I am months late, but this fascinating study shows that evolution is the ultimate tinkerer!
Benjamin @huepfkiesel.bsky.social et al. showed how a bacterial DNA segregation system was repurposed into a cytoskeleton that controls cell shape in multicellular cyanobacteria.
Anna Papageorgiou
Out now in @science.org
Repurposing of a DNA segregation machinery into a cytoskeletal system controlling cell shape | Science www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Bacteria, like eukaryotes, use conserved cytoskeletal systems for intracellular organization. The plasmid-encoded ParMRC system forms actin-like filaments that segregate low–copy number plasmids. In m...
