Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) is the sharing of genetic material between organisms that are
not in a parent–offspring relationship. HGT is a widely recognized mechanism for adaptation …

Highlights•Endosymbiotic theory explains why organelles resemble free-living
bacteria.•Gene trees are well-suited to testing endosymbiotic theory, but not to replacing …

Horizontal gene transfer (HGT), the movement of genetic material across branches of the
tree of life, is well established in prokaryotes and uncontroversial. This is explained in part …

The aromatic amino acids phenylalanine, tyrosine, and tryptophan in plants are not only
essential components of protein synthesis, but also serve as precursors for a wide range of …

Plastids (chloroplasts) have long been recognized to have originated by endosymbiosis of a
cyanobacterium, but their subsequent evolutionary history has proved complex because …

The primary endosymbiotic origin of the plastid in eukaryotes more than 1 billion years ago
led to the evolution of algae and plants. We analyzed draft genome and transcriptome data …

Isoprenoids are a very diverse family of organic compounds widespread in the three
domains of life. Although they are produced from the condensation of the same precursors in …

Solid semi-crystalline starch and hydrosoluble glycogen define two distinct physical states of
the same type of storage polysaccharide. Appearance of semi-crystalline storage …

Cyanobacteria forged two major evolutionary transitions with the invention of oxygenic
photosynthesis and the bestowal of photosynthetic lifestyle upon eukaryotes through …

Starch granule morphology differs markedly among plant species. However, the
mechanisms controlling starch granule morphology have not been elucidated. Rice (Oryza …