An organism as a tenant in another - in biology, this often works quite well. ETH researchers have now shed light on how such a partnership of a cell in a cell can establish. Endosymbiosis is a fascinating biological phenomenon in which an organism lives inside another.
Such an unusual relationship is often beneficial for both parties. Even in our bodies, we find remnants of such cohabitation: mitochondria, the powerhouses of our cells, evolved from an ancient endosymbiosis. Long ago, bacteria entered other cells and stayed.
This coexistence laid the foundation for mitochondria and thus the cells of plants, animals, and fungi. What is still poorly understood, however, is how an endosymbiosis as a lifestyle actually arises. A bacterium that more or less accidentally ends up in a completely different host cell generally has a hard time.
It needs to survive, multiply, and be passed on to the next generation. Otherwise, it dies out. And to not harm the host, it must not claim too many nutrients for itself and grow too quickly.
In other words, if the host and its resident cannot get along, the relationship ends. To study the beginnings of such a special relationship between two organisms, a team of researchers led by Julia Vorholt, Professor of Microbiology at ETH Zurich, initiated such partnerships in the laboratory. The scientists observed what exactly happens at the beginning of a possible endosymbiosis.
They have just published their study in the scientific journal Nature. Enf.