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Retroids in archaea: phylogeny and lateral origins
Joshua S Rest1, David P Mindell
1Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and Museum of Zoology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA.
Molecular Biology and Evolution
|June 5, 2003
Summary
Researchers discovered reverse transcriptase elements (retroids) in Archaea for the first time, indicating lateral gene transfer from Bacteria and a significant role in genome evolution across life.
Area of Science:
- Genomics
- Molecular Biology
- Evolutionary Biology
Background:
- Retroids, elements encoding reverse transcriptase, were previously unknown in Archaea.
- Recent genomic data revealed potential reverse transcriptase (RT) open reading frames (ORFs) in archaeal methanogens.
Purpose of the Study:
- To characterize retroids in Archaea.
- To investigate the origin and mobility of these elements.
- To understand their evolutionary significance.
Main Methods:
- Bioinformatic analysis of archaeal genomes (Methanosarcina acetivorans, M. mazei).
- Phylogenetic analysis of RT ORFs.
- Identification and characterization of retron and retrointron elements.
Main Results:
- Characterized a retron and multiple retrointrons in M. acetivorans and M. mazei.
- Inferred four instances of lateral gene transfer (LGT) of retroids from Bacteria to Archaea.
- Identified novel retrons in bacterial phyla and M. acetivorans.
- Demonstrated retrointron mobility within archaeal genomes.
Conclusions:
- The discovery of retrointrons in Archaea via LGT from Bacteria challenges their origin in the progenote.
- Retroids have a broader phylogenetic distribution than previously known, impacting genome evolution.
- This finding parallels theories on the origin of spliceosomes.