Asgard archaea reveal the conserved principles of ESCRT-III membrane remodeling
Open accessPublished version of a preprint
Abstract
ESCRT-III proteins assemble into composite polymers that undergo stepwise changes in composition and structure to deform membranes across the tree of life. Here, using a phylogenetic analysis, we demonstrate that the two endosomal sorting complex required for transport III (ESCRT-III) proteins present in eukaryote’s closest Asgard archaeal relatives are evolutionarily related to the B- and A-type eukaryotic paralogs that initiate and execute membrane remodeling, respectively. We show that Asgard ESCRT-IIIB assembles into parallel arrays on planar membranes to initiate membrane deformation, from where it recruits ESCRT-IIIA to generate composite polymers. Last, we show that Asgard ESCRT-IIIA is able to remodel membranes into tubes as a likely prelude to scission. Together, these data reveal a set of conserved principles governing ESCRT-III–dependent membrane remodeling that first emerged in a two-component ESCRT-III system in archaea.
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- Authors
- Souza, D. P., Espadas, J., Chaaban, S., Moody, E. R. R., Hatano, T., Balasubramanian, M., Williams, T. A., Roux, A., & Baum, B.
- Affiliations
- MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology (GB)
- University of Geneva (CH)
- University of Bristol (GB)
- University of Warwick (GB)
- Corresponding author
- Baum, Buzz
- ORCID
- Venue
- Science Advances
- Published
- 2025-02-07
- Volume
- 11
- Issue
- 6
- Pages
- eads5255-eads5255
- ISSN
- 2375-2548 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC11804906
- OpenAlex
- W4407279138
- Cited by
- 30
- References
- 8
- Citations by year
- 2026: 14 · 2025: 14 · 2024: 2
- FWCI
- 13.98
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Licence
- cc-by
- Locations
- Science Advances (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) (acceptedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Bristol Research (University of Bristol) (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- Warwick Research Archive Portal (University of Warwick) (acceptedVersion)
- Archive ouverte UNIGE (University of Geneva) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- Explore Bristol Research (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- Funders
- Wellcome Trust (210711/Z/18/Z, 203276/Z/16/Z)
- Schweizerischer Nationalfonds zur Förderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung (200793, 189996, 310030)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Cell Biology › Cellular transport and secretion
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Ubiquitin and proteasome pathways
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Lipid Membrane Structure and Behavior
- Keywords
- ESCRT-III, membrane remodeling, Asgard archaea, ESCRT, membrane deformation, membrane fission, phylogenetic analysis
- MeSH terms
- Archaea, Cell Membrane, Phylogeny, Evolution, Molecular, Archaeal Proteins, Endosomal Sorting Complexes Required for Transport
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