Evolutionary capture of viral and plasmid DNA by yeast nuclear chromosomes.

ABSTRACT: A 10-kb region of the nuclear genome of the yeast Vanderwaltozyma polyspora contains an unusual cluster of five pseudogenes homologous to five different genes from yeast killer viruses, killer plasmids, the 2microm plasmid, and a Penicillium virus. By further database searches, we show that this phenomenon is not unique to V. polyspora but that about 40% of the sequenced genomes of Saccharomycotina species contain integrated copies of genes from DNA plasmids or RNA viruses. We propose the name NUPAVs (nuclear sequences of plasmid and viral origin) for these objects, by analogy to NUMTs (nuclear copies of mitochondrial DNA) and NUPTs (nuclear copies of plastid DNA, in plants) of organellar origin. Although most of the NUPAVs are pseudogenes, one intact and active gene that was formed in thi

SUBMITTER: Frank AC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2756859 | biostudies-literature | 2009 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature