Tag Archives: eukaryotic cells

Researcher Discovers Mitochondria Share an Ancestor with SAR11

Billions of years ago, an astounding evolutionary event occurred: certain bacteria became obliged to live inside other cells, thus starting a chain of events that resulted in what is now the mitochondria, an organelle found in all eukaryotic cells.  A recent study by researchers at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa and the Oregon State University (OSU) provides strong evidence that mitochondria share a common evolutionary ancestor with a lineage of marine bacteria known as SAR11, arguably the most abundant group of microorganisms on Earth. (more…)

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A Cellular Housekeeper, and Potential Target of Obesity Drugs, Caught in Action

Scientists from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory have obtained the closest look yet of how a gargantuan molecular machine breaks down unwanted proteins in cells, a critical housekeeping chore that helps prevent diseases such as cancer.

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