Embley T Martin, Martin William
School of Biology, The Devonshire Building, University of Newcastle upon Tyne, Newcastle NE1 7RU, UK.
Nature. 2006 Mar 30;440(7084):623-30. doi: 10.1038/nature04546.
The idea that some eukaryotes primitively lacked mitochondria and were true intermediates in the prokaryote-to-eukaryote transition was an exciting prospect. It spawned major advances in understanding anaerobic and parasitic eukaryotes and those with previously overlooked mitochondria. But the evolutionary gap between prokaryotes and eukaryotes is now deeper, and the nature of the host that acquired the mitochondrion more obscure, than ever before.
一些真核生物最初缺乏线粒体,并且是原核生物向真核生物转变过程中的真正中间环节,这一观点曾是一个令人兴奋的设想。它推动了在理解厌氧和寄生真核生物以及那些具有此前被忽视的线粒体的真核生物方面取得重大进展。但如今,原核生物与真核生物之间的进化鸿沟比以往任何时候都更深,获取线粒体的宿主的性质也比以往任何时候都更模糊。