The Diverse Evolutionary Histories of Domesticated Metaviral Capsid Genes in Mammals.

ABSTRACT: Selfish genetic elements comprise significant fractions of mammalian genomes. In rare instances, host genomes domesticate segments of these elements for function. Using a complete human genome assembly and 25 additional vertebrate genomes, we re-analyzed the evolutionary trajectories and functional potential of capsid (CA) genes domesticated from Metaviridae, a lineage of retrovirus-like retrotransposons. Our study expands on previous analyses to unearth several new insights about the evolutionary histories of these ancient genes. We find that at least five independent domestication events occurred from diverse Metaviridae, giving rise to three universally retained single-copy genes evolving under purifying selection and two gene families unique to placental mammals, with multiple members

SUBMITTER: Henriques WS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11011659 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature