Retroelements in Microorganisms

摘要: Retroelements are a diverse, widely distributed group of genetic elements that can replicate through an RNA intermediate. Genes for reverse transcriptase, the key enzyme in this process, have been found associated with retroelements plants, animals, eukaryotic protists, and, most recently, prokaryotes. Much progress has made understanding life cycles retroelements, as is illustrated by several recent reviews on topic (Boeke, 1988, 1989; Boeke and Garfinkel, 1988; Kingsman Kingsman, Temin, Varmus, Corces, Sandmeyer et al., 1990; Sandmeyer, 1992; Brosius, 1991; Chapman, 1991). In addition, detailed comparisons retroelement coding sequences yielded insights into their evolution (Johnson 1986; Doolittle Xiong Eickbush, 1990).