Purifying selection of long dsRNA is the first line of defense against false activation of innate immunity.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Mobile elements comprise a large fraction of metazoan genomes. Accumulation of mobile elements is bound to produce multiple putative double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) structures within the transcriptome. These endogenous dsRNA structures resemble viral RNA and may trigger false activation of the innate immune response, leading to severe damage to the host cell. Adenosine to inosine (A-to-I) RNA editing is a common post-transcriptional modification, abundant within repetitive elements of all metazoans. It was recently shown that a key function of A-to-I RNA editing by ADAR1 is to suppress the immunogenic response by endogenous dsRNAs.

Results

Here, we analyze the transcriptomes of dozens of species across the Metazoa and identify a strong genomic selection against endoge

SUBMITTER: Barak M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7006430 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature