The archaeal legacy of eukaryotes: A phylogenomic perspective

Abstract

The origin of the eukaryotic cell can be regarded as one of the hallmarks in the history of life on our planet. The apparent genomic chimerism in eukaryotic genomes is currently best explainedbyinvokingacellular fusionatthe rootofthe eukaryotes that involves one archaeal and one or more bacterial components. Here, we use a phylogenomics approach to re-evaluate the evolutionary affiliation between Archaea and eukaryotes, and provide further support for scenarios in which the nuclear lineage in eukaryotes emerged from within the archaeal radiation, displaying a strong phylogenetic affiliation with, or even within, the archaeal TACK superphylum. Further taxonomic sampling ofarchaeal genomes in this super-phylum will certainly providea better resolution in the events that have been instrumental for the emergence of the eukaryotic lineage.