The proteomic complexity and rise of the primordial ancestor of diversified life.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The last universal common ancestor represents the primordial cellular organism from which diversified life was derived. This urancestor accumulated genetic information before the rise of organismal lineages and is considered to be either a simple 'progenote' organism with a rudimentary translational apparatus or a more complex 'cenancestor' with almost all essential biological processes. Recent comparative genomic studies support the latter model and propose that the urancestor was similar to modern organisms in terms of gene content. However, most of these studies were based on molecular sequences, which are fast evolving and of limited value for deep evolutionary explorations.

Results

Here we engage in a phylogenomic study of protein domain structure in the prot

SUBMITTER: Kim KM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3123224 | biostudies-literature | 2011 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature