Eukaryotic evolution, changes and challenges

Embley, T. Martin
Martin, William

¹School of Biology, The Devonshire Building, University of Newcastle upon Tyne, Newcastle NE1 7RU, UK. ²Institute of Botany III, University of Düsseldorf, D-40225 Düsseldorf, Germany.

doi:10.1038/nature04546

Author Information Reprints and permissions information is available at npg.nature.com/reprintsandpermissions. The authors declare no competing financial interests. Correspondence should be addressed to T.M.E. ([email protected]) or W.M. ([email protected]).

Nature 440(7084):p 623-630, March 30, 2006.

The idea that some eukaryotes primitively lacked mitochondria and were true intermediates in the prokaryote-to-eukaryote transition was an exciting prospect. It spawned major advances in understanding anaerobic and parasitic eukaryotes and those with previously overlooked mitochondria. But the evolutionary gap between prokaryotes and eukaryotes is now deeper, and the nature of the host that acquired the mitochondrion more obscure, than ever before.