Endosymbiotic Theories of Organelles Revisited

The author is a Professor Emeritus of the University of Tokyo. He obtained his PhD on biosynthesis of lipids in cyanobacteria from the same university, and then worked in various areas of research on cyanobacteria and chloroplasts, including molecular biology of DNA- and RNA-binding proteins and DNA/RNA polymerases, as well as bioinformatic studies involving software development, comparative genomics, and phylogenetic analysis. He has also worked in the fields of history and philosophy of biology, especially the history of modern biology and basic theory of life.

• Chapter 1. Introduction.- Part I History of endosymbiotic discourses.- Chapter 2. Mereschkowsky, founder of endosymbiotic hypothesis.- Chapter 3. Endosymbiotic discourses until the mid 20th century.- Chapter 4. Re-evaluation of the initial ideas of Lynn Margulis.- Chapter 5. Endosymbiotic discourses in the 1960s and 1970s.- Part II Current perspectives.- Chapter 6. Phylogenetic evidence for the endosymbiotic origin of organelles.- Chapter 7. Continuity and discontinuity of chloroplasts and cyanobacteria.- Chapter 8. Re-examination of the "endosymbiotic event".- Chapter 9 Concluding remarks.