Cell evolution and the problem of membrane topology

@article{Griffiths2007CellEA,
  title={Cell evolution and the problem of membrane topology},
  author={Gareth W. Griffiths},
  journal={Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology},
  year={2007},
  volume={8},
  pages={1018-1024}
}
  • G. Griffiths
  • Published 1 December 2007
  • Biology
  • Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology
Cells somehow evolved from primordial chemistry and their emergence depended on the co-evolution of the cytoplasm, a genetic system and the cell membrane. It is widely believed that the cytoplasm evolved inside a primordial lipid vesicle, but here I argue that the earliest cytoplasm could have co-evolved to high complexity outside a vesicle on the membrane surface. An invagination of the membrane, aided by an early cytoskeletal system, may have formed the first cells — initially within… 
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