Phagocytosis without mitochondria is a lineage trait of planctomycetal bacteria of prey
Carmen E. Wurzbacher, Jonathan B. Hammer, Tom Haufschild, Begum Serra Buyuktarakci, Alejandro Jimenez Gonzales, Feriel Bouderka, André Soares, Julian M. Mueller, Luis F. Muriel Millan, María Leticia Ferrelli, Vivien Hotter, Martin Taubert, Kirsten Kuesel, Damien Paul Devos, Andreas Klingl, , Christian Jogler
The paper shows that some mitochondria-lacking planctomycetal bacteria can engulf prey, challenging mitochondria-first eukaryogenesis models.
bioRxiv · Oct 27, 2026 · PreprintMicrobiology