scholarly journals Evolution of Rieske/cytochrome b complexes, the enzyme that witnessed the history of life since the Last Universal Common Ancestor

2012 ◽  
Vol 1817 ◽  
pp. S90
Author(s):  
F. Baymann ◽  
R. van Lis ◽  
F. ten Brink ◽  
B. Schoepp-Cothenet ◽  
W. Nitschke
Keyword(s):  
Cytochrome B ◽  
Common Ancestor ◽  
Last Universal Common Ancestor ◽  
Universal Common Ancestor ◽  
History Of

scholarly journals Positively twisted: The complex evolutionary history of Reverse Gyrase suggests a non-hyperthermophilic Last Universal Common Ancestor

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ryan Catchpole ◽  
Patrick Forterre
Keyword(s):  
Common Ancestor ◽  
Optimal Growth ◽  
Reverse Gyrase ◽  
Last Universal Common Ancestor ◽  
Growth Environment ◽  
Universal Common Ancestor ◽  
Branch Lengths ◽  
Encoded Proteins ◽  
History Of ◽  
Vertical Evolution

AbstractReverse gyrase (RG) is the only protein found ubiquitously in hyperthermophilic organisms, but absent from mesophiles. As such, its simple presence or absence allows us to deduce information about the optimal growth temperature of long-extinct organisms, even as far as the last universal common ancestor of extant life (LUCA). The growth environment and gene content of the LUCA has long been a source of debate in which RG often features. In an attempt to settle this debate, we carried out an exhaustive search for RG proteins, generating the largest RG dataset to date. Comprising 376 sequences, our dataset allows for phylogenetic reconstructions of RG with unprecedented size and detail. These RG phylogenies are strikingly different from those of known LUCA-encoded proteins, even when using the same set of species. Unlike LUCA-encoded proteins, RG does not form monophyletic archaeal and bacterial clades, suggesting RG emergence after the formation of these domains, and/or significant horizontal gene transfer. Even more strikingly, the branch lengths separating archaeal and bacterial groups are very short, inconsistent with the tempo of evolution from the time of the LUCA. Despite this, phylogenies limited to archaeal RG resolve most archaeal phyla, suggesting predominantly vertical evolution since the time of the last archaeal ancestor. In contrast, bacterial RG indicates emergence after the last bacterial ancestor followed by significant horizontal transfer. Taken together, these results suggest a non-hyperthermophilic LUCA and bacterial ancestor, with hyperthermophily emerging early in the evolution of the archaeal and bacterial domains.

The Evolutionary History of Carbamoyltransferases: A Complex Set of Paralogous Genes Was Already Present in the Last Universal Common Ancestor

1999 ◽  
Vol 49 (4) ◽  
pp. 461-473 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bernard Labedan ◽  
Anne Boyen ◽  
Margot Baetens ◽  
Daniel Charlier ◽  
Pingguo Chen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Evolutionary History ◽  
Common Ancestor ◽  
Last Universal Common Ancestor ◽  
Paralogous Genes ◽  
Universal Common Ancestor ◽  
History Of

scholarly journals SepF is the FtsZ anchor in archaea, with features of an ancestral cell division system

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nika Pende ◽  
Adrià Sogues ◽  
Daniela Megrian ◽  
Anna Sartori-Rupp ◽  
Patrick England ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cell Division ◽  
Common Ancestor ◽  
Phylogenetic Analyses ◽  
Super Resolution ◽  
Binding Mode ◽  
Last Universal Common Ancestor ◽  
Division Plane ◽  
Multiple Factors ◽  
Universal Common Ancestor ◽  
Super Resolution Microscopy

AbstractMost archaea divide by binary fission using an FtsZ-based system similar to that of bacteria, but they lack many of the divisome components described in model bacterial organisms. Notably, among the multiple factors that tether FtsZ to the membrane during bacterial cell constriction, archaea only possess SepF-like homologs. Here, we combine structural, cellular, and evolutionary analyses to demonstrate that SepF is the FtsZ anchor in the human-associated archaeon Methanobrevibacter smithii. 3D super-resolution microscopy and quantitative analysis of immunolabeled cells show that SepF transiently co-localizes with FtsZ at the septum and possibly primes the future division plane. M. smithii SepF binds to membranes and to FtsZ, inducing filament bundling. High-resolution crystal structures of archaeal SepF alone and in complex with the FtsZ C-terminal domain (FtsZCTD) reveal that SepF forms a dimer with a homodimerization interface driving a binding mode that is different from that previously reported in bacteria. Phylogenetic analyses of SepF and FtsZ from bacteria and archaea indicate that the two proteins may date back to the Last Universal Common Ancestor (LUCA), and we speculate that the archaeal mode of SepF/FtsZ interaction might reflect an ancestral feature. Our results provide insights into the mechanisms of archaeal cell division and pave the way for a better understanding of the processes underlying the divide between the two prokaryotic domains.

The Last Universal Common Ancestor (LUCA), Simple or Complex?

1999 ◽  
Vol 196 (3) ◽  
pp. 373-377 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Forterre ◽  
H. Philippe
Keyword(s):  
Common Ancestor ◽  
Last Universal Common Ancestor ◽  
Universal Common Ancestor

scholarly journals Origin of Life

2021 ◽  
Vol 83 (2) ◽  
pp. 76-79
Author(s):  
Cristina Sousa
Keyword(s):  
Origin Of Life ◽  
Common Ancestor ◽  
Scientific Evidence ◽  
Recent Common Ancestor ◽  
Last Universal Common Ancestor ◽  
Most Recent Common Ancestor ◽  
Universal Common Ancestor ◽  
The Origin Of Life

The origin of life is one of the most interesting and challenging questions in biology. This article discusses relevant contemporary theories and hypotheses about the origin of life, recent scientific evidence supporting them, and the main contributions of several scientists of different nationalities and specialties in different disciplines. Also discussed are several ideas about the characteristics of the most recent common ancestor, also called the “last universal common ancestor” (or LUCA), including cellular status (unicellular or community) and homogeneity level.

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