Seminar: Patricia Sánchez-Baracaldo, October 2nd 2023, 12PM ET
Origin of multicellularity in Cyanobacteria and the Great Oxidation Event
Dr. Patricia Sánchez-Baracaldo
University of Bristol
Monday, October 2nd 2023, 12PM/4PM UTC
Livestream at https://go.wisc.edu/f6fhe8
Register at: go.wisc.edu/453g11
Abstract
Cyanobacteria are among the most morphologically diverse prokaryotic phyla on Earth. Their morphotypes range from unicellular to multicellular filamentous forms, yet mechanisms underlying their evolution from unicellular to filamentous morphologies remain unknown. Filamentous cyanobacteria evolved prior to the Great Oxidation Event ~2.45 Ga. The acquisition of genes encoding septal proteins and cellular differentiation evolved near the root of the tree of life of Cyanobacteria. It is now becoming clearer that filamentous cyanobacteria were key in the ecological expansion that led to the permanent rise of oxygen in Earth’s history.