The Eukaryote, the First Cell to Get Organized
Eukaryotic cells, essential for complex life, likely originated from an archaean engulfing a bacterium, forming mitochondria. Asgard archaea are their closest relatives, with ongoing debates about endosymbiosis and origins.
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The article discusses the origins and significance of eukaryotic cells, which are the building blocks of all complex multicellular life on Earth. Eukaryotes, characterized by their compartmentalized structure and organelles, emerged from a long evolutionary process involving interactions between prokaryotic cells, specifically bacteria and archaea. The first eukaryote likely arose when an archaean engulfed a bacterium, which evolved into the mitochondrion, a crucial organelle for energy production. This event marked a significant evolutionary leap, leading to the development of diverse unicellular and multicellular organisms, including plants, animals, and fungi. Recent research suggests that eukaryotes may have evolved from within archaea rather than alongside them, with Asgard archaea being identified as their closest prokaryotic relatives. The process of endosymbiosis, where one cell engulfs another, remains a topic of debate, particularly regarding the energy requirements and the identity of the first endosymbiont. Despite advances in understanding, many aspects of eukaryotic origins remain unclear, highlighting the complexity and diversity of these cells.
- Eukaryotes are essential for all complex multicellular life on Earth.
- They likely originated from an archaean engulfing a bacterium, leading to the formation of mitochondria.
- Asgard archaea are considered the closest known relatives of eukaryotes.
- The process of endosymbiosis is still debated, particularly regarding energy requirements and the first endosymbiont.
- Many aspects of eukaryotic origins remain unresolved, indicating ongoing research opportunities.
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The Eukaryote, the First Cell to Get Organized
Eukaryotic cells, essential for complex life, likely originated from an archaean engulfing a bacterium, forming mitochondria. Asgard archaea are their closest relatives, with endosymbiosis still under research.
2 commentsEttema’s team argue that their finding helps bridge the gap between our cells and those of the typical prokaryotic organisms from which we are believed to have evolved.
Others are more sceptical. “We’re getting closer to an archaeal ancestor of the eukaryotes,” says Nick Lane of University College London. However, even though the Lokiarchaea are relatively complex compared with other known archaea, they lack the large genome and energy-producing mitochondria of true eukaryotic cells. “It’s a thousandth of the way towards the complexity of a eukaryote,” says Lane. So we can’t really call them an intermediate step or a missing link.
Lane believes the crucial step in the evolution of the eukaryotes was acquiring mitochondria, which would have provided the energy to develop more complicated cellular processes and acquire a larger genome. Ettema does not think the Lokiarchaea have mitochondria, but he says some form of intracellular transport may have evolved before our ancestors acquired their powerhouses.
[1] https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg22630204-000-microbes...
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Eukaryotic cells, essential for complex life, likely originated from an archaean engulfing a bacterium, forming mitochondria. Asgard archaea are their closest relatives, with endosymbiosis still under research.