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Phylogenetic analyses suggest reverse splicing spread of group I introns in fungal ribosomal DNA.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Bhattacharya, D; Reeb, V; Simon, DM; Lutzoni, F
Published in: BMC evolutionary biology
November 2005

Group I introns have spread into over 90 different sites in nuclear ribosomal DNA (rDNA) with greater than 1700 introns reported in these genes. These ribozymes generally spread through endonuclease-mediated intron homing. Another putative pathway is reverse splicing whereby a free group I intron inserts into a homologous or heterologous RNA through complementary base-pairing between the intron and exon RNA. Reverse-transcription of the RNA followed by general recombination results in intron spread. Here we used phylogenetics to test for reverse splicing spread in a taxonomically broadly sampled data set of fungal group I introns including 9 putatively ancient group I introns in the rDNA of the yeast-like symbiont Symbiotaphrina buchneri.Our analyses reveal a complex evolutionary history of the fungal introns with many cases of vertical inheritance (putatively for the 9 introns in S. buchneri) and intron lateral transfer. There are several examples in which introns, many of which are still present in S. buchneri, may have spread through reverse splicing into heterologous rDNA sites. If the S. buchneri introns are ancient as we postulate, then group I intron loss was widespread in fungal rDNA evolution.On the basis of these results, we suggest that the extensive distribution of fungal group I introns is at least partially explained by the reverse splicing movement of existing introns into ectopic rDNA sites.

Duke Scholars

Published In

BMC evolutionary biology

DOI

EISSN

1471-2148

ISSN

1471-2148

Publication Date

November 2005

Volume

5

Start / End Page

68

Related Subject Headings

  • Recombination, Genetic
  • RNA, Ribosomal
  • RNA Splicing
  • RNA
  • Protein Structure, Secondary
  • Polymerase Chain Reaction
  • Phylogeny
  • Models, Genetic
  • Introns
  • Exons
 

Citation

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Bhattacharya, D., Reeb, V., Simon, D. M., & Lutzoni, F. (2005). Phylogenetic analyses suggest reverse splicing spread of group I introns in fungal ribosomal DNA. BMC Evolutionary Biology, 5, 68. https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2148-5-68
Bhattacharya, Debashish, Valérie Reeb, Dawn M. Simon, and François Lutzoni. “Phylogenetic analyses suggest reverse splicing spread of group I introns in fungal ribosomal DNA.BMC Evolutionary Biology 5 (November 2005): 68. https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2148-5-68.
Bhattacharya D, Reeb V, Simon DM, Lutzoni F. Phylogenetic analyses suggest reverse splicing spread of group I introns in fungal ribosomal DNA. BMC evolutionary biology. 2005 Nov;5:68.
Bhattacharya, Debashish, et al. “Phylogenetic analyses suggest reverse splicing spread of group I introns in fungal ribosomal DNA.BMC Evolutionary Biology, vol. 5, Nov. 2005, p. 68. Epmc, doi:10.1186/1471-2148-5-68.
Bhattacharya D, Reeb V, Simon DM, Lutzoni F. Phylogenetic analyses suggest reverse splicing spread of group I introns in fungal ribosomal DNA. BMC evolutionary biology. 2005 Nov;5:68.
Journal cover image

Published In

BMC evolutionary biology

DOI

EISSN

1471-2148

ISSN

1471-2148

Publication Date

November 2005

Volume

5

Start / End Page

68

Related Subject Headings

  • Recombination, Genetic
  • RNA, Ribosomal
  • RNA Splicing
  • RNA
  • Protein Structure, Secondary
  • Polymerase Chain Reaction
  • Phylogeny
  • Models, Genetic
  • Introns
  • Exons