Asgard archaea exhibit eukaryotic-like crawling via dynamic actin protrusions
Live-cell microscopy reveals that Asgard archaea, the closest prokaryotic relatives of eukaryotes, possess a dynamic actin-based cytoskeleton that enables crawling motility. These organisms rapidly extend and retract protrusions at speeds of 1.5 to 4.8 µm/min, a process arrested by actin inhibitors. This finding suggests that the complex cellular machinery required for eukaryotic movement evolved in archaeal ancestors before the emergence of mitochondria.