Researchers at Uppsala University have discovered that the ancestors of legionella bacteria infected eukaryotic cells as early as two billion years ago. It happened soon after eukaryotes began to feed on bacteria. These results, described in a new study published in Molecular Biology and Evolution, are also relevant in the chicken-or-egg debate about whether mitochondria or phagocytosis came first.
“Our study can help us understand how harmful bacteria arise and how complex cells evolved from simpler cells,” says Lionel Guy, associate professor of evolutionary microbiology at the Department of Medical Biochemistry and Microbiology, who headed the study.
Two billion years ago, ancestors of legionella bacteria already had the ability to avoid being digested by eukaryotes. Instead, they began using eukaryotic cells — complex cells
— source Uppsala University | Feb 15, 2022