Evolution of bacterial steroid biosynthesis and its impact on eukaryogenesis
Abstract
Steroids are one of three major lipid components of the eukaryotic cellular membrane, along with glycerophospolipids and sphingolipids. Steroids have critical roles in eukaryotic endocytosis and thus may have been structural prerequisites for the endocytic acquisition of mitochondria during eukaryogenesis. The evolutionary history of the eukaryotic cellular membrane is poorly understood and, as such, has limited our understanding of eukaryogenesis. We address the evolution of steroid biosynthesis by combining ancestral sequence reconstruction and phylogenetic analyses of steroid biosynthesis genes. Our results indicate that steroid biosynthesis evolved within bacteria in response to the rise of oxygen and was later horizontally transferred to eukaryotes. Membrane properties of early eukaryotes are inferred to have been different than that of modern eukaryotes.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Pub Defense Publication
- Publication Date
- Jun 15, 2021
- Source ID
- 10.1073/pnas.2101276118
Entities
People
- Eric A Gaucher
- Yosuke Hoshino
Organizations
- Agouron Institute
- Georgia State University
- Human Frontier Science Program
- National Institutes of Health
- United States Department of Defense