On the ideas of the origin of eukaryotes: a critical review

TL;DR

This review critically examines current theories on the origin of eukaryotic cells, highlighting the complexity of cellular evolution, organelle emergence, and the interdisciplinary approaches used to understand this major evolutionary transition.

Contribution

It synthesizes diverse disciplinary perspectives on eukaryogenesis, emphasizing the unresolved relationships among cell domains and the enigmatic nature of eukaryotic ancestors.

Findings

Major relations among cell domains remain elusive

Cell compartmentalization is linked to multiple evolutionary factors

Interdisciplinary approaches are crucial for understanding eukaryogenesis

Abstract

The origin and early evolution of eukaryotes are one of the major transitions in the evolution of life on earth. One of its most interesting aspects is the emergence of cellular organelles, their dynamics, their functions, and their divergence. Cell compartmentalization and architecture in prokaryotes is a less understood complex property. In eukaryotes it is related to cell size, specific genomic architecture, evolution of cell cycles, biogenesis of membranes and endosymbiotic processes. Explaining cell evolution through form and function demands an interdisciplinary approach focused on microbial diversity, phylogenetic and functional cell biology. Two centuries of views on eukaryotic origin have completed the disciplinary tools necessarily to answer these questions. We have moved from Haeckel SCALA NATURAE to the un-rooted tree of life. However, the major relations among cell domains are still elusive and keep the nature of eukaryotic ancestor enigmatic. Here we present a review on state of art views of eukaryogenesis; the background and perspectives of different disciplines involved in this topic