progenote

From progenitor, modelled on eukaryote.

progenote (plural progenotes)

1. (biology, evolutionary theory) Any (hypothesised) primordial organism in which the relationship between genotype and phenotype was still evolving.

   It is sometimes assumed that the concepts of LUCA and progenote are the same by definition; more correctly, it is hypothesised that LUCA was a progenote.

   • 1986, D. S. Bendall, Evolution From Molecules to Men, →ISBN, page 223:

     Inaccuracy of information transfer would manifest itself in two ways that strongly shape the nature of the progenote. It would severely limit the number of different genes the progenote could carry, and the generally lower biological specificity would then mean that overall, fine-tuned, feed-back mechanisms that make the cell today the smooth functioning whole that it is, would be missing.

   • 2005, Jan Sapp, Microbial Phylogeny and Evolution: Concepts and Controversies, →ISBN:

     The progenote model sees organisms as genetically communal and the community as evolving as a whole, not the individual cell lines therein.

   • 2014, Franklin M. Harold, In Search of Cell History: The Evolution of Life's Building Blocks, →ISBN:

     As to the physical nature and organization of progenotes, Woese was carefully and purposely agnostic, but he entertained the possibility that progenotes were precellular entities lacking even a bounding membrane.

2. (evolutionary theory, loosely) The most recent common ancestor to all organisms now living on Earth; LUCA; specifically, the most recent progenitor of all archaea, bacteria and eukaryotes.

• LUCA (“last universal common ancestor”)