Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 15, 2026
10:20
Assembly and Purification of Prototype Foamy Virus Intasomes
Published on: March 19, 2018
Genetic exchanges of inteins between prasinoviruses (phycodnaviridae)
Camille Clerissi1, Nigel Grimsley, Yves Desdevises
1UPMC Univ Paris 06, UMR 7232, Observatoire Océanologique, Avenue du Fontaulé, 66650, Banyuls-sur-Mer, France. camille.clerissi@obs-banyuls.fr
Evolution; International Journal of Organic Evolution
|January 8, 2013
Summary
Inteins, genetic elements within viral DNA polymerase genes, are actively transferring between prasinoviruses. This study provides the first evidence of intein recombination within the Phycodnaviridae virus family.
Area of Science:
- Virology
- Molecular Biology
- Genetics
Background:
- Phylogenetic diversity of Phycodnaviridae viruses is often assessed using the DNA polymerase (PolB) gene.
- Inteins are mobile genetic elements within genes that self-excise post-translationally.
- Inteins can encode homing endonuclease domains, facilitating potential lateral gene transfer.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate recent intein transfers among prasinoviruses, which infect Mamiellophyceae algae.
- To determine if intein transfer is an active process within the Phycodnaviridae family.
Main Methods:
- DNA sequence analyses were employed to study intein distribution.
- Cophylogenetic methods were used to infer evolutionary relationships and transfer events.
Main Results:
- Evidence suggests that intein transfer is a dynamic and ongoing process among prasinoviruses.
- The study identified the first documented recombination event within an intein in the Phycodnaviridae family.
Conclusions:
- Intein mobility and recombination are significant factors shaping the evolution of Phycodnaviridae.
- These findings highlight the complex genetic interactions between viruses and their hosts.
Related Concept Videos
00:57Viral Recombination
Cells are sometimes infected by more than one virus at once. When two viruses disassemble to expose their genomes for replication in the same cell, similar regions of their genomes can pair together and exchange sequences in a process called recombination. Alternatively, viruses with segmented genomes can swap segments in a process called reassortment.
02:32Exon Recombination
The evolution of new genes is critical for speciation. Exon recombination, also known as exon shuffling or domain shuffling, is an important means of new gene formation. It is observed across vertebrates, invertebrates, and in some plants such as potatoes and sunflowers. During exon recombination, exons from the same or different genes recombine and produce new exon-intron combinations, which might evolve into new genes.
Exon shuffling follows “splice frame rules.” Each exon has three reading...
Exon shuffling follows “splice frame rules.” Each exon has three reading...
02:18Types of Genetic Transfer Between Organisms
Genetic transfer occurs when genetic information is passed from one organism to another. It occurs via two mechanisms: vertical gene transfer and horizontal gene transfer. Vertical gene transfer occurs when genetic information is transferred from one generation to the next, which happens much more frequently than horizontal gene transfer. Both sexual and asexual reproduction are forms of vertical gene transfer, where one or more organisms pass some or all of their genome onto their progeny.
02:18Types of Genetic Transfer Between Organisms
Genetic transfer occurs when genetic information is passed from one organism to another. It occurs via two mechanisms: vertical gene transfer and horizontal gene transfer. Vertical gene transfer occurs when genetic information is transferred from one generation to the next, which happens much more frequently than horizontal gene transfer. Both sexual and asexual reproduction are forms of vertical gene transfer, where one or more organisms pass some or all of their genome onto their progeny.
02:33Retroviruses
Retroviruses and retrotransposons both insert copies of their genetic elements into the genome of the host cell. Thus, the viral genes are passed on when the host genome is replicated or translated. A typical retroviral DNA sequence contains 3-4 genes that encode the different proteins required for its structural assembly and function as a molecular parasite. This DNA is transcribed into a single mRNA, which is very similar in structure to conventional mRNAs, i.e., it is capped at the 5’...
02:53Conservative Site-specific Recombination and Phase Variation
Because the DNA segments are cut and reorganized in a direction-specific manner, site-specific recombination has emerged as an efficient genetic engineering technique. Flippase and Cyclization recombinases or Flp and Cre, respectively, are two members of the tyrosine recombinase family derived from bacteriophages, that are used to mediate site-specific DNA insertions, deletions, and targeted expression of proteins in mammalian cell lines.
The recognition sites for Cre recombinase called LoxP...
The recognition sites for Cre recombinase called LoxP...