A Nonhyperthermophilic Common Ancestor to Extant Life Forms
Abstract
The G+C nucleotide content of ribosomal RNA (rRNA) sequences is strongly correlated with the optimal growth temperature of prokaryotes. This property allows inference of the environmental temperature of the common ancestor to all life forms from knowledge of the G+C content of its rRNA sequences. A model of sequence evolution, assuming varying G+C content among lineages and unequal substitution rates among sites, was devised to estimate ancestral base compositions. This method was applied to rRNA sequences of various species representing the major lineages of life. The inferred G+C content of the common ancestor to extant life forms appears incompatible with survival at high temperature. This finding challenges a widely accepted hypothesis about the origin of life.
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Reconstructions of LUCA rRNA have shown a G + C content consistent with mesophily.
“Reconstructions of LUCA rRNA have shown a G + C content consistent with mesophily (Galtier et al. 1999;Groussin et al. 2013).”
From Environmental Adaptation from the Origin of Life to the Last Universal Common Ancestor (2018) · cites this paper as Galtier et al. 1999
G + C nucleotides are present more frequently in the rRNA of thermophiles and hyperthermophiles than in the rRNA of mesophiles.
“Due to their additional thermostability, G + C nucleotides are present more frequently in the rRNA of thermophiles and hyperthermophiles than in the rRNA of mesophiles (Galtier et al. 1999;Groussin et al. 2013).”
From Environmental Adaptation from the Origin of Life to the Last Universal Common Ancestor (2018) · cites this paper as Galtier et al. 1999
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- Authors
- Galtier, N., Tourasse, N., & Gouy, M.
- Affiliations
- Lyon 1 Université (FR)
- Corresponding author
- Galtier, Nicolas
- Venue
- Science
- Published
- 1999-01-08
- Volume
- 283
- Issue
- 5399
- Pages
- 220-221
- ISSN
- 0036-8075 (ISSN-L)
- 1095-9203
- OpenAlex
- W2087520649
- Cited by
- 442
- References
- 17
- Citations by year
- 2026: 4 · 2025: 5 · 2024: 4 · 2023: 7 · 2022: 4 · 2021: 6 · 2020: 12 · 2019: 5 · 2018: 6 · 2017: 13 · 2016: 8 · 2015: 14 · 2014: 32 · 2013: 17 · 2012: 12
- FWCI
- 20.04
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Science (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- HAL (submittedVersion)
- 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 › Genomics and Phylogenetic Studies
- Keywords
- common ancestor, origin of life, GC content, ribosomal RNA, optimal growth temperature, sequence evolution models, prokaryotes
- MeSH terms
- Origin of Life, Animals, Base Composition, Base Sequence, Computer Simulation, Cytosine, Guanine, Hot Temperature, Markov Chains, Models, Chemical, Phylogeny, RNA, Bacterial, RNA, Ribosomal, Temperature, Confidence Intervals, Likelihood Functions, Evolution, Molecular, RNA, Archaeal
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