co-evolutionary process where increasing complexity and fold innovations have supported each other.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anni Kauko
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | - Kirsi Lehto
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
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47
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Zhou Z, Liu Y, Li M, Gu JD. Two or three domains: a new view of tree of life in the genomics era. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 2018; 102:3049-3058. [PMID: 29484479 DOI: 10.1007/s00253-018-8831-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2017] [Revised: 01/30/2018] [Accepted: 02/01/2018] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
The deep phylogenetic topology of tree of life is in the center of a long-time dispute. The Woeseian three-domain tree theory, with the Eukarya evolving as a sister clade to Archaea, competes with the two-domain tree theory (the eocyte tree), with the Eukarya branched within Archaea. Revealed by the ongoing debate over the last three decades, sophisticated and proper phylogenetic methods should necessarily be paid with more emphasis, especially these are focusing on the compositional heterogeneity of sites and lineages, and the heterotachy issue. The newly emerging archaeal lineages with numerous eukaryotic-like features, such as membrane trafficking and cellular compartmentalization, are phylogenetically the closest to eukaryotes currently. These findings highlight the evolutionary history from an ancient archaeon to a more complex archaeon with protoeukaryotic-like features and complex cellular structures, thus providing clues to understand eukaryogenesis process. The increasing repertoire of precise genomic contents provides great advantages on understanding the deep phylogeny of tree of life and ancient evolutionary events on Eukarya branching process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhichao Zhou
- Institute for Advanced Study, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518060, People's Republic of China.,Laboratory of Environmental Microbiology and Toxicology, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong SAR, Hong Kong, People's Republic of China
| | - Yang Liu
- Institute for Advanced Study, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518060, People's Republic of China.,Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Devices and Systems of Ministry of Education and Guangdong Province, College of Optoelectronic Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518060, People's Republic of China
| | - Meng Li
- Institute for Advanced Study, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518060, People's Republic of China.
| | - Ji-Dong Gu
- Laboratory of Environmental Microbiology and Toxicology, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong SAR, Hong Kong, People's Republic of China
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48
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Eme L, Spang A, Lombard J, Stairs CW, Ettema TJG. Archaea and the origin of eukaryotes. Nat Rev Microbiol 2017; 15:711-723. [DOI: 10.1038/nrmicro.2017.133] [Citation(s) in RCA: 279] [Impact Index Per Article: 39.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
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49
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Martin WF, Tielens AGM, Mentel M, Garg SG, Gould SB. The Physiology of Phagocytosis in the Context of Mitochondrial Origin. Microbiol Mol Biol Rev 2017; 81:e00008-17. [PMID: 28615286 PMCID: PMC5584316 DOI: 10.1128/mmbr.00008-17] [Citation(s) in RCA: 68] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
How mitochondria came to reside within the cytosol of their host has been debated for 50 years. Though current data indicate that the last eukaryote common ancestor possessed mitochondria and was a complex cell, whether mitochondria or complexity came first in eukaryotic evolution is still discussed. In autogenous models (complexity first), the origin of phagocytosis poses the limiting step at eukaryote origin, with mitochondria coming late as an undigested growth substrate. In symbiosis-based models (mitochondria first), the host was an archaeon, and the origin of mitochondria was the limiting step at eukaryote origin, with mitochondria providing bacterial genes, ATP synthesis on internalized bioenergetic membranes, and mitochondrion-derived vesicles as the seed of the eukaryote endomembrane system. Metagenomic studies are uncovering new host-related archaeal lineages that are reported as complex or phagocytosing, although images of such cells are lacking. Here we review the physiology and components of phagocytosis in eukaryotes, critically inspecting the concept of a phagotrophic host. From ATP supply and demand, a mitochondrion-lacking phagotrophic archaeal fermenter would have to ingest about 34 times its body weight in prokaryotic prey to obtain enough ATP to support one cell division. It would lack chemiosmotic ATP synthesis at the plasma membrane, because phagocytosis and chemiosmosis in the same membrane are incompatible. It would have lived from amino acid fermentations, because prokaryotes are mainly protein. Its ATP yield would have been impaired relative to typical archaeal amino acid fermentations, which involve chemiosmosis. In contrast, phagocytosis would have had great physiological benefit for a mitochondrion-bearing cell.
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Affiliation(s)
- William F Martin
- Institute for Molecular Evolution, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Aloysius G M Tielens
- Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Marek Mentel
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Comenius University in Bratislava, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Sriram G Garg
- Institute for Molecular Evolution, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Sven B Gould
- Institute for Molecular Evolution, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
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50
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Spang A, Caceres EF, Ettema TJG. Genomic exploration of the diversity, ecology, and evolution of the archaeal domain of life. Science 2017; 357:357/6351/eaaf3883. [DOI: 10.1126/science.aaf3883] [Citation(s) in RCA: 196] [Impact Index Per Article: 28.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
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