Origins of hydrogenosomes and mitochondria.
Complete genome sequences for many oxygen-respiring mitochondria, as well as for some bacteria, leave no doubt that mitochondria are descendants of alpha-proteobacteria, a finding for which the endosymbiont hypothesis can easily account. Yet a wealth of data indicate that mitochondria and hydrogenosomes - the ATP-producing organelles of many anaerobic protists - share a common ancestry, a finding that traditional formulations of the endosymbiont hypothesis less readily accommodates. Available evidence suggests that a more in-depth understanding of the origins of eukaryotes and their organelles will hinge upon data from the genomes of protists that synthesize ATP without the need for oxygen.
Rotte
C
C
Institute of Botany, University of Düsseldorf, Universitätsstr. 1, 40225, Düsseldorf, Germany. carmen.rotte@uni-duesseldorf.de
Henze
K
K
Müller
M
M
Martin
W
W
D000332:Aerobiosis; D020561:Alphaproteobacteria; D000693:Anaerobiosis; D000818:Animals; D005075:Biological Evolution; D004579:Electron Transport; D056890:Eukaryota; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000502:physiology*; D015388:Organelles / Q000502:physiology*