Enhanced group II intron retrohoming in magnesium-deficient Escherichia coli via selection of mutations in the ribozyme core.

ABSTRACT: Mobile group II introns are bacterial retrotransposons thought to be evolutionary ancestors of spliceosomal introns and retroelements in eukaryotes. They consist of a catalytically active intron RNA ("ribozyme") and an intron-encoded reverse transcriptase, which function together to promote RNA splicing and intron mobility via reverse splicing of the intron RNA into new DNA sites ("retrohoming"). Although group II introns are active in bacteria, their natural hosts, they function inefficiently in eukaryotes, where lower free Mg(2+) concentrations decrease their ribozyme activity and constitute a natural barrier to group II intron proliferation within nuclear genomes. Here, we show that retrohoming of the Ll.LtrB group II intron is strongly inhibited in an Escherichia coli mutant lacking th

SUBMITTER: Truong DM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3791771 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature