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Determining 3'-Termini and Sequences of Nascent Single-Stranded Viral DNA Molecules during HIV-1 Reverse Transcription in Infected Cells
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Determining 3'-Termini and Sequences of Nascent Single-Stranded Viral DNA Molecules during HIV-1 Reverse Transcription in Infected Cells

Published on: January 30, 2019

A diversity of uncharacterized reverse transcriptases in bacteria.

Dawn M Simon1, Steven Zimmerly

  • 1Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

Nucleic Acids Research
|November 14, 2008
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

This study surveyed bacterial, archaeal, and phage genomes, discovering 1021 reverse transcriptases (RTs). Many novel RTs were found, suggesting new functions and impacting retroelement evolution.

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Area of Science:

  • Genomics
  • Molecular Biology
  • Bioinformatics

Background:

  • Retroelements are abundant in eukaryotes, but reverse transcriptases (RTs) are rare in bacteria, with only three known classes.
  • Characterized bacterial RTs include retrons, group II introns, and diversity-generating retroelements (DGRs).

Purpose of the Study:

  • To define the landscape of RTs across eubacterial, archaeal, and phage genomes.
  • To identify and categorize novel RTs and their potential functions.

Main Methods:

  • Bioinformatic survey of eubacterial, archaeal, and phage genomes.
  • Sequence similarity, phylogenetic analyses, and domain structure analysis for classification.

Main Results:

  • Identified and categorized 1021 RTs, with group II introns comprising 73%.
  • Discovered numerous novel RTs not belonging to previously characterized classes.
  • RTs exhibit 11 domain architectures and are classified into 20 distinct groupings.
  • Group II introns show independent mobility; five other groups may be involved in phage-related functions.

Conclusions:

  • The study reveals a vast, previously uncharacterized diversity of RTs in prokaryotic and phage genomes.
  • Novel RTs likely possess undiscovered beneficial functions, potentially related to defense or promotion of phage infection.
  • This work provides a foundation for future experimental characterization and sheds light on retroelement evolution.