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Updated: Aug 13, 2025

Single Cell Micro-aspiration as an Alternative Strategy to Fluorescence-activated Cell Sorting for Giant Virus Mixture Separation
Published on: October 27, 2019
[Viruses and the evolution of modern eukaryotic cells]
Patrick Forterre1, Morgan Gaïa2
1Département de microbiologie, Institut Pasteur, 25 rue du Docteur Roux, 75015 Paris, France - Institut de biologie intégrative de la cellule (I2BC), Département de microbiologie, CEA, CNRS, Université Paris-Saclay, 91198 Gif-sur-Yvette, France.
Viruses significantly influenced early eukaryotic evolution, potentially originating key cellular structures and functions. This review explores the viral role in eukaryogenesis, including protein origins and the nucleus.
Area of Science:
- Evolutionary biology
- Molecular biology
- Virology
Background:
- Viruses are recognized as significant drivers of modern eukaryotic evolution.
- The precise role of viruses in the origin of eukaryotes (eukaryogenesis) remains an active area of research.
Conclusions:
- Ancient virus-host interactions were likely crucial for the emergence of eukaryotes.
- Viruses may have contributed fundamental components to eukaryotic molecular biology and cellular architecture.
- Understanding viral contributions offers new perspectives on cell evolution and differentiation.
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