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Endosymbiotic Hypothesis - General Microbiology

The document summarizes the endosymbiotic hypothesis, which proposes that mitochondria and chloroplasts were originally free-living prokaryotic cells that became incorporated into eukaryotic cells and developed a symbiotic relationship. There is evidence they were once separate from the host cell, including that they divide through binary fission, have their own DNA and ribosomes, and are similar in size and structure to bacteria. Their genomes also show close relationships to Alphaproteobacteria and cyanobacteria. Over time, they lost genes and became reliant on the host cell for survival.

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prerana chakraborty
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44 views3 pages

Endosymbiotic Hypothesis - General Microbiology

The document summarizes the endosymbiotic hypothesis, which proposes that mitochondria and chloroplasts were originally free-living prokaryotic cells that became incorporated into eukaryotic cells and developed a symbiotic relationship. There is evidence they were once separate from the host cell, including that they divide through binary fission, have their own DNA and ribosomes, and are similar in size and structure to bacteria. Their genomes also show close relationships to Alphaproteobacteria and cyanobacteria. Over time, they lost genes and became reliant on the host cell for survival.

Uploaded by

prerana chakraborty
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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NAME: PRERANA CHAKRABORTY

STREAM: MSC. MICROBIOLOGY


SUBJECT: GENERAL MICROBIOLOGY
SEMESTER: 1
ROLL NO. 1

ENDOSYMBIOTIC HYPOTHESIS

A BRIEF INTRODUCTION TO ENDOSYMBIOTIC HYPOTHESIS:


It is thought that life arose on earth around four billion years ago. The
endosymbiotic theory states that some of the organelles in today's eukaryotic
cells were once prokaryotic microbes. In this theory, the first eukaryotic cell
was probably an amoeba-like cell that got nutrients by phagocytosis and
contained a nucleus that formed when a piece of the cytoplasmic membrane
pinched off around the chromosomes. Some of these amoeba-like organisms
ingested prokaryotic cells that then survived within the organism and
developed a symbiotic relationship. Mitochondria formed when bacteria
capable of aerobic respiration were ingested; chloroplasts formed when
photosynthetic bacteria were ingested. They eventually lost their cell wall and
much of their DNA because they were not of benefit within the host cell.
Mitochondria and chloroplasts cannot grow outside their host cell.
Evidence for this is based on the following:
1. Chloroplasts are the same size as prokaryotic cells, divide by binary
fission, and, like bacteria, have Fts proteins at their division plane. The
mitochondria are the same size as prokaryotic cells, divide by binary
fission, and the mitochondria of some protists have Fts homologs at
their division plane.
2. Mitochondria and chloroplasts have their own DNA that is circular, not
linear.
3. Mitochondria and chloroplasts have their own ribosomes that have 30S
and 50S subunits, not 40S and 60S.
4. Several more primitive eukaryotic microbes, such
as Giardia and Trichomonas have a nuclear membrane but no
mitochondria.
Although evidence is less convincing, it is also possible that flagella and cilia
may have come from spirochetes.
There are many lines of evidence that plastids and mitochondria including
chloroplasts arose from bacteria:
1. New mitochondria and plastids are formed only through binary fission,
the form of cell division used by bacteria and archaea.
2. If a cell's mitochondria or chloroplasts are removed, the cell does not have
the means to create new ones. In some algae, such as Euglena, the
plastids can be destroyed by certain chemicals or prolonged absence of
light without otherwise affecting the cell: the plastids do not regenerate.
3. Transport proteins called porins are found in the outer membranes of
mitochondria and chloroplasts and are also found in bacterial cell
membranes.
4. A membrane lipid cardiolipin is exclusively found in the inner
mitochondrial membrane and bacterial cell membranes.
5. Some mitochondria and some plastids contain single circular DNA
molecules that are similar to the DNA of bacteria both in size and
structure.
6. Genome comparisons suggest a close relationship between mitochondria
and Alphaproteobacteria.
7. Genome comparisons suggest a close relationship between plastids and
cyanobacteria.
8. Many genes in the genomes of mitochondria and chloroplasts have been
lost or transferred to the nucleus of the host cell. Consequently, the
chromosomes of many eukaryotes contain genes that originated from the
genomes of mitochondria and plastids.
9. Mitochondria and plastids contain their own ribosomes; these are more
similar to those of bacteria (70S) than those of eukaryotes.
10. Proteins created by mitochondria and chloroplasts use N-
formylmethionine as the initiating amino acid, as do proteins created by
bacteria but not proteins created by eukaryotic nuclear genes or archaea.

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