A specialized bacterial group II intron is a highly efficient retrotransposon.

ABSTRACT: Mobile group II introns are site-specific retrotransposons composed of a large self-splicing ribozyme and an intron-encoded reverse transcriptase that are widespread in bacterial and organellar genomes. Sequence and structural variations of the ribozyme and the associated reverse transcriptase define several lineages of bacterial group II introns. Interestingly, some of these intron families evolved different mobility strategies while others colonize particular genetic contexts. Here, we have investigated the mobility activity of an Escherichia coli group II intron that is inserted into the stop codon of the stress-response gene groEL. Using mobility assays based on over-expression from a donor plasmid, we demonstrate that this intron is a highly efficient and site-specific retrotransposon

SUBMITTER: Gomes L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12584367 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature