Spatial separation of ribosomes and DNA in Asgard archaeal cells

Avcı, Burak; Brandt, Jakob; Nachmias, Dikla; Elia, Natalie; Albertsen, Mads; Ettema, Thijs J. G.; Schramm, Andreas; Kjeldsen, Kasper Urup

doi:10.1038/s41396-021-01098-3

Cited by 23 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 22 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…The ~100-nm diameter of OdinTubulin tubules compares to the ~500-nm diameter of Candidatus Prometheoarchaeum syntrophicum MK-D1, a Lokiarchaeon, the only Asgard archaeon to be isolated to date ( 15 , 27 ), which can produce long protrusions extending away from the main cell body of diameter ~90 nm. In comparison, fluorescence in situ hybridization images of Lokiarchaeota and Heimdallarchaeota suggest varied morphologies, with some diameters extending beyond 2 μm ( 28 , 29 ). The dimensions and morphologies of Odinarchaeota are unknown; however, we speculate that OdinTubulin may play a role in subcellular membrane elongation, possibly in forming protrusions.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Structure and dynamics of Odinarchaeota tubulin and the implications for eukaryotic microtubule evolution

et al. 2022

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Tubulins are critical for the internal organization of eukaryotic cells, and understanding their emergence is an important question in eukaryogenesis. Asgard archaea are the closest known prokaryotic relatives to eukaryotes. Here, we elucidated the apo and nucleotide-bound x-ray structures of an Asgard tubulin from hydrothermal living Odinarchaeota (OdinTubulin). The guanosine 5′-triphosphate (GTP)–bound structure resembles a microtubule protofilament, with GTP bound between subunits, coordinating the “+” end subunit through a network of water molecules and unexpectedly by two cations. A water molecule is located suitable for GTP hydrolysis. Time course crystallography and electron microscopy revealed conformational changes on GTP hydrolysis. OdinTubulin forms tubules at high temperatures, with short curved protofilaments coiling around the tubule circumference, more similar to FtsZ, rather than running parallel to its length, as in microtubules. Thus, OdinTubulin represents an evolutionary stage intermediate between prokaryotic FtsZ and eukaryotic microtubule-forming tubulins.

show abstract

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Structure and dynamics of Odinarchaeota tubulin and the implications for eukaryotic microtubule evolution

et al. 2022

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The presence of rhodopsins in the most closely related Heimdallarchaeota Asgard group (the closest archaeal relative to eukaryotes discovered to date) suggests that the host cell may have at least transiently occupied the upper oxygen-enriched ocean layers [120,122,124]. Asgard DNA appears to be spatially segregated from ribosomes [125], suggesting that membrane compartmentalization and perhaps a nucleus may have already existed in the Asgard proto-eukaryotic host cell. PGRMC-mediated heme shuttling to the nucleus to regulate mitochondrial activity (see section 2.1.3 above) may therefore reflect a function that could have contributed to eukaryogenesis.…”

Section: Eukaryogenesis: Where When and Howmentioning

confidence: 99%

Unde venisti PGRMC? Grand-Scale Biology from Early Eukaryotes and Eumetazoan Animal Origins

Cahill¹

2022

Front. Biosci. (Landmark Ed)

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The title usage of Unde venisti 'from where have you come' is from a now dead language (Latin) that foundationally influenced modern English (not the major influence, but an essential formative one). This is an apt analogy for how both the ancient eukaryotic and eumetazoan functions of PGRMC proteins (PGRMC1 and PGRMC2 in mammals) probably influence modern human biology: via a formative trajectory from an evolutionarily foundational fulcrum. There is an arguable probability, although not a certainty, that PGRMC-like proteins were involved in eukaryogenesis. If so, then the proto-eukaryotic ancestral protein is modelled as having initiated the oxygeninduced and CYP450 (Cytochrome P450)-mediated synthesis of sterols in the endoplasmic reticulum to regulate proto-mitochondrial activity and heme homeostasis, as well as having enabled sterol transport between endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and mitochondria membranes involving the actin cytoskeleton, transport of heme from mitochondria, and possibly the regulation/origins of mitosis/meiosis. Later, during animal evolution, the last eumetazoan common ancestor (LEUMCA) acquired PGRMC phosphorylated tyrosines coincidentally with the gastrulation organizer, Netrin/deleted in colorectal carcinoma (DCC) signaling, muscle fibers, synapsed neurons, and neural recovery via a sleep-like process. Modern PGRMC proteins regulate multiple functions, including CYP450-mediated steroidogenesis, membrane trafficking, heme homeostasis, glycolysis/Warburg effect, fatty acid metabolism, mitochondrial regulation, and genomic CpG epigenetic regulation of gene expression. The latter imposes the system of differentiation status-sensitive cell-type specific proteomic complements in multi-tissued descendants of the LEUMCA. This paper attempts to trace PGRMC functions through time, proposing that key functions were involved in early eukaryotes, and were later added upon in the LEUMCA. An accompanying paper considers the implications of this awareness for human health and disease.

show abstract

“…Indeed, the genetic material of the Asgards is condensed and spatially located into compartments or membranes, something previously thought to be present only in eukaryotes. [ 9 ] Recently gelsolins from the Thorarchaeota have been shown to regulate eukaryotic actin polymerization as well as co‐localize with actin in cultured eukaryotic cells. [ 19 ] This means that Thorarchaeota likely possesses eukaryotic actin regulatory characteristics.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…

last decade, this notion has changed dramatically due to increasing metagenomics analysis, laboratory cultivation, and experimental validation. [5][6][7][8][9][10] It is now generally accepted that evolutionary events led to the merger between an archaeal host and an alphaproteobacterium. The Asgards (Lokiarchaeota, Thorarchaeota, Odinarchaeota, Heimdallarchaeota, Wukongarchaeota, Hodarchaeota, Kariarchaeota, Hermodarchaeota, Gerdarchaeota, and Baldrarchaeota), is the this newly discovered super-phyla within the archaea, and it is widely accepted as the last eukaryotic common ancestor (LECA).

…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Structural Characterization of a Thorarchaeota Profilin Indicates Eukaryotic‐Like Features but with an Extended N‐Terminus

et al. 2022

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The emergence of the first eukaryotic cell is preceded by evolutionary events, which are still highly debatable. Clues of the exact sequence of events are beginning to emerge. Recent metagenomics analyses has uncovered the Asgard super‐phylum as the closest yet known archaea host of eukaryotes. Some of these have been tested and confirmed experimentally. However, the bulk of eukaryotic signature proteins predicted to be encoded by the Asgard super‐phylum have not been studied, and their true functions, at least in the context of a eukaryotic cell, are still elusive. For example, there are several different variants of the profilin within each Asgardian Achaea, and there are some conflicting results of their actual roles. Here, the 3D structure of profilin from Thorarchaeota is determined by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and shows that this profilin has a eukaryotic‐like profilin with a rigid core and an extended N‐terminus previously implicated in polyproline binding. In addition, it is also shown that Thorarchaeota Profilin co‐localizes with eukaryotic actin in cultured HeLa cells. This finding reaffirms the notion that Asgardian encoded proteins possess eukaryotic‐like characteristics and strengthen the likely existence of a complex cytoskeleton already in a last eukaryotic common ancestor.

show abstract

Spatial separation of ribosomes and DNA in Asgard archaeal cells

Cited by 23 publications

References 22 publications

Structure and dynamics of Odinarchaeota tubulin and the implications for eukaryotic microtubule evolution

Structure and dynamics of Odinarchaeota tubulin and the implications for eukaryotic microtubule evolution

Unde venisti PGRMC? Grand-Scale Biology from Early Eukaryotes and Eumetazoan Animal Origins

Structural Characterization of a Thorarchaeota Profilin Indicates Eukaryotic‐Like Features but with an Extended N‐Terminus

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About