How did mitochondria, the powerhouses of eukaryotic cells, originate? This review examines recent findings from ancestral protists, highlighting the diversity of mitochondrial genomes and reinforcing the theory that mitochondria arose only once in evolution from an endosymbiotic α-Proteobacterium. Challenging the serial endosymbiosis theory, the authors explore the possibility that the origin of the mitochondrion was concurrent with the emergence of the nuclear genome in eukaryotic cells. This review suggests a new perspective on the significant role of the endosymbiotic event in shaping the eukaryotic cell's origins, calling for further research to fully understand the evolution of the eukaryotic cell.
Published in the Annual Review of Genetics, this comprehensive overview of mitochondrial genome evolution and its implications for the origin of eukaryotes perfectly aligns with the journal's focus. The article synthesizes recent findings and challenges existing theories, contributing significantly to the field of genetics and evolutionary biology and appealing to a broad audience of researchers.
| Category | Category Repetition |
|---|---|
| Science: Biology (General) | 169 |
| Science: Biology (General): Genetics | 134 |
| Science: Chemistry: Organic chemistry: Biochemistry | 86 |
| Agriculture: Plant culture | 56 |
| Science: Microbiology | 56 |