Gene content of LUCA, the last universal common ancestor
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Comparative genomics and modern phylogenetic approaches allow us to infer the gene content of LUCA, the Last Universal Common Ancestor of all known currently living cellular organisms. Most of the estimates produce a putative LUCA with 500-1000 protein-coding genes and biochemically coherent metabolism, if the average rates of gene gains (gene emergence plus horizontal gene transfer) and gene losses per family are allowed to be close to each other. This estimate is not strongly sensitive to the topology of the Tree of Life, but the identity of the genes that are placed in LUCA may depend on the position of the deep branches and the root of the tree.
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LUCA was a single-celled organism with a lipid membrane and a DNA-based genetic code with 500-1000 protein-coding genes, was capable of RNA biosynthesis, and had its own translation machinery to assemble proteins from free amino acids.
“Other analysts suggest that LUCA was a single-celled organism with a lipid membrane and a DNA-based genetic code with 500–1000 protein-coding genes, was capable of RNA biosynthesis, and had its own translation machinery to assemble proteins from free amino acids (Mushegian, 2008).”
From The Astrobiology Primer v2.0 (2016) · cites this paper as Mushegian, 2008
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Additional file 2 of De novo emergence, existence, and demise of a protein-coding gene in murids
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Additional file 1 of De novo emergence, existence, and demise of a protein-coding gene in murids
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- Authors
- Mushegian, A.
- Affiliations
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research (US)
- Corresponding author
- Mushegian, Arcady
- ORCID
- Mushegian, Arcady
- Venue
- Frontiers in Bioscience
- Publisher
- IMR Press
- Published
- 2008
- Volume
- Volume
- Issue
- 13
- Pages
- 4657
- ISSN
- 1093-4715 (ISSN-L)
- 1093-9946
- DOI
- 10.2741/3031
- OpenAlex
- W2036735942
- Cited by
- 61
- References
- 28
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2025: 2 · 2024: 4 · 2023: 8 · 2022: 3 · 2021: 3 · 2020: 1 · 2019: 2 · 2018: 3 · 2017: 2 · 2016: 7 · 2015: 3 · 2014: 5 · 2013: 4 · 2012: 4
- FWCI
- 1.23
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Locations
- Frontiers in bioscience (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- Fondation des Treilles
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Genomics and Phylogenetic Studies
- Physical Sciences › Physics and Astronomy › Astronomy and Astrophysics › Origins and Evolution of Life
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Protist diversity and phylogeny
- Keywords
- last universal common ancestor, gene content, protein-coding genes, comparative genomics, horizontal gene transfer, gene loss, gene gain, tree of life
- MeSH terms
- Origin of Life, DNA Replication, Models, Genetic, Phylogeny, Protein Biosynthesis, Conserved Sequence, Evolution, Molecular, Computational Biology, Gene Transfer, Horizontal, Genomics
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