ArticleBMC evolutionary biology2011
The origin of multicellularity in cyanobacteria.
Article in BMC evolutionary biology, 2011. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 103 papers.
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103 citing papers in PubMed.
- To multicellularity and back again: Description of two new coccoid genera (Portococcus gen. nov. and Pseudanabaenococcus gen. nov.) in the basal "filamentous" order Pseudanabaenales, Cyanobacteria.Journal of phycology · 2026Article
- Article
- Evolution of multicellularity genes in Cyanobacteria in the lead up to the great oxidation event.Communications biology · 2025Article
- Polyphasic characterization and genomic insights of the cyanobacteria Aphanothece microscopica and A. stagnina from Southern Brazil with emphasis on fatty acid biosynthesis.Current genetics · 2025Article
- Giant multicellular magnetotactic prokaryotes in marine sediments.The ISME journal · 2025Article
- The Origin of RNA and the Formose-Ribose-RNA Pathway.International journal of molecular sciences · 2024Review
- The modular architecture of sigma factors in cyanobacteria: a framework to assess their diversity and understand their evolution.BMC genomics · 2024Article
- Article
- Conflict-reducing innovations in development enable increased multicellular complexity.Proceedings. Biological sciences · 2024Article
- The causality between gut microbiota and non-Hodgkin lymphoma: a two-sample bidirectional Mendelian randomization study.Frontiers in microbiology · 2024Article
- Topological transition in filamentous cyanobacteria: from motion to structure.Communications physics · 2024Article
- Microalgae-material hybrid for enhanced photosynthetic energy conversion: a promising path towards carbon neutrality.National science review · 2023Review
- Bacteria evolve macroscopic multicellularity by the genetic assimilation of phenotypically plastic cell clustering.Nature communications · 2023Article
- Minor variations in multicellular life cycles have major effects on adaptation.PLoS computational biology · 2023Article
- The evolution of morphological development is congruent with the species phylogeny in the genusFrontiers in microbiology · 2023Article
- Inferred ancestry of scytonemin biosynthesis proteins in cyanobacteria indicates a response to Paleoproterozoic oxygenation.Geobiology · 2022Article
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- Article
- Trends and Technological Advancements in the Possible Food Applications of Spirulina and Their Health Benefits: A Review.Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Review
- To Die or Not to Die-Regulated Cell Death and Survival in Cyanobacteria.Microorganisms · 2022Review
43 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
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3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundCyanobacteria are one of the oldest and morphologically most diverse prokaryotic phyla on our planet. The early development of an oxygen-containing atmosphere approximately 2.45-2.22 billion years ago is attributed to the photosynthetic activity of cyanobacteria. Furthermore, they are one of the few prokaryotic phyla where multicellularity has evolved. Understanding when and how multicellularity evolved in these ancient organisms would provide fundamental information on the early history of life and further our knowledge of complex life forms.
resultsWe conducted and compared phylogenetic analyses of 16S rDNA sequences from a large sample of taxa representing the morphological and genetic diversity of cyanobacteria. We reconstructed ancestral character states on 10,000 phylogenetic trees. The results suggest that the majority of extant cyanobacteria descend from multicellular ancestors. Reversals to unicellularity occurred at least 5 times. Multicellularity was established again at least once within a single-celled clade. Comparison to the fossil record supports an early origin of multicellularity, possibly as early as the "Great Oxygenation Event" that occurred 2.45-2.22 billion years ago.
conclusionsThe results indicate that a multicellular morphotype evolved early in the cyanobacterial lineage and was regained at least once after a previous loss. Most of the morphological diversity exhibited in cyanobacteria today--including the majority of single-celled species--arose from ancient multicellular lineages. Multicellularity could have conferred a considerable advantage for exploring new niches and hence facilitated the diversification of new lineages.
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