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A mobile intron facilitates interference competition between co-infecting viruses.

Erica A Birkholz, Chase J Morgan, Thomas G Laughlin

Biorxiv : the Preprint Server for Biology

|October 9, 2023

Summary

Mobile introns, once thought to be selfish, can offer a competitive edge. A specific homing endonuclease from bacteriophage ΦPA3 interferes with rival phage assembly, providing a reproductive advantage.

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Area of Science:

Molecular Biology
Evolutionary Biology
Genetics

Background:

Mobile introns with homing endonucleases are prevalent in nature and typically considered parasitic genetic elements.
The selective advantage conferred by these mobile introns, particularly in viral systems, remains largely uncharacterized.

Approach:

Investigated a mobile intron within bacteriophage ΦPA3.
Analyzed the function of its homing endonuclease, gp210, in viral competition dynamics.

Key Points:

The homing endonuclease gp210 from bacteriophage ΦPA3 actively targets a specific DNA sequence in a co-infecting competitor, bacteriophage ΦKZ.
This targeting by gp210 disrupts the virogenesis process of the competing phage, preventing the formation of progeny viruses.
This represents the first documented instance of a mobile intron utilizing interference competition for a reproductive benefit.

Conclusions:

Mobile introns can actively engage in competitive interactions, conferring a selective advantage to their host.
The discovery of intron-mediated interference competition has significant implications for understanding evolutionary dynamics, given the widespread nature of introns.