Abstract
The advent of clonal multicellularity is a critical evolutionary milestone, seen often in eukaryotes, rarely in bacteria, and only once in archaea. We show that uniaxial compression induces clonal multicellularity in haloarchaea, forming tissue-like structures. These archaeal tissues are mechanically and molecularly distinct from their unicellular lifestyle, mimicking several eukaryotic features. Notably, archaeal tissues undergo a coenocytic stage followed by a tubulin-independent cellularization, orchestrated by active membrane tension at a critical cell size. Past cellularization, tissues are organized into two cell types - apical and basal scutoids - with junction elasticity akin to animal tissues, with actin and protein glycosylation as fiducial polarity markers. Our findings highlight the remarkable biophysical potential of convergent evolution in the emergence of multicellular systems across domains of life.
Competing Interest Statement
The authors have declared no competing interest.
Footnotes
- correction of abstract, adding one instance of clonal multicellularity in archaea - cosmetic changes in the main text - inclusion of references in the supplemental material - complementing funding information in the main text - change in color in Fig. 5A