title: The evolutionary origin of peroxisomes: an ER-peroxisome connection.
abstract: The peroxisome is an essential eukaryotic organelle, crucial for lipid metabolism and free radical detoxification, development, differentiation, and morphogenesis from yeasts to humans. Loss of peroxisomes invariably leads to fatal peroxisome biogenesis disorders in man. The evolutionary origin of peroxisomes remains unsolved; proposals for either a symbiogenetic or cellular membrane invagination event are unconclusive. To address this question, we have probed with a peroxisomal proteome, an "ensemble" of 19 representative eukaryotic complete genomes. Molecular phylogenetic and sequence comparison tools allowed us to identify four proteins as peroxisomal markers for unequivocal in silico peroxisome detection. We have then detected the Apicomplexa phylum as the first group of organisms devoid of peroxisomes, in the presence of mitochondria. Finally, we deliver evidence against a prokaryotic ancestor of peroxisomes: (1) the peroxisomal membrane is composed of purely eukaryotic bricks and is thus useful to trace the eukaryotes in their evolutionary paths and (2) the peroxisomal matrix protein import system shares mechanistic similarities with the endoplasmic reticulum/proteasome degradation process, indicating a common evolutionary history.
authors.affiliation: Institut de Génétique et de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique/Institut National de la Sante et de la Recherche Medicale/Université Louis Pasteur/Collège de France, Illkirch, France.
authors.forename: Agatha
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Schlüter
authors.forename: Stéphane
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fourcade
authors.forename: Raymond
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ripp
authors.forename: Jean Louis
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Mandel
authors.forename: Olivier
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Poch
authors.forename: Aurora
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pujol
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005075:Biological Evolution; D004721:Endoplasmic Reticulum / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics*; D056890:Eukaryota / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics; D005658:Fungi / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics; D005819:Genetic Markers; D006801:Humans; D020675:Peroxisomes / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics*; D010802:Phylogeny; D020543:Proteome
chemical_list: D005819:Genetic Markers; D020543:Proteome