5.2 Module 5.3: eukaryotic origins

Eukaryote cells arose through endosymbiotic events that gave rise to energy-producing organelles within the eukaryotic cells, such as mitochondria and plastids. The nuclear genome of eukaryotes is related most closely to the Archaea, so it may have been an early archaean that engulfed a bacterial cell that evolved into a mitochondrion. Mitochondria appear to have originated from an alpha-proteobacterium, whereas chloroplasts originated from a cyanobacterium. There is also evidence of secondary endosymbiotic events. Other cell components may have resulted from endosymbiotic events.