Virus-like transposons cross the species barrier and drive the evolution of genetic incompatibilities - AAAS

[Mary Wilson]

30 Jun 2023

DOI: 10.1126/science.ade0705​

SONYA A. WIDEN, ISRAEL CAMPO BES, ALEVTINA KORESHOVA, PINELOPI PLIOTA, DANIEL KROGULL, AND ALEJANDRO BURGA​

Abstract

Horizontal gene transfer, the movement of genetic material between species, has been reported across all major eukaryotic lineages. However, the underlying mechanisms of transfer and their impact on genome evolution are still poorly understood. While studying the evolutionary origin of a selfish element in the nematode Caenorhabditis briggsae, we discovered that Mavericks, ancient virus-like transposons related to giant viruses and virophages, are one of the long-sought vectors of horizontal gene transfer. We found that Mavericks gained a novel herpesvirus-like fusogen in nematodes, leading to the widespread exchange of cargo genes between extremely divergent species, bypassing sexual and genetic barriers spanning hundreds of millions of years. Our results show how the union between viruses and transposons causes horizontal gene transfer and ultimately genetic incompatibilities in natural populations.​

https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.ade0705

 

[Mary Wilson]

Virus-like transposons cross the species barrier, study shows

JUNE 29, 2023

by IMBA- Institute of Molecular Biotechnology of the Austrian Academy of Sciences

Scientists have known for decades that genes can be transferred from one species to another, both in animals and plants. However, the mechanism of how such an unlikely event occurs remained unknown. Now, researchers from Alejandro Burga's lab at the Institute of Molecular Biotechnology (IMBA) of the Austrian Academy of Sciences identify a vector of horizontal gene transfer (HGT) in worms. The findings, published in Science, could lead to the discovery of further vectors of HGT in eukaryotes and might find applications in pathogen control.

Fish living in the Arctic and Antarctic oceans have evolved ingenious strategies to prevent their blood and tissues from freezing in the inhospitable polar waters. One such adaptive strategy is the evolution of genes that produce antifreeze proteins. However, over a decade ago, scientists were astounded to discover that herrings and smelts—two completely different species—have the exact same antifreeze protein encoded in their genomes, indicating a gene transfer between them.​

Examples such as this raise the question: how can genes "jump" between completely different species? This rare phenomenon, known as HGT, has puzzled evolutionary biologists for a long time. ...

https://phys.org/news/2023-06-virus-like-transposons-species-barrier.html
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