Amoebidium appalachenseViruses in protists closely related to animals weave remnants of ancient giant viruses into their genetic code, according to a new study led by Queen Mary, University of London. The discovery sheds light on how complex organisms acquire parts of their genes and highlights the dynamic interplay between viruses and their hosts.
Amoebidium appalachense A unique model for understanding the hybrid origin of eukaryotic DNA. Image courtesy of Alex de Mendoza.
In this study, Dr. Alex de Mendoza Soler and his colleagues Amoebidium appalachense A unicellular parasite first isolated from the epidermis of a freshwater arthropod.
They found a surprising amount of genetic material from giant viruses, some of the largest known to science.
The sequences of these viruses are highly methylated, a chemical tag that often silences genes.
“It's like a hidden Trojan horse. Amoebidium appalachense It’s the DNA of,” says Dr. de Mendoza Soler.
“These viral insertions are potentially harmful, but Amoebidium appalachense It seems like we are suppressing them by chemically silencing them.”
The researchers then investigated how widespread this phenomenon may be.
They are some Amoebidium appalachense Examination of the isolates revealed wide variation in viral content.
This suggests that the processes of viral integration and silencing are continuous and dynamic.
“These findings call into question our understanding of viruses and the relationship between them and their hosts,” said Dr de Mendoza Soler.
“Traditionally, viruses are thought of as invaders, but this study suggests a more complex story.”
“Viral insertions may have played a role in the evolution of complex organisms by contributing new genes.”
“And this can be done by chemically controlling the invader's DNA.”
moreover, Amoebidium appalachense It shows intriguing parallels to how our own genomes interact with viruses.
It's similar to Amoebidium appalachense Humans and other mammals carry remnants of ancient viruses called endogenous retroviruses built into their DNA.
These remnants were previously thought to be inactive junk DNA, but now it appears some may be beneficial.
but, Amoebidium appalachense Endogenous retroviruses are much smaller, while the human genome is significantly larger.
Future studies can explore these similarities and differences to understand the intricate interactions between viruses and complex life forms.
Team Investigation result Published in today's journal Scientific advances.
_____
Luke A. Saleh others 2024. DNA methylation enables recurrent internalization of giant viruses in animal relatives. Scientific advances 10(28); Source: 10.1126/sciadv.ado6406
This article has been edited from an original release from Queen Mary, University of London.
Source: www.sci.news
