The nature of the last universal common ancestor

Penny, David; Poole, Anthony

doi:10.1016/s0959-437x(99)00020-9

Cited by 162Origins and Evolution of LifeRNA and protein synthesis mechanismsProtist diversity and phylogeny

The nature of the last universal common ancestor

Penny, David, Poole, Anthony·1999·Current Opinion in Genetics & Development

DOI 10.1016/s0959-437x(99)00020-9

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Abstract

Cytologically, prokaryotes appear simpler and thus evolutionarily 'older' than eukaryotes. In terms of RNA processing, however, prokaryotes are sophisticated and eukaryotes, which retain many features of an RNA-world, appear primitive. The last universal common ancestor may have been mesophilic and could have had many features of the eukaryote genome, but its cytology is unknown.

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LUCA was most likely a population of cells resulting from previous prebiotic, and earliest biological, evolution and selection.
“This LUCA—the last universal common ancestor of all organisms (Penny and Poole, 1999; Delaye et al., 2005)—was most likely a population of cells resulting from previous prebiotic, and earliest biological, evolution and selection.”
From The Astrobiology Primer v2.0 (2016) · cites this paper as Penny and Poole, 1999

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Authors: Penny, D., & Poole, A.
Affiliations: Massey University (NZ)
Stockholm University (SE)
Corresponding author: Penny, David
Poole, Anthony
ORCID: Poole, Anthony
Venue: Current Opinion in Genetics & Development
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Published: 1999-12
Volume: 9
Issue: 6
Pages: 672-677
ISSN: 0959-437X (ISSN-L)
DOI: 10.1016/s0959-437x(99)00020-9
OpenAlex: W1963854145
Cited by: 162
References: 46
Citations by year: 2026: 3 · 2025: 2 · 2024: 5 · 2023: 4 · 2022: 1 · 2021: 2 · 2020: 5 · 2019: 5 · 2018: 9 · 2017: 5 · 2016: 5 · 2015: 6 · 2014: 9 · 2013: 5 · 2012: 4
FWCI: 0.77
Type: journal article
Language: en
Open access: closed
Licence: www.elsevier.com/tdm/userlicense/1.0/ (tdm)
Locations: Current Opinion in Genetics & Development (publishedVersion)
PubMed (publishedVersion)
Topics: Physical Sciences › Physics and Astronomy › Astronomy and Astrophysics › Origins and Evolution of Life
Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › RNA and protein synthesis mechanisms
Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Protist diversity and phylogeny
Keywords: last universal common ancestor, prokaryotes, eukaryotes, RNA processing, RNA world, eukaryotic genome evolution, eukaryotic origin
MeSH terms: Animals, Eukaryotic Cells, Genes, Models, Genetic, Phylogeny, Prokaryotic Cells, RNA, Selection, Genetic, Temperature, Genome, Evolution, Molecular

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The nature of the last universal common ancestor

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