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Intracellular life.
D Corsaro1, D Venditti, M Padula
1Laboratoire de Microbiologie-Virologie, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Nancy, France.
Critical Reviews in Microbiology
|May 26, 1999
Summary
Intracellular parasites and endosymbionts, common across life, show adaptations for intracellular survival. Comparative biology and phylogenetic analyses illuminate the evolution of these symbiotic relationships and eukaryotic cell origins.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Evolutionary Biology
- Cell Biology
Background:
- Intracellular parasites and endosymbionts are ubiquitous across life forms, including bacteria.
- Eukaryotic organelles are hypothesized to originate from ancestral endosymbionts.
- Intracellular life involves specific adaptations and strategies for habitat exploitation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze the biology of intracellular parasites and endosymbionts.
- To understand the general considerations and independent strategies for adapting to intracellular life.
- To evaluate the evolutionary history of symbiosis and endosymbiogenesis.
Main Methods:
- Comparative analysis of parasite and symbiont biology.
- Morphological studies.
- Molecular phylogenetic analyses and palaeobiological data integration.
- Comparison of host and symbiont phylogenies.
Main Results:
- Identified general considerations and diverse strategies for intracellular adaptation.
- Demonstrated syntrophy-based symbioses leading to unique physiological systems.
- Provided evidence for the eubacterial origin of mitochondria and plastids, supporting endosymbiogenesis.
- Highlighted the expansion and peculiar aspects of intracellular living associations.
Conclusions:
- Intracellular life involves significant evolutionary adaptations and strategies.
- Phylogenetic comparisons are crucial for understanding symbiotic evolutionary history.
- Endosymbiogenesis is a key process in eukaryotic cell evolution, with strong evidence for bacterial origins of organelles.