title: Evolutionary mechanisms for establishing eukaryotic cellular complexity.
abstract: Through a comparative approach, evolutionary cell biology makes use of genomics, bioinformatics, and cell biology of non-model eukaryotes to provide new avenues for understanding basic cellular processes. This approach has led to proposed mechanisms underpinning the evolution of eukaryotic cellular organization including endosymbiotic and autogenous processes and neutral and adaptive processes. Together these mechanisms have contributed to the genesis and complexity of organelles, molecular machines, and genome architecture. We review these mechanisms and suggest that a greater appreciation of the diversity in eukaryotic form has led to a more complete understanding of the evolutionary connections between organelles and the unexpected routes by which this diversity has been reached.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cell Biology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2H7, Canada; Seattle Biomedical Research Institute, 307 Westlake Avenue North, Seattle, WA 98109-5240, USA; Institute for Systems Biology, 401 Terry Avenue North, Seattle, WA 98109-5219, USA.
authors.forename: Fred D
authors.initials: FD
authors.lastname: Mast
authors.affiliation: Department of Cell Biology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2H7, Canada.
authors.forename: Lael D
authors.initials: LD
authors.lastname: Barlow
authors.affiliation: Department of Cell Biology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2H7, Canada.
authors.forename: Richard A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Rachubinski
authors.affiliation: Department of Cell Biology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2H7, Canada. Electronic address: dacks@ualberta.ca.
authors.forename: Joel B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Dacks
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005057:Eukaryotic Cells / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000502:physiology*; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D016678:Genome / Q000235:genetics; D008954:Models, Biological; D015388:Organelles / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000502:physiology*
keywords: constructive neutral evolution; endosymbiosis; evolutionary cell biology; organelle paralogy hypothesis; protocoatomer; transfer-window hypothesis