Title |
Complex archaea that bridge the gap between prokaryotes and eukaryotes
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Published in |
Nature, May 2015
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DOI | 10.1038/nature14447 |
Pubmed ID | |
Authors |
Anja Spang, Jimmy H. Saw, Steffen L. Jørgensen, Katarzyna Zaremba-Niedzwiedzka, Joran Martijn, Anders E. Lind, Roel van Eijk, Christa Schleper, Lionel Guy, Thijs J. G. Ettema |
Abstract |
The origin of the eukaryotic cell remains one of the most contentious puzzles in modern biology. Recent studies have provided support for the emergence of the eukaryotic host cell from within the archaeal domain of life, but the identity and nature of the putative archaeal ancestor remain a subject of debate. Here we describe the discovery of 'Lokiarchaeota', a novel candidate archaeal phylum, which forms a monophyletic group with eukaryotes in phylogenomic analyses, and whose genomes encode an expanded repertoire of eukaryotic signature proteins that are suggestive of sophisticated membrane remodelling capabilities. Our results provide strong support for hypotheses in which the eukaryotic host evolved from a bona fide archaeon, and demonstrate that many components that underpin eukaryote-specific features were already present in that ancestor. This provided the host with a rich genomic 'starter-kit' to support the increase in the cellular and genomic complexity that is characteristic of eukaryotes. |
X Demographics
Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
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United States | 102 | 17% |
United Kingdom | 47 | 8% |
Spain | 27 | 4% |
Japan | 23 | 4% |
Germany | 16 | 3% |
Canada | 15 | 2% |
Netherlands | 12 | 2% |
Sweden | 10 | 2% |
Australia | 9 | 1% |
Other | 97 | 16% |
Unknown | 260 | 42% |
Demographic breakdown
Type | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Members of the public | 398 | 64% |
Scientists | 199 | 32% |
Science communicators (journalists, bloggers, editors) | 14 | 2% |
Practitioners (doctors, other healthcare professionals) | 6 | <1% |
Unknown | 1 | <1% |
Mendeley readers
Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
United States | 45 | 2% |
Germany | 15 | <1% |
France | 11 | <1% |
Brazil | 11 | <1% |
United Kingdom | 10 | <1% |
Spain | 7 | <1% |
Canada | 6 | <1% |
Czechia | 6 | <1% |
Chile | 5 | <1% |
Other | 48 | 2% |
Unknown | 2216 | 93% |
Demographic breakdown
Readers by professional status | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Student > Ph. D. Student | 498 | 21% |
Researcher | 402 | 17% |
Student > Bachelor | 343 | 14% |
Student > Master | 295 | 12% |
Professor | 104 | 4% |
Other | 372 | 16% |
Unknown | 366 | 15% |
Readers by discipline | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Agricultural and Biological Sciences | 905 | 38% |
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology | 544 | 23% |
Environmental Science | 120 | 5% |
Immunology and Microbiology | 93 | 4% |
Earth and Planetary Sciences | 88 | 4% |
Other | 199 | 8% |
Unknown | 431 | 18% |