Lineage-Specific Evolution, Structural Diversity, and Activity of R2 Retrotransposons in Animals.

ABSTRACT: Retrotransposons play outsized roles in the evolution of gene regulation, genome function, and disease pathogenesis and more recently, have sparked interest as workhorses for new gene therapy approaches. R2 retrotransposons insert site-specifically to the multicopy genes encoding 28S ribosomal RNA at a target sequence conserved broadly across eukaryotic evolution. R2 retrotransposons have been detected in many animals, but previous surveys have been limited in scope and methodology. Here, we substantially expand the known distribution of R2 retrotransposons from previously unrepresented or underrepresented taxonomic groups ranging from ctenophores to amphibians and reptiles. We discover diverse R2 domain architectures and motifs and identify many new avian R2 candidates for genome engineer

SUBMITTER: Hassan NT 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12247875 | biostudies-literature | 2025 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature