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Updated: Jun 3, 2026

Comparative RNA Structure Analysis of Nascent and Mature Transcripts in Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Published on: February 27, 2026
Retron Se72 utilizes a unique strategy of the self-priming initiation of reverse transcription
Lenka Pilousova1, Ivan Rychlik
1Veterinary Research Institute, Hudcova 70, 621 00 Brno, Czech Republic. pilousova@vri.cz
Abstract:
Unlike all of the other retrons, the bacterial retron reverse transcriptase RrtE is capable of synthesizing small double-stranded DNA (sdsDNA) from template RNA. In this study, we analyzed the biosynthesis of the sdsDNA by RrtE in detail. We found out that the initiation of reverse transcription was dependent on a novel self-priming mechanism utilizing a free 3'OH of RNA that is reverse-transcribed into sdsDNA. The priming of the sdsDNA synthesis was not dependent on any particular nucleotide being used as a donor of 3'OH (unlike all of the other retrons, which prime from 2'OH of a particular guanosine) or any particular nucleotide being introduced into the sdsDNA first. Due to the relaxed demands for the initiation of reverse transcription, RrtE has the potential to generate dsDNA from different RNA transcripts in vivo.
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