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Eukaryotic Evolution01:24

Eukaryotic Evolution

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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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The genomes of eukaryotes are punctuated by long stretches of sequence which do not code for proteins or RNAs. Although some of these regions do contain crucial regulatory sequences, the vast majority of this DNA serves no known function. Typically, these regions of the genome are the ones in which the fastest change, in evolutionary terms, is observed, because there is typically little to no selection pressure acting on these regions to preserve their sequences.
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The seminal work of Ohno in 1970 popularized the idea of gene duplication and divergence. DNA sequence comparison studies reveal that a large portion of the genes in bacteria, archaebacteria, and eukaryotes was  generated by gene duplication and divergence, indicating its critical role in evolution.
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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 4, 2025

The Power of Simplicity: Sea Urchin Embryos as in Vivo Developmental Models for Studying Complex Cell-to-cell Signaling Network Interactions
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A nonadaptive explanation for macroevolutionary patterns in the evolution of complex multicellularity.

Emma P Bingham1,2, William C Ratcliff3

  • 1School of Physics, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
|February 5, 2024
PubMed
Summary

Complex multicellularity evolved in eukaryotes but not prokaryotes. This study suggests differing responses to genetic drift, with eukaryotes expanding genomes and prokaryotes eroding them, driving this divergence.

Keywords:
adaptationcomplexitygenetic driftmulticellularitypopulation genetics

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Area of Science:

  • Evolutionary biology
  • Genomics

Background:

  • Complex multicellularity evolved independently in eukaryotes, but not prokaryotes.
  • Existing hypotheses focus on pre-requisite eukaryotic traits.

Purpose of the Study:

  • Propose a nonadaptive hypothesis for the divergent evolution of complex multicellularity.
  • Explain why complex multicellularity is absent in prokaryotes.

Main Methods:

  • Investigated the impact of genetic bottlenecks on effective population size (Ne).
  • Analyzed the contrasting evolutionary responses of prokaryotic and eukaryotic genomes to genetic drift.

Main Results:

  • Multicellularity reduces Ne, increasing the role of genetic drift.
  • Eukaryotes tend to expand genomes under drift, providing material for innovation.
  • Prokaryotes generally experience genomic erosion under drift.

Conclusions:

  • Idiosyncratic lineage-specific evolutionary dynamics, particularly genome response to drift, are key to the long-term divergent evolution of complex multicellularity.
  • This nonadaptive hypothesis offers an alternative explanation for the macroevolutionary pattern.