Reconstructing the last common ancestor of all eukaryotes

Thomas A. Richards; Laura Eme; John M. Archibald; Guy Leonard; Susana M. Coelho; Alex de Mendoza; Christophe Dessimoz; Pavel Dolezal; Lillian K. Fritz-Laylin; Toni Gabaldón; Vladimír Hampl; Geert J.P.L. Kops; Michelle M. Leger; Purificacion Lopez-Garcia; James O. McInerney; David Moreira; Sergio A. Muñoz-Gómez; Daniel J. Richter; Iñaki Ruiz-Trillo; Alyson E. Santoro; Arnau Sebé-Pedrós; Berend Snel; Courtney W. Stairs; Eelco C. Tromer; Jolien J.E. van Hooff; Bill Wickstead; Tom A. Williams; Andrew J. Roger; Joel B. Dacks; Jeremy G. Wideman

doi:10.1371/journal.pbio.3002917

Reconstructing the last common ancestor of all eukaryotes

Thomas A. Richards, Laura Eme, John M. Archibald, Guy Leonard, Susana M. Coelho, Alex de Mendoza, Christophe Dessimoz, Pavel Dolezal, Lillian K. Fritz-Laylin, Toni Gabaldón, Vladimír Hampl, Geert J.P.L. Kops, Michelle M. Leger, Purificacion Lopez-Garcia, James O. McInerney, David Moreira, Sergio A. Muñoz-Gómez, Daniel J. Richter, Iñaki Ruiz-Trillo, Alyson E. SantoroArnau Sebé-Pedrós, Berend Snel, Courtney W. Stairs, Eelco C. Tromer, Jolien J.E. van Hooff, Bill Wickstead, Tom A. Williams, Andrew J. Roger, Joel B. Dacks, Jeremy G. Wideman

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

4 Scopus citations

Abstract

Understanding the origin of eukaryotic cells is one of the most difficult problems in all of biology. A key challenge relevant to the question of eukaryogenesis is reconstructing the gene repertoire of the last eukaryotic common ancestor (LECA). As data sets grow, sketching an accurate genomics-informed picture of early eukaryotic cellular complexity requires provision of analytical resources and a commitment to data sharing. Here, we summarise progress towards understanding the biology of LECA and outline a community approach to inferring its wider gene repertoire. Once assembled, a robust LECA gene set will be a useful tool for evaluating alternative hypotheses about the origin of eukaryotes and understanding the evolution of traits in all descendant lineages, with relevance in diverse fields such as cell biology, microbial ecology, biotechnology, agriculture, and medicine. In this Consensus View, we put forth the status quo and an agreed path forward to reconstruct LECA’s gene content.

Original language	English (US)
Article number	e3002917
Journal	PLoS biology
Volume	22
Issue number	11
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3002917
State	Published - Nov 2024
Externally published	Yes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

General Neuroscience
General Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology
General Immunology and Microbiology
General Agricultural and Biological Sciences

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10.1371/journal.pbio.3002917

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Richards, T. A., Eme, L., Archibald, J. M., Leonard, G., Coelho, S. M., de Mendoza, A., Dessimoz, C., Dolezal, P., Fritz-Laylin, L. K., Gabaldón, T., Hampl, V., Kops, G. J. P. L., Leger, M. M., Lopez-Garcia, P., McInerney, J. O., Moreira, D., Muñoz-Gómez, S. A., Richter, D. J., Ruiz-Trillo, I., ... Wideman, J. G. (2024). Reconstructing the last common ancestor of all eukaryotes. PLoS biology, 22(11), Article e3002917. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3002917

Richards, TA, Eme, L, Archibald, JM, Leonard, G, Coelho, SM, de Mendoza, A, Dessimoz, C, Dolezal, P, Fritz-Laylin, LK, Gabaldón, T, Hampl, V, Kops, GJPL, Leger, MM, Lopez-Garcia, P, McInerney, JO, Moreira, D, Muñoz-Gómez, SA, Richter, DJ, Ruiz-Trillo, I, Santoro, AE, Sebé-Pedrós, A, Snel, B, Stairs, CW, Tromer, EC, van Hooff, JJE, Wickstead, B, Williams, TA, Roger, AJ, Dacks, JB & Wideman, JG 2024, 'Reconstructing the last common ancestor of all eukaryotes', PLoS biology, vol. 22, no. 11, e3002917. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3002917

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abstract = "Understanding the origin of eukaryotic cells is one of the most difficult problems in all of biology. A key challenge relevant to the question of eukaryogenesis is reconstructing the gene repertoire of the last eukaryotic common ancestor (LECA). As data sets grow, sketching an accurate genomics-informed picture of early eukaryotic cellular complexity requires provision of analytical resources and a commitment to data sharing. Here, we summarise progress towards understanding the biology of LECA and outline a community approach to inferring its wider gene repertoire. Once assembled, a robust LECA gene set will be a useful tool for evaluating alternative hypotheses about the origin of eukaryotes and understanding the evolution of traits in all descendant lineages, with relevance in diverse fields such as cell biology, microbial ecology, biotechnology, agriculture, and medicine. In this Consensus View, we put forth the status quo and an agreed path forward to reconstruct LECA{\textquoteright}s gene content.",

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note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2024 Richards et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.",

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AU - Eme, Laura

AU - Archibald, John M.

AU - Leonard, Guy

AU - Coelho, Susana M.

AU - de Mendoza, Alex

AU - Dessimoz, Christophe

AU - Dolezal, Pavel

AU - Fritz-Laylin, Lillian K.

AU - Gabaldón, Toni

AU - Hampl, Vladimír

AU - Kops, Geert J.P.L.

AU - Leger, Michelle M.

AU - Lopez-Garcia, Purificacion

AU - McInerney, James O.

AU - Moreira, David

AU - Muñoz-Gómez, Sergio A.

AU - Richter, Daniel J.

AU - Ruiz-Trillo, Iñaki

AU - Santoro, Alyson E.

AU - Sebé-Pedrós, Arnau

AU - Snel, Berend

AU - Stairs, Courtney W.

AU - Tromer, Eelco C.

AU - van Hooff, Jolien J.E.

AU - Wickstead, Bill

AU - Williams, Tom A.

AU - Roger, Andrew J.

AU - Dacks, Joel B.

AU - Wideman, Jeremy G.

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2024 Richards et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

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Reconstructing the last common ancestor of all eukaryotes

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