Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 14, 2025
11:19
Spatiotemporal Analysis of Cytokinetic Events in Fission Yeast
Published on: February 20, 2017
7.4K
Organellogenesis: Host proteins control symbiont cell divisions
1Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology, 1919-1 Tancha, Onna-son, Okinawa 904-0495, Japan.
Current Biology : CB
|January 10, 2023
Summary
Researchers discovered host cell-division proteins aiding bacterial endosymbiont division in a unicellular eukaryote. This finding sheds light on organellogenesis and the origin of eukaryotic cells.
Area of Science:
- Cell biology
- Evolutionary biology
- Microbiology
Background:
- The origin of eukaryotic cells is a major evolutionary question.
- Organellogenesis, the process of endosymbionts becoming organelles, is key to understanding this origin.
- Previous research has focused on the genetic and metabolic integration of endosymbionts.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the molecular mechanisms of host-symbiont integration during organellogenesis.
- To identify host factors involved in the division of bacterial endosymbionts.
- To understand the role of host-derived proteins in maintaining endosymbiont populations.
Main Methods:
- Studied host-symbiont interactions in a relevant unicellular eukaryotic model system.
- Utilized protein localization techniques to track host-derived proteins within the endosymbiont.
- Performed genetic and biochemical analyses to determine the function of these proteins in endosymbiont cell division.
Main Results:
- Identified specific host-derived cell-division proteins.
- Demonstrated that these proteins are targeted to the cell envelope of the bacterial endosymbiont.
- Confirmed the involvement of these host proteins in the regulation of endosymbiont cell division.
Conclusions:
- Host cell machinery can be repurposed to control the division of bacterial endosymbionts.
- This host-derived regulation is a crucial aspect of successful endosymbiont integration and organellogenesis.
- The findings provide new insights into the dynamic interplay between hosts and symbionts during the evolution of cellular complexity.
Related Concept Videos
02:36Cells Coordinate Growth and Proliferation
4.6K
Cell size is a significant factor impacting cellular design, function, and fitness. There exists some internal coordination by which cells double their masses before division, thus, achieving homeostasis. Coordination between cell growth and proliferation depends on the checkpoints in between cell cycle phases. Loss of coordination or failure in the checkpoint mechanism can drive the cell to uncontrolled growth and loss of cellular function. Like dividing cells that coordinate cellular growth,...
4.6K
02:33Distribution of Cytoplasmic Content
4.2K
Cytokinesis segregates a cell’s chromosomes and organelles into its daughter cells. Organelles divide and grow prior to cell division but cannot be synthesized de novo; therefore, cells must receive at least one copy of each organelle to survive. Currently, many of the details of how the organelles are distributed are not yet fully elucidated.
Distribution of cytoplasmic determinants
The cytoplasm contains various organelles, as well as salts, proteins, and water. The distribution of...
Distribution of cytoplasmic determinants
The cytoplasm contains various organelles, as well as salts, proteins, and water. The distribution of...
4.2K
01:27Molecular Factors Affecting Cell Division
3.2K
Several external and internal factors influence the initiation and inhibition of cell division. For instance, the death of nearby cells or the release of human growth hormone (hGH) promotes cell division. In contrast, lack of hGH or crowding of cells can inhibit cell division.
Several proteins function as internal regulators to ensure each cell cycle stage is completed faithfully before proceeding to the next. Regulator molecules may act directly or influence the activity or production of other...
Several proteins function as internal regulators to ensure each cell cycle stage is completed faithfully before proceeding to the next. Regulator molecules may act directly or influence the activity or production of other...
3.2K
02:13Determining the Plane of Cell Division
3.4K
Positioning the cell division plane is a critical step during development and cell differentiation, particularly during mitosis when the plane is essential for determining the size of the two daughter cells. The cell division plane is perpendicular to the plane of chromosome segregation, but different types of organisms have different cell division mechanisms to suit their morphology and function.
Animal cells
In animal cells, the cleavage furrow forms along the plane of cell division...
Animal cells
In animal cells, the cleavage furrow forms along the plane of cell division...
3.4K
02:11The Cell Cycle Control System
12.4K
The cell cycle is an organized set of events that leads the cell to divide into two daughter cells, each containing chromosomes identical to the parent cell. It is the cell cycle that leads to the formation of an entire organism from a single-cell zygote. Besides, cell division also functions in the renewal or repair of tissues in adult multicellular eukaryotes. For example, in the bone marrow, the stem cells divide to form new blood cells. Although essential for several functions, cell...
12.4K
01:29Cytoskeletal Proteins in Bacteria
3.5K
Bacterial cells were initially considered simple, randomly organized structures lacking a cytoskeleton. However, the discovery of cytoskeleton homologs in bacteria led to the change of this opinion. Bacterial cytoskeletal filaments regulate the cell shape, cell polarity, cell division, and partitioning of plasmids during cell division. It was later discovered that bacterial cytoskeletal proteins, mainly actin and tubulin homologs, are diverse compared to their eukaryotic counterparts. On the...
3.5K