University of Colorado Boulder scientists review the evidence for the bacterial origin of eukaryotic immune pathways

Jessica Helzer — Tue, 14 Jan 2025 02:07:28 +0000

University of Colorado Boulder scientists review the evidence for the bacterial origin of eukaryotic immune pathways Jessica Helzer Mon, 01/13/2025 - 19:07

Thank bacteria for your innate immune responses to viruses

Scientists generally agree that eukaryotes, the domain of life whose cells contain nuclei and that includes almost all multicellular organisms, originated from a process involving the symbiotic union of two prokaryotes: an archaeon and a bacterium. It is unsurprising, then, that prokaryotes (single-celled organisms lacking nuclei and organelles) share many basic features—such as DNA genomes, cell membranes and cytoplasm—with eukaryotes; they developed these traits first and passed them down.

However, if the situation is this (relatively) simple, then the different kingdoms of eukaryotic life—animals, plants and fungi—should all have some variation of the same essential traits.

By reviewing the research on this subject, two University of Colorado Boulder scientists have demonstrated that this is not the case with respect to elements of the innate immune system that come from bacteria. Rather, some of the eukaryotic kingdoms have these elements while others do not. This is suggestive of a more obscure phenomenon known as horizontal gene transfer.

As authors of a recently published review article, Aaron Whiteley, the principal investigator of the Aaron Whiteley Lab and an assistant professor of biochemistry, and postdoctoral fellow Hannah Ledvina were not involved in most of the research used to draw this conclusion, and were not the first to come to it, but write to summarize the state of the field and provide clarity by aggregating sources.

91��ý researchers Hannah Ledvina (left) and Aaron Whiteley reviewed research that suggested a phenomenon known as horizontal gene transfer in eukaryotes.

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