Endogenous florendoviruses are major components of plant genomes and hallmarks of virus evolution.

ABSTRACT: The extent and importance of endogenous viral elements have been extensively described in animals but are much less well understood in plants. Here we describe a new genus of Caulimoviridae called 'Florendovirus', members of which have colonized the genomes of a large diversity of flowering plants, sometimes at very high copy numbers (>0.5% total genome content). The genome invasion of Oryza is dated to over 1.8 million years ago (MYA) but phylogeographic evidence points to an even older age of 20-34 MYA for this virus group. Some appear to have had a bipartite genome organization, a unique characteristic among viral retroelements. In Vitis vinifera, 9% of the endogenous florendovirus loci are located within introns and therefore may influence host gene expression. The frequent colocation

SUBMITTER: Geering AD 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4241990 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature