Taming the perils of photosynthesis by eukaryotes: constraints on endosymbiotic evolution in aquatic ecosystems.

ABSTRACT: An ancestral eukaryote acquired photosynthesis by genetically integrating a cyanobacterial endosymbiont as the chloroplast. The chloroplast was then further integrated into many other eukaryotic lineages through secondary endosymbiotic events of unicellular eukaryotic algae. While photosynthesis enables autotrophy, it also generates reactive oxygen species that can cause oxidative stress. To mitigate the stress, photosynthetic eukaryotes employ various mechanisms, including regulating chloroplast light absorption and repairing or removing damaged chloroplasts by sensing light and photosynthetic status. Recent studies have shown that, besides algae and plants with innate chloroplasts, several lineages of numerous unicellular eukaryotes engage in acquired phototrophy by hosting algal endosym

SUBMITTER: Miyagishima SY 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10640588 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature