Bacterial contribution to genesis of the novel germ line determinant <i>oskar</i>.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 32091394.
- Also identified by DOI 10.7554/eLife.45539 and PMC identifier 7250577.
- Licence recorded as CC BY.
- The licence permits redistribution, so the abstract is shown in full and the full text is available from the publisher.
Abstract
New cellular functions and developmental processes can evolve by modifying existing genes or creating novel genes. Novel genes can arise not only via duplication or mutation but also by acquiring foreign DNA, also called horizontal gene transfer (HGT). Here we show that HGT likely contributed to the creation of a novel gene indispensable for reproduction in some insects. Long considered a novel gene with unknown origin, <i>oskar</i> has evolved to fulfil a crucial role in insect germ cell formation. Our analysis of over 100 insect Oskar sequences suggests that <i>oskar</i> arose <i>de novo via</i> fusion of eukaryotic and prokaryotic sequences. This work shows that highly unusual gene origin processes can give rise to novel genes that may facilitate evolution of novel developmental mechanisms.
Medical subject headings
- Bacterial Physiological Phenomena
- Drosophila Proteins
- Germ Cells