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Updated: Jul 10, 2026
08:14
Determining Membrane Protein Topology Using Fluorescence Protease Protection (FPP)
Published on: April 20, 2015
Cell evolution and the problem of membrane topology.
1European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Heidelberg, Germany. gareth.griffiths@embl-heidelberg.de
Nature Reviews. Molecular Cell Biology
|November 1, 2007
Summary
The origin of cells may not have required an internal vesicle. Early cytoplasm could have formed on a membrane surface, with cell formation occurring later through membrane invagination.
Area of Science:
- Origin of Life Studies
- Cell Biology
- Biochemistry
Background:
- Cell emergence depended on the co-evolution of cytoplasm, genetic systems, and cell membranes.
- The prevailing hypothesis suggests cytoplasm evolved within primordial lipid vesicles.
Purpose of the Study:
- To propose an alternative model for early cell evolution.
- To challenge the necessity of intracellular origin for early cytoplasm.
Main Methods:
- Theoretical modeling of early cellular development.
- Analysis of co-evolutionary pathways for cellular components.
Main Results:
- The earliest cytoplasm may have achieved high complexity outside a vesicle, on a membrane surface.
- Membrane invagination, facilitated by cytoskeletal elements, could have formed the first cells.
Conclusions:
- Cellular complexity might arise from surface-based co-evolution prior to vesicle encapsulation.
- This model offers a new perspective on the initial stages of cell formation and origin of life research.
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