The mauriceville plasmid reverse transcriptase can initiate cDNA synthesis de novo and may be related to reverse transcriptase and DNA polymerase progenitor

He, Wei; Lambowitz, Alan M.

doi:10.1016/0092-8674(93)90317-j

Cited by 99 publications

(135 citation statements)

References 35 publications

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“…A widely accepted extension of this simple argument is that the retroviruses and pararetroviruses evolved from LTR retrotransposons by acquiring new proteins conferring the ability to efficiently leave and re-enter host cells, also known as horizontal transfer or lateral transfer (Doolittle et al 1989). (2) The RT of one member of the prokaryotic group has the ability to perform primerindependent synthesis, similar to RNA polymerase, the presumed ancestor of RT (Wang and Lambowitz 1993). (3) The RT sequences of the prokaryotic group are the most similar to the sequences of the presumed ancestral outgroup of sequences, the RNA-directed RNA polymerases (RdRPs).…”

Section: The Ancient Origin Of Reverse Transcriptasementioning

confidence: 99%

The Unusual Phylogenetic Distribution of Retrotransposons: A Hypothesis

Boeke¹

2003

Genome Res.

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Retrotransposons have proliferated extensively in eukaryotic lineages; the genomes of many animals and plants comprise 50% or more retrotransposon sequences by weight. There are several persuasive arguments that the enzymatic lynchpin of retrotransposon replication, reverse transcriptase (RT), is an ancient enzyme. Moreover, the direct progenitors of retrotransposons are thought to be mobile self-splicing introns that actively propagate themselves via reverse transcription, the group II introns, also known as retrointrons. Retrointrons are represented in modern genomes in very modest numbers, and thus far, only in certain eubacterial and organellar genomes. Archaeal genomes are nearly devoid of RT in any form. In this study, I propose a model to explain this unusual distribution, and rationalize it with the proposed ancient origin of the RT gene. A cap and tail hypothesis is proposed. By this hypothesis, the specialized terminal structures of eukaryotic mRNA provide the ideal molecular environment for the lengthening, evolution, and subsequent massive expansion of highly mobile retrotransposons, leading directly to the retrotransposon-cluttered structure that typifies modern metazoan genomes and the eventual emergence of retroviruses.

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Section: The Ancient Origin Of Reverse Transcriptasementioning

confidence: 99%

The Unusual Phylogenetic Distribution of Retrotransposons: A Hypothesis

Boeke¹

2003

Genome Res.

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“…The plasmid replication mechanism is analogous to that of certain RNA viruses in that the plasmid-encoded RT recognizes a 3′ tRNA-like structure of the mRP transcript and initiates synthesis of a full-length (-) strand cDNA de novo, beginning opposite the 3′ CCA. Based on this similarity, we and others have suggested that the plasmid replication mechanism may be transitional between RNA and DNA replication, perhaps arising at the time of transition from an RNA to DNA world (5,6).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These fulllength transcripts serve both as mRNAs for the plasmidencoded RT and as replication intermediates. In the first step of replication, the plasmid-encoded RT recognizes the plasmid transcript 3′ tRNA-like structure and/or 3′ CCA sequence and initiates cDNA synthesis de novo opposite the penultimate C residue (C-2) of the 3′ CCA (5,8). This de novo initiation, which is unprecedented for a DNA polymerase, appears to be the major mechanism used for initiation of cDNA synthesis both in vitro and in vivo (5,7).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…1), along with oligomers in which the monomers are organized in tandem head-to-tail repeats. The mRPs encode a reverse transcriptase (RT) and replicate via an RNA intermediate and reverse transcription step (3)(4)(5). The plasmid replication mechanism is analogous to that of certain RNA viruses in that the plasmid-encoded RT recognizes a 3′ tRNA-like structure of the mRP transcript and initiates synthesis of a full-length (-) strand cDNA de novo, beginning opposite the 3′ CCA.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In the first step of replication, the plasmid-encoded RT recognizes the plasmid transcript 3′ tRNA-like structure and/or 3′ CCA sequence and initiates cDNA synthesis de novo opposite the penultimate C residue (C-2) of the 3′ CCA (5,8). This de novo initiation, which is unprecedented for a DNA polymerase, appears to be the major mechanism used for initiation of cDNA synthesis both in vitro and in vivo (5,7). Some cDNA synthesis also occurs by a template switching mechanism in which the 3′-end of a previously synthesized cDNA is used as a primer to initiate directly at the 3′-end of the mRP transcript (5,7,8).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Characterization of an unusual tRNA-like sequence found inserted in a Neurospora retroplasmid

Mohr¹,

Wanner²,

Bertrand³

et al. 2000

Nucleic Acids Research

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We characterized an unusual tRNA-like sequence that had been found inserted in suppressive variants of the mitochondrial retroplasmid of Neurospora intermedia strain Varkud. We previously identified two forms of the tRNA-like sequence, one of 64 nt (TRL-64) and the other of 78 nt (TRL-78) containing a 14-nt internal insertion in the anticodon stem at a position expected for a nuclear tRNA intron. Here, we show that TRL-78 is encoded in Varkud mitochondrial (mt)DNA within a 7 kb sequence that is not present in Neurospora crassa wild-type 74A mtDNA. This 7-kb insertion also contains a perfectly duplicated tRNA Trp gene, segments of several mitochondrial plasmids and numerous GC-rich palindromic sequences that are repeated elsewhere in the mtDNA. The mtDNA-encoded copy of TRL-78 is transcribed and apparently undergoes 5′-and 3′-end processing and 3′ nucleotide addition by tRNA nucleotidyl transferase to yield a discrete tRNA-sized molecule. However, the 14 nt intron-like sequence in TRL-78, which is missing in the TRL-64 form, is not spliced detectably in vivo or in vitro. Our results show that TRL-78 is an unusual tRNA-like species that could be incorporated into suppressive retroplasmids by the same reverse transcription mechanism used to incorporate mt tRNAs. The tRNA-like sequence may have been derived from an intron-containing nuclear tRNA gene or it may serve some function, like tmRNA. Our results suggest that mt tRNAs or tRNA-like species may be integrated into mtDNA via reverse transcription, analogous to SINE elements in animal cells.

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Telomerase, Retrotransposons, and Evolution

Arkhipova

2012

Telomerases

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The mauriceville plasmid reverse transcriptase can initiate cDNA synthesis de novo and may be related to reverse transcriptase and DNA polymerase progenitor

Cited by 99 publications

References 35 publications

The Unusual Phylogenetic Distribution of Retrotransposons: A Hypothesis

The Unusual Phylogenetic Distribution of Retrotransposons: A Hypothesis

Characterization of an unusual tRNA-like sequence found inserted in a Neurospora retroplasmid

Telomerase, Retrotransposons, and Evolution

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