Eco-evolutionary significance of domesticated retroelements in microbial genomes.

ABSTRACT: Since the first discovery of reverse transcriptase in bacteria, and later in archaea, bacterial and archaeal retroelements have been defined by their common enzyme that coordinates diverse functions. Yet, evolutionary refinement has produced distinct retroelements across the tree of microbial life that are perhaps best described in terms of their programmed RNA-a compact sequence that preserves core information for a sophisticated mechanism. From this perspective, reverse transcriptase has been selected as the modular tool for carrying out nature's instructions in various RNA templates. Beneficial retroelements-those that can provide a fitness advantage to their host-evolved to their extant forms in a wide array of microorganisms and their viruses, spanning nearly all habitats. Within each

SUBMITTER: Paul BG 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8867640 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature