TALKING POINT Metabolic Symbiosis at the Origin of Eukaryotes

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TALKING POINT Metabolic Symbiosis at the Origin of Eukaryotes TALKING POINT TIBS 24 – MARCH 1999 to a mutually beneficial association), and the increasingly evident mosaic features of eukaryotic genomes8,9, nobody had Metabolic symbiosis at the origin proposed other symbiosis hypotheses until recently. In 1998, the 30th anniver- of eukaryotes sary of the endosymbiosis proposal, we, and Martin and Müller, independently, published two novel symbiosis hypoth- eses: the hydrogen hypothesis10 and the Purificación López-García and David Moreira syntrophy hypothesis11. The hypotheses are different but share striking similarities. Thirty years after Margulis revived the endosymbiosis theory for the origin of mitochondria and chloroplasts, two novel symbiosis hypotheses for the Syntrophy and interspecies hydrogen transfer origin of eukaryotes have been put forward. Both propose that eukaryotes The hydrogen hypothesis arose through metabolic symbiosis (syntrophy) between eubacteria and The hydrogen hypothesis proposed methanogenic Archaea. They also propose that this was mediated by inter- by Martin and Müller10 states that eu- species hydrogen transfer and that, initially, mitochondria were anaerobic. karyotes arose through a symbiotic These hypotheses explain the mosaic character of eukaryotes (i.e. an metabolic association (or syntrophy) in archaeal-like genetic machinery and a eubacterial-like metabolism), as well anaerobic environments between a fer- a as distinct eukaryotic characteristics (which are proposed to be products mentative -proteobacterium that gen- of symbiosis). Combined data from comparative genomics, microbial ecol- erated hydrogen and carbon dioxide as ogy and the fossil record should help to test their validity. waste products, and a strict anaerobic autotrophic archaeon that depended on hydrogen and might have been a OUR ORIGINS HAVE always concerned in the eubacterial branch4. This ex- methanogen (Fig. 2). The authors follow us – from the speciation of Homo sapiens plained the archaea–eukaryote similari- a metabolic top-down approach from the to the origins of life itself. Between these ties but also refined our view of the ori- observation that amitochondriate eukary- events, a crucial midpoint is the origin of gin of eukaryotes: these would share a otes possess eubacterial-like metabolic the eukaryotic cell, the nature of which common (prokaryotic) ancestor with enzymes (in addition to other known eu- is still controversial and elusive. Until the archaea. This idea permeated the scien- bacterial-like genes) and that hydrogeno- mid-1970s, two possibilities were conceiv- tific community rapidly and is now somes (hydrogen-producing organelles able: either eukaryotes were ancestral, widely accepted. present in some anaerobic eukaryotes) and thus their origin was intimately Many protein trees, however, contain share a common ancestry with mitochon- linked to the origin of life itself, or they discrepancies that consistently relate dria. They propose that both symbionts derived from prokaryotes (organisms either archaea (mostly on the basis of the first met in anaerobic environments rich lacking a true nucleus that encloses the genetic machinery) or Gram-negative bac- in hydrogen and carbon dioxide, but genetic material). The evolution of eu- teria (mostly on the basis of metabolism) that soon the host changed its depend- karyotes from simple prokaryotes (then to eukaryotes. Such discrepancies have ence on an exogenous source of these called Monera) is implicit in the phy- led several investigators to propose dif- products, becoming dependent on the logeny proposed by Haeckel in the 19th ferent chimera hypotheses (Fig. 1). Of eubacterium supplying them. The ar- century. However, after the demise of these, fusion and engulfment models are chaeon increased the cell-contact sur- the eukaryote/prokaryote dogma (the mechanistically problematic, although face with the symbiont and ended up commonly held belief that all that is not they can explain the mosaic distribution importing membrane transport systems eukaryote is similar) – which followed of many genes. By contrast, symbiosis and carbohydrate metabolism. Finally, to the recognition (based on rRNA-sequence models rely on intimate relationships over avoid futile cycling of metabolites in its comparison) that there are two distinct extended periods of time that allowed cytoplasm, the host lost its autotrophic phylogenetic lineages within the prokary- symbionts to co-evolve and become de- pathway. The final organism in this evo- otes, eubacteria (Bacteria) and archaea1,2 pendent on each other. Indeed, the first lutionary process is an irreversible – the situation became more complex. detailed symbiosis proposal for the ori- heterotroph that contains ancestral mito- These lineages appeared to be as differ- gin of eukaryotes, the endosymbiosis chondria and has lost its dependence ent from each other as they were from hypothesis for the origin of plastids and on hydrogen – hence, the need for eukaryotes; yet, later, the use of several mitochondria proposed by Margulis5, al- anaerobiosis. The more efficient oxi- protein gene markers established that though harshly criticized initially, is genic respiration was then adopted by archaea are, strikingly, more similar to supported by extensive evidence6 and is many organisms: aerobic mitochondria eukaryotes3. Furthermore, studies of para- now accepted as mainstream science. evolved. Secondary reduction or loss of logous duplications allowed us to place Later, Margulis7 further proposed that organelles would explain present-day the root of the tree of life tentatively eukaryotes originated through symbio- amitochondriate protists. sis between spirochetes and wall-less The idea that the origin of mitochon- P. López-García is at the Institut de Génétique archaea (Fig. 1), but compelling evidence dria is the key to the origin of the eu- et Microbiologie, Université Paris-Sud, to support this hypothesis is lacking. karyotic cell is not new in scientific bâtiment 409, 91405 Orsay Cedex, France; and D. Moreira is at the Institut de Biologie Surprisingly, despite the potential of thought. Another hypothesis published Cellulaire BC4, Université Paris-Sud, bâtiment symbiosis to account for mixed charac- in 1998, proposes that an aerobic 444, 91405 Orsay Cedex, France. ters (which would be a consequence of a-proteobacterium was engulfed by an Email: [email protected] the contribution of at least two partners archaeon prior to the establishment of 88 0968 – 0004/99/$ – See front matter © 1999, Elsevier Science. All rights reserved. PII: S0968-0004(98)01342-5 TIBS 24 – MARCH 1999 TALKING POINT classical endosymbiosis12. The brilliant Common ancestor novelty is that Martin and Müller offer a (a) plausible explanation of the process in terms of metabolism, and conclude that the origins of mitochondria and eukary- otes are identical but that anaerobic mitochondria came first. The syntrophy hypothesis Our syntrophy hypothesis11 is based on similar metabolic considerations (i.e. we propose that symbiosis was medi- ated by interspecies hydrogen transfer), but we speculate that the organisms involved were d-proteobacteria (ances- Eubacteria Eukaryotes Archaea tral sulphate-reducing myxobacteria) and methanogenic archaea (Fig. 2). The (b) (c) (d) hydrogen and syntrophy hypotheses share several common features (Fig. 3), Fusion Engulfment Symbiosis despite our use of a different approach. Wall-less archaeon From microbial ecology, we know that Spirochetes the most widespread symbiotic associ- ation between archaea and eubacteria is 37 3 Lake and Rivera syntrophy between sulphate-reducing Zillig A bacterium engulfs an An archaeon and a eocyte (kingdom Crenarchaeota) bacteria and methanogenic archaea. bacterium amalgamate to Furthermore, the biotopes where these generate the eukaryotic cell organisms exist are ubiquitous. This gave us a likely initial driving force for sym- biosis: syntrophy. The methanogen con- 38 sumed the hydrogen and carbon dioxide Gupta and Golding a-Proteobacteria A wall-less Gram-negative Cyanobacteria liberated from the sulphate reducer by bacterium engulfs an eocyte fermentation. The sulphate reducer also benefited: it could speed up its meta- bolic rate because it now had a ready hydrogen sink. We based our arguments on a variety of molecular features that, in addition to the classical characteris- Sogin38 tics that link Gram-negative bacteria or An RNA-based proto-eukaryote Margulis7 archaea to eukaryotes, connect myxo- phagocytoses an archaeon Serial endosymbiosis theory bacteria and certain methanogens with eukaryotes. Myxobacteria display very Figure 1 complex social behaviour and develop- (a) A schematic view of the evolution of Eubacteria, eukaryotes and Archaea. (b–d) Previous mental cycles, and many of the genes chimeric models for the origin of eukaryotes [colour coded as in (a)]3,7,37–39. involved have specific homologues in eukaryotic signalling pathways13. Meth- The latter are endowed instead with coded proteins involved in metabolism). anogen candidates (Fig. 2) share some small DNA-binding proteins analogous Finally, methanogenesis would have been homologous lipids or lipid-synthesis to those of eubacteria14. lost in favour of a versatile heterotrophy. pathways with eukaryotes, and their con- We envisage an evolutionary pathway tent with respect to many enzymes that in which close cell–cell contacts and ex- Common features interact with DNA (e.g. topoisomerases) tensive membrane development in well- Although their starting points differ, the is similar to that
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