A Virophage at the Origin of Large DNA Transposons
A Virophage at the Origin of Large DNA Transposons
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DOI：
10.1126/science.1199412
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发表时间：
2011-04-08
期刊：
影响因子：
56.9
通讯作者：
Suttle, Curtis A.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Fischer, Matthias G.;Suttle, Curtis A.
DNA转座子是一种可移动的遗传元件，数百万年来一直塑造着真核生物的基因组，但它们的起源仍然不明。我们发现了一个噬菌体，根据遗传同源性，它很可能代表了双链DNA病毒和Maverick/Polinton真核DNA转座子之间的进化联系。MaVirus噬病毒体寄生在巨型Roenbergensis病毒上，编码20种预测的蛋白质，包括逆转录病毒整合酶和蛋白质启动的DNA聚合酶B。根据我们的数据，我们得出结论，Maverick/Polinton转座子可能起源于MaVirus的古代亲属，从而影响了真核基因组的进化，尽管我们不能排除其他进化方案。
DNA transposons are mobile genetic elements that have shaped the genomes of eukaryotes for millions of years, yet their origins remain obscure. We discovered a virophage that, on the basis of genetic homology, likely represents an evolutionary link between double-stranded DNA viruses and Maverick/Polinton eukaryotic DNA transposons. The Mavirus virophage parasitizes the giant Cafeteria roenbergensis virus and encodes 20 predicted proteins, including a retroviral integrase and a protein-primed DNA polymerase B. On the basis of our data, we conclude that Maverick/Polinton transposons may have originated from ancient relatives of Mavirus, and thereby influenced the evolution of eukaryotic genomes, although we cannot rule out alternative evolutionary scenarios.