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Astrobiology pp 105–121Cite as

Eukaryotes Appearing

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Abstract

The appearance of eukaryotic cells was a major step in the evolution of terrestrial life. Recent phylogenetic analyses indicate that the Eukaryotes appeared from the Archaebacteria rather than being a distinct domain from Archaebacteria and Eubacteria. The Asgard archaeal group, which shares genes that are otherwise unique to Eukaryotes, has been suggested to be the closest relative to Eukaryotes. However, eukaryotic genes have also been shown to have originated from diverse groups in the Archaebacteria and Eubacteria. Asgard archaeon-like Archaea (Archaebacteria) may have been the host for endosymbiosis of the mitochondrial ancestor (Alphaproteobacteria) and might have been the ancestor of Eukaryotes; nevertheless, horizontal gene transfer from various lineages of Archaebacteria and Eubacteria also appear to have played an important role in the evolution of Eukaryotes.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Bioengineering, Department of Applied Life Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Tokyo University of Pharmacy and Life Sciences, Tokyo, Japan

    Shin-ichi Yokobori & Ryutaro Furukawa

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  1. Shin-ichi Yokobori
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  2. Ryutaro Furukawa
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Correspondence to Shin-ichi Yokobori .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Applied Life Sciences, Tokyo University of Pharmacy and Life Sciences, Tokyo, Japan

    Akihiko Yamagishi

  2. Graduate School of Science, Tohoku University Geosciences, Miyagi, Japan

    Takeshi Kakegawa

  3. Department of Solar System Sciences, Institute for Space and Astronautical Science, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, Sagamihara, Kanagawa, Japan

    Tomohiro Usui

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Yokobori, Si., Furukawa, R. (2019). Eukaryotes Appearing. In: Yamagishi, A., Kakegawa, T., Usui, T. (eds) Astrobiology. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-3639-3_8

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