Discussion Meeting
Comparative functional genomics of chloroplasts, mitochondria and their bacterial homologues - new perspectives on symbiosis in cell evolution
The Royal Society of London
Wednesday 26th and Thursday 27th June 2002
Update January 2003
- Chloroplasts and mitochondria: functional genomics and evolution is the title of the January 2003 issue of Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society: Biological Sciences.
- There is a publicity flyer for the issue in pdf format.
- The issue can be ordered on-line.
- The poster abstracts from the Royal Society Discussion Meeting are available in pdf format as an electronic appendix to the introduction.
- The issue's Table of Contents is also available.
Update December 2002
- The proceedings form a thematic issue of Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society: Biological Sciences, 29 January 2003, vol 358, issue 1429. This will be the first issue of the journal with its new cover design.
- All 21 papers, including an introduction and an edited transcript of the general discussion, have been posted as pdf files via FirstCite.
- The issue also has the distinction of the recent media and press coverage of the papers by Bill Martin and Mike Russell, and by Wolfgang Nitschke and colleagues. See, for example the Nature news item New theory for origin of life and the Society's own press release Revolutionary new theory for origins of life on Earth - by William Martin and Michael Russell.
Update October 2002
- The published proceedings are in production for January 2003. There is a pdf format publicity flyer for the proceedings.
Update July 2002
- Thanks to all concerned for a great meeting, especially to Suzi White and the staff at the Society.
- The BBC Radio 4 programme, The Material World, June 27th, covered the meeting and has a web page. The programme can be also be heard as a Real Audio stream linked from here.
Who could participate?
Royal Society Discussion Meetings are open to all, though prior registration is required. Registration is free.
Who were the speakers?
- John Allen, Lund University, Sweden
- Carl Bauer, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, USA
- Axel Brennicke, University of Ulm, Germany
- Tom Cavalier-Smith, University of Oxford
- W. Ford Doolittle, Dalhousie University, Canada
- John Gray, University of Cambridge
- Reinhold Herrmann, Ludwig Maximilian's University, Munich, Germany
- Chris Howe, University of Cambridge
- Siv Andersson, Uppsala University, Sweden
- William Martin, Heinrich Heine University, Düsseldorf, Germany
- Martin Embley, Natural History Museum, London
- John Raven, University of Dundee
- Louis Tielens, Utrecht University, The Netherlands
- Iain Wilson, MRC National Institute for Medical Research
Who were the chairmen?
- John Allen, Lund University, Sweden
- Angela Douglas, University of York
- Chris Leaver, University of Oxford
- John Raven, University of Dundee
- Bob Whatley, University of Oxford
How may one obtain further information?
- The programme and titles are available.
- The publicity flyer is available here in colour or black and white.
Are the proceedings of the meeting published?
Yes. The proceedings will are published, together with a transcript of the discussion that follows each talk, as an issue of Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society, Series B: Biological Sciences. See http://www.pubs.royalsoc.ac.uk/phil_bio/phil_bio.html
Which topics were discussed?
- The evolutionary origin of eukaryotic cells
- Mitochondrial genomes and gene function
- Plastidic genomes and gene function
- Hydrogenosomes
- Prokaryotic homologues of organelles
- Selective forces determining the composition of organellar genomes
- Metabolic division of labour between organelles and the cytosol
- Informational division of labour between organelles, nucleus, and cytoplasm
- Evolution of regulatory processes in photosynthesis and respiration
Why were these appropriate topics for discussion?
The "endosymbiont hypothesis" for the origin of plastids and mitochondria is widely accepted, but recent findings, especially those stemming from advances in comparative genomics, call into question many of its associated assumptions. For mitochondria, the conventional picture of a single, ancestral, endocytotic event between an aerobic, α-proteobacterium and a hypothetical host cell, assumed to be anaerobic and fermentative, is unlikely to be correct. A primary objective of the meeting will be to revise the endosymbiont hypothesis to make it compatible with the wide diversities of organellar genomes and the greatly enlarged range of specialised metabolic and bioenergetic contributions they make to the life of eukaryotic cells.
Which new developments were discussed?
The proposal that hydrogen, rather than ATP, was the basis of the symbiosis that gave rise to mitochondria. The diversity of respiratory functions in mitochondria and hydrogenosomes. Hydrogenosomes with and without genomes. Complete genomes of organelles and prokaryotes. Complete genomes of eukaryotes where organelle-targeted gene products can be identified. Redox regulation of gene expression as the function of organellar genomes. Non-photosynthetic plastids and non-aerobially respiring mitochondria. Free-radical mutagenesis and Müller's ratchet as selective advantages of nuclearly-located genes. Mechanisms and pathways of protein import into chloroplasts and mitochondria
Why are these developments important?
Recent progress in all these areas has been rapid. The topics are timely since, together, they call for a re-evaluation of the endosymbiont hypothesis, a central tenet of evolutionary cell biology. A new synthesis, compatible with recent findings, will have great explanatory and predictive value, extending beyond evolutionary theory, to many areas of biology, medicine and agriculture. Genomics has now raced far ahead of our understanding of why genetic compartmentation exists in eukaryotic cells, how it arose, and what it means. This discussion meeting will encourage a new synthesis of ideas, and will focus on a critical stage in a developing field.
Which fields were brought together?
Geochemistry; the origin of life; molecular biology; cell biology; functional genomics; evolution and phylogeny; bioenergetics (photosynthesis and respiration); microbiology; gene expression; plant, animal, and microbial physiology; physiological ecology.
What is a Royal Society Discussion Meeting?
Discussion Meetings are a long-standing and important part of the Royal Society's promotion of science and its public understanding. A substantial proportion of the time is given to discussion. A schedule of Discussion Meetings can be seen on the web page http://www.royalsoc.ac.uk/events/index.html
Who were the organisers?
John F. Allen
Professor of Plant Cell Biology
Plant Biochemistry
Lund University
Box 124
SE-221 00 Lund
Sweden
john.allen@plantbio.lu.se
Tel: +46 46 222 7788
Fax: +46 46 222 4009
John A. Raven, FRS, FRSE
Boyd Baxter Professor of Biology
Department of Biological Sciences
University of Dundee
Millers Wynd
Dundee DD1 4HN
Scotland, UK
j.a.raven@dundee.ac.uk
Tel: +44 1382 344281
Fax: +44 1382 344275
Related discussion meeting
Molecular evolution of photosynthesis and respiration, The Novartis Foundation, London, Friday, 28th June 2002
Related links