Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40195311›Full record

ArticleNature communications2025

Horizontal acquisition of prokaryotic hopanoid biosynthesis reorganizes membrane physiology driving lifestyle innovation in a eukaryote.

Bhagyashree Dasari Rao, Elisa Gomez-Gil, Maria Peter, Gabor Balogh, Vanessa Nunes, James I MacRae, Qu Chen, Peter B Rosenthal, Snezhana Oliferenko

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Nature communications, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
  3. Article
  4. Evolutionary cell biology comes of age.Journal of cell science · 2025
    Article
  5. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Bhagyashree Dasari Rao *Randall Centre for Cell and Molecular Biophysics, School of Basic and Medical Biosciences, King's College London, Guy's Campus, London, UK.
Elisa Gomez-Gil *Randall Centre for Cell and Molecular Biophysics, School of Basic and Medical Biosciences, King's College London, Guy's Campus, London, UK.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9157-2028
Maria PeterInstitute of Biochemistry, HUN-REN Biological Research Centre, Szeged, Hungary.
Gabor BaloghInstitute of Biochemistry, HUN-REN Biological Research Centre, Szeged, Hungary.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4565-6850
Vanessa NunesThe Francis Crick Institute, London, UK.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6127-9960
James I MacRaeThe Francis Crick Institute, London, UK.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1464-8583
Qu ChenThe Francis Crick Institute, London, UK.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5921-8125
Peter B RosenthalThe Francis Crick Institute, London, UK.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0387-2862
Snezhana OliferenkoRandall Centre for Cell and Molecular Biophysics, School of Basic and Medical Biosciences, King's College London, Guy's Campus, London, UK. snezhana.oliferenko@kcl.ac.uk.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8138-6851

Funding

European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO) ALTF 712-2022Wellcome Trust CC0102Wellcome Trust (Wellcome) 103741/Z/14/ZWellcome Trust (Wellcome) 220790/Z/20/Z
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Horizontal gene transfer is a source of metabolic innovation and adaptation to new environments. How new metabolic functionalities are integrated into host cell biology is largely unknown. Here, we probe this fundamental question using the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces japonicus, which has acquired a squalene-hopene cyclase Shc1 through horizontal gene transfer. We show that Shc1-dependent production of hopanoids, mimics of eukaryotic sterols, allows S. japonicus to thrive in anoxia, where sterol biosynthesis is not possible. We demonstrate that glycerophospholipid fatty acyl asymmetry, prevalent in S. japonicus, is crucial for accommodating both sterols and hopanoids in membranes and explain how Shc1 functions alongside the sterol biosynthetic pathway to support membrane properties. Reengineering experiments in the sister species S. pombe show that hopanoids entail new traits in a naïve organism, but the acquisition of a new enzyme may trigger profound reorganization of the host metabolism and physiology.

Indexed as

Cell MembraneGene Transfer, HorizontalIntramolecular TransferasesSchizosaccharomycesTriterpenesSterolsIntramolecular Transferasessqualene-hopene cyclaseSterolsTriterpenes

Identifiers

PMID40195311
PMCPMC11976957

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.