Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Letters to Editor
  • Published:

Does endo-symbiosis explain the origin of the nucleus?

Nature Cell Biology volume 3, page E173 (2001)Cite this article

Access through your institution
Buy or subscribe

To the editor

Horiike et al.1 give an excellent bioinformatic analysis showing relationships between yeast genes that function in the nucleus and archaeal genes, and between yeast genes that function in the cytoplasm and bacterial genes. However, their conclusion that the nucleus originated as an archaeal endosymbiont fails to explain the following features of the nucleus: the structure of the nuclear envelope; the nuclear pore complex; linear chromosomes; absence of phagocytic bacteria; the preservation of RNA-world relics in eukaryotes, and reduction of these in prokaryotes. Furthermore, their explanation contradicts the general trend of gene loss reported in parasitic, endosymbiotic and organellar genomes2.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Access through your institution

Buy this article

  • Purchase on SpringerLink
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

References

  1. Horiike, T., Hamada, K., Kanaya, S. & Shinozawa, T. Nature Cell Biol. 3, 210–214 (2001).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Andersson, J. O. & Andersson, S. G. E. Curr. Opin. Genet. Dev. 9, 664–671 (1999).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Martin, W. Proc. R. Soc. Lond. B 266, 1387–1395 (1999).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Forterre, P. C. R. Acad. Sci. Paris III 318, 415–422 (1995).

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Poole, A., Jeffares, D. & Penny, D. Bioessays 21, 880–889 (1999).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Abdallah, F., Salamini, F. & Leister, D. Trends Plant Sci. 5, 141–142 (2000).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Roger, A. J. Am. Nat. 154, S146–S163 (1999).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Gray, M. W., Burger, G. & Lang, B. F. Science 283, 1476–1481 (1999).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Martin, W. & Müller, M. Nature 392, 37–41 (1998).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Carlile, M. Trends Biochem. Sci. April, 128–130 (1982).

  11. Margulis, L. Origin of Eukaryotic Cells (Yale Univ. Press, New Haven, 1970).

    Google Scholar 

  12. Doolittle, W. F. Trends Genet. 14, 307–311 (1998).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Ribeiro, S. & Golding, G. B. Mol. Biol. Evol. 15, 779–788 (1998).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Brown, J. R. & Doolittle, W. F. Microbiol. Mol. Biol. Rev. 61, 456–502 (1997).

    CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Molecular Biosciences, Massey University, PO Box 11222, Palmerston North, New Zealand

    Anthony Poole & David Penny

Authors
  1. Anthony Poole
    View author publications

    Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

  2. David Penny
    View author publications

    Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Poole, A., Penny, D. Does endo-symbiosis explain the origin of the nucleus?. Nat Cell Biol 3, E173 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1038/35087102

Download citation

  • Issue date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/35087102

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing