Unexpected invasion of miniature inverted-repeat transposable elements in viral genomes.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Transposable elements (TEs) are common and often present with high copy numbers in cellular genomes. Unlike in cellular organisms, TEs were previously thought to be either rare or absent in viruses. Almost all reported TEs display only one or two copies per viral genome. In addition, the discovery of pandoraviruses with genomes up to 2.5-Mb emphasizes the need for biologists to rethink the fundamental nature of the relationship between viruses and cellular life.

Results

Herein, we performed the first comprehensive analysis of miniature inverted-repeat transposable elements (MITEs) in the 5170 viral genomes for which sequences are currently available. Four hundred and fifty one copies of ten miniature inverted-repeat transposable elements (MITEs) were found and eac

SUBMITTER: Zhang HH 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6004678 | biostudies-literature | 2018

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature