| Full text | |
| Author(s): |
Hofstatter, Paulo G.
;
Ribeiro, Giulia M.
;
Porfirio-Sousa, Alfredo L.
;
Lahr, Daniel J. G.
Total Authors: 4
|
| Document type: | Journal article |
| Source: | BIOESSAYS; v. 42, n. 9, p. 10-pg., 2020-07-09. |
| Abstract | |
The distribution pattern of the meiotic machinery in known eukaryotes is most parsimoniously explained by the hypothesis that all eukaryotes are ancestrally sexual. However, this assumption is questioned by preliminary results, in culture conditions. These suggested thatAcanthamoeba, an organism considered to be largely asexual, constitutively expresses meiosis genes nevertheless-at least in the lab. This apparent disconnect between the "meiosis toolkit" and sexual processes inAcanthamoebaled to the conclusion that the eukaryotic ancestor is asexual. In this review, the "meiosis toolkit" is rigorously defended, drawing on numerous research articles. Additionally, the claim of constitutive meiotic gene expression is probed inAcanthamoebavia the same transcriptomics data. The results show that the expression of the meiotic machinery is not constitutive inAcanthamoebaas claimed before. Furthermore, it is argued that this would have no implications for understanding the nature of the eukaryotic ancestor, regardless of the result. (AU) | |
| FAPESP's process: | 19/22109-0 - Evaluation of the impact of environmental conditions on the taxonomic and functional diversity of testate amoebae |
| Grantee: | Giulia Magri Ribeiro |
| Support Opportunities: | Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate |