Hypotheses on the origin of eukaryotic cells must account for the origin of the microtubular cytoskeletal structures (including the mitotic spindle, undulipodium/cilium (so-called flagellum) and other structures underlain by the 9(2)+2 microtubular axoneme) in addition to the membrane-bounded nucleus. Whereas bacteria with membrane-bounded nucleoids have been described, no precedent for mitotic, cytoskeletal, or axonemal microtubular structures are known in prokaryotes. Molecular phylogenetic analyses indicate that the cells of the earliest-branching lineages of eukaryotes contain the karyomastigont cytoskeletal system. These protist cells divide via an extranuclear spindle and a persistent nuclear membrane. We suggest that this association between the centriole/kinetosome axoneme (undulipodium) and the nucleus existed from the earliest stage of eukaryotic cell evolution. We interpret the karyomastigont to be a legacy of the symbiosis between thermoacidophilic archaebacteria and motile eubacteria from which the first eukaryote evolved. Mutually inconsistent hypotheses for the origin of the nucleus are reviewed and sequenced proteins of cell motility are discussed because of their potential value in resolving this problem. A correlation of fossil evidence with modern cell and microbiological studies leads us to the karyomastigont theory of the origin of the nucleus.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
---|---|
http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/ar.10161 | DOI Listing |
Pflugers Arch
January 2025
Division of Neurophysiology, Department of Physiology, Hyogo Medical University, Hyogo, 663 8501, Japan.
The nucleus tractus solitarius (NTS) contains neurons that relay sensory swallowing commands information from the oropharyngeal cavity and swallowing premotor neurons of the dorsal swallowing group (DSG). However, the spatio-temporal dynamics of the interplay between the sensory relay and the DSG is not well understood. Here, we employed fluorescence imaging after microinjection of the calcium indicator into the NTS in an arterially perfused brainstem preparation of rat (n = 8) to investigate neuronal population activity in the NTS in response to superior laryngeal nerve (SLN) stimulation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFront Biosci (Landmark Ed)
January 2025
Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Binzhou Medical University Hospital, 256603 Binzhou, Shandong, China.
Background: Cellular vacuolization is a commonly observed phenomenon under physiological and pathological conditions. However, the mechanisms underlying vacuole formation remain largely unresolved.
Methods: LysoTracker Deep Red probes and Enhanced Green Fluorescent Protein-tagged light chain 3B (LC3B) plasmids were employed to differentiate the types of massive vacuoles.
Int J Mol Sci
January 2025
Laboratory of Neuroendocrinology and In Situ Hybridization, Department of Anatomy, Histology and Embryology, Semmelweis University, H1094 Budapest, Hungary.
The ability to reproduce depends on metabolic status. In rodents, the ventral premammillary nucleus (PMv) integrates metabolic and reproductive signals. While leptin (adiposity-related) signaling in the PMv is critical for female fertility, male reproductive functions are strongly influenced by glucose homeostasis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInt J Mol Sci
January 2025
School of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milano-Bicocca, 20900 Monza, Italy.
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of small non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) crucial for regulating gene expression at the post-transcriptional level. Recent evidence has shown that miRNAs are also found in mitochondria, organelles that produce energy in the cell. These mitochondrial miRNAs, also known as mitomiRs, are essential for regulating mitochondrial function and metabolism.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFGenes (Basel)
January 2025
Aix Marseille Université, Université de Toulon, CNRS, IRD, MIO UM110, 13288 Marseille, France.
This short review bridges two biological fields: ribosomes and nucleosomes-two nucleoprotein assemblies that, along with many viruses, share proteins featuring long filamentous segments at their N- or C-termini. A central hypothesis is that these extensions and tails perform analogous functions in both systems. The evolution of these structures appears closely tied to the emergence of regulatory networks and signaling pathways, facilitating increasingly complex roles for ribosomes and nucleosome alike.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEnter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!