jbj@frc.frc.maf.govt.nz (Brian Jones) (01/16/91)
I recall reading papers describing work which showed evidence that plant chloroplasts were probably once symbiotic organisms. At the time I was disinterested, but now I need references. Can anyone help with same ? Brian Jones.
tgoli@well.sf.ca.us (Tom Goliber) (01/19/91)
In article <845@frc.frc.maf.govt.nz>, jbj@frc.frc.maf.govt.nz (Brian Jones) writes: > > > I recall reading papers describing work which showed evidence that plant chloroplasts were probably once symbiotic organisms. At the time I was disinterested, but now I need references. > Can anyone help with same ? > > Brian Jones. A fairly concise and relatively recent review article on the question of organelles having evolved from symbiotic relationships is : 'The evolutionary origins of organelles' by Michael W. Gray, in: Trends in Genetics, vol. 5, no. 9, pp. 294-299 (1989). Gray gives a nice introduction to and overview of the endosymbiont hypothesis, discussing both supporting evidence and alternative hypotheses. The primary focus of the article is on using protein and nucleic acid sequence analyses to compare the phylogenies of different organelles and organisms, and one section within the review is entitled "Multiple origins of chloroplasts?". The article also lists about 40 references.