Heimdallarchaea encodes profilin with eukaryotic-like actin regulation and polyproline binding

Abstract

Chi and coworkers characterise proteins of Heimdallarchaeeota LC3, a member of the Asgard super phylum, and specifically investigate heim-Profilin and heim-Actin, and their interactions with polyproline and phospholipids. They also determine the 3D-structure of Heimdallarchaeota LC3 profilin. Their results suggest that a complex cytoskeleton existed in the last eukaryotic common ancestor indicating an origin predating the rise of the eukaryotes.