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The endosymbiont theory is the most widely accepted theory of eukaryotic evolution; however, its progression is still somewhat debated. According to the nucleus-first hypothesis, the ancestral prokaryote first evolved a membrane to enclose DNA and form the nucleus. Conversely, the mitochondria-first hypothesis suggests that the nucleus was formed after endosymbiosis of mitochondria.
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Patterns and processes in the evolution of the eukaryotic endomembrane system.

¹Charles University in Prague, Faculty of Science, Departments of Botany and Parasitology, Prague, Czech Republic. melias@natur.cuni.cz

Molecular Membrane Biology

|November 12, 2010

Summary

The eukaryotic endomembrane system (ES) has a conserved core machinery established before the last eukaryotic common ancestor (LECA). Evolution has diversified the ES through gene duplication, domain architecture changes, and gene loss, creating significant variation in modern eukaryotes.

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Area of Science:

Cell Biology
Evolutionary Biology
Genomics

Background:

The eukaryotic endomembrane system (ES) relies on numerous specialized proteins.
A conserved core machinery for the ES predates the last eukaryotic common ancestor (LECA).

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the evolutionary processes shaping the eukaryotic endomembrane system.
To understand the diversification of ES-associated proteins from the LECA to modern eukaryotes.

Main Methods:

Comparative genomics
Phylogenomics
Analysis of protein domain architectures
Investigating gene duplication and loss events

Main Results:

The ES core machinery is conserved across eukaryotes, originating before LECA.
Gene duplication and divergence are key drivers of ES novelty and complexity post-LECA.
Extreme sequence divergence and domain architecture changes obscure homology, as seen with Vps51 and Fat-free.
Reductive evolution and gene loss significantly shape ES composition across lineages.

Conclusions:

The eukaryotic endomembrane system exhibits both a conserved core and extensive lineage-specific evolution.
Understanding ES evolution requires integrating genomic, phylogenomic, and protein architecture analyses.
Gene duplication, divergence, domain dynamics, and gene loss are critical evolutionary forces shaping the ES.