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Meet the relatives of our cellular ancestor

Microorganisms related to lineages of the Asgard archaea group are thought to have evolved into complex eukaryotic cells. Now the first Asgard archaeal species to be grown in the laboratory reveals its metabolism and cell biology.
  1. Christa Schleper

    1. Christa Schleper is in the Archaea Biology and Ecogenomics Division, University of Vienna, 1080 Vienna, Austria.

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  2. Filipa L. Sousa

    1. Christa Schleper is in the Archaea Biology and Ecogenomics Division, University of Vienna, 1080 Vienna, Austria.

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Complex life forms including plants, animals and fungi are known as eukaryotes. These organisms are composed of cells that contain membrane-bound internal compartments such as nuclei and other organelles. Writing in Nature, Imachi et al.1 report that a type of microorganism called an Asgard archaeon, which might shed light on how early eukaryotic cells evolved, has finally been cultured in the laboratory. The achievement will enable detailed metabolic and cellular investigation of microbes that represent the closest Archaeal relative of eukaryotes cultured so far.

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Nature 577, 478-479 (2020)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-020-00039-y

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