Quantifying the evolutionary paths to endomembranes
Summary: Eukaryotes exhibit a complex and dynamic internal meshwork of membranes—the endomembrane system—used to insert membrane proteins and ingest food. Verbal models explaining the origin of endomembranes abound, but quantitative considerations of fitness are lacking. Drawing on quantitative data...
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| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2025-04-01
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| Series: | Cell Reports |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2211124725003043 |
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| author | Paul E. Schavemaker Michael Lynch |
| author_facet | Paul E. Schavemaker Michael Lynch |
| author_sort | Paul E. Schavemaker |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Summary: Eukaryotes exhibit a complex and dynamic internal meshwork of membranes—the endomembrane system—used to insert membrane proteins and ingest food. Verbal models explaining the origin of endomembranes abound, but quantitative considerations of fitness are lacking. Drawing on quantitative data on endomembranes allows for the derivation of two biologically grounded analytical models of endomembrane evolution that quantify organismal fitness: (1) vesicle-based uptake of small nutrient molecules, pinocytosis, and (2) vesicle-based insertion of membrane proteins, proto-endoplasmic reticulum. Surprisingly, pinocytosis of small-molecule nutrients does not provide a net fitness gain under biologically sensible parameter ranges, explaining why pinocytosis is primarily used for protein uptake in contemporary organisms. The proto-endoplasmic reticulum does provide net fitness gains, making it the more likely candidate for initiating the endomembrane system. With modifications, the approach developed here can be used more generally to understand the present-day endomembrane system and illuminate the origin of the eukaryotic cell. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-9d69cf228d0040b580d0c2e097d4540d |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2211-1247 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-04-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Cell Reports |
| spelling | doaj-art-9d69cf228d0040b580d0c2e097d4540d2025-08-20T02:08:20ZengElsevierCell Reports2211-12472025-04-0144411553310.1016/j.celrep.2025.115533Quantifying the evolutionary paths to endomembranesPaul E. Schavemaker0Michael Lynch1Biodesign Center for Mechanisms of Evolution, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA; Corresponding authorBiodesign Center for Mechanisms of Evolution, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USASummary: Eukaryotes exhibit a complex and dynamic internal meshwork of membranes—the endomembrane system—used to insert membrane proteins and ingest food. Verbal models explaining the origin of endomembranes abound, but quantitative considerations of fitness are lacking. Drawing on quantitative data on endomembranes allows for the derivation of two biologically grounded analytical models of endomembrane evolution that quantify organismal fitness: (1) vesicle-based uptake of small nutrient molecules, pinocytosis, and (2) vesicle-based insertion of membrane proteins, proto-endoplasmic reticulum. Surprisingly, pinocytosis of small-molecule nutrients does not provide a net fitness gain under biologically sensible parameter ranges, explaining why pinocytosis is primarily used for protein uptake in contemporary organisms. The proto-endoplasmic reticulum does provide net fitness gains, making it the more likely candidate for initiating the endomembrane system. With modifications, the approach developed here can be used more generally to understand the present-day endomembrane system and illuminate the origin of the eukaryotic cell.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2211124725003043CP: Cell biology |
| spellingShingle | Paul E. Schavemaker Michael Lynch Quantifying the evolutionary paths to endomembranes Cell Reports CP: Cell biology |
| title | Quantifying the evolutionary paths to endomembranes |
| title_full | Quantifying the evolutionary paths to endomembranes |
| title_fullStr | Quantifying the evolutionary paths to endomembranes |
| title_full_unstemmed | Quantifying the evolutionary paths to endomembranes |
| title_short | Quantifying the evolutionary paths to endomembranes |
| title_sort | quantifying the evolutionary paths to endomembranes |
| topic | CP: Cell biology |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2211124725003043 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT pauleschavemaker quantifyingtheevolutionarypathstoendomembranes AT michaellynch quantifyingtheevolutionarypathstoendomembranes |