Learning to live together: mutualism between self-splicing introns and their hosts

Authors

Marlene Belfort, University at Albany, State University of New York
Venkata R. Chalamcharla, University at Albany, State University of New York
David R. Edgell, University of Western Ontario

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Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2011

Abstract

Group I and II introns can be considered as molecular parasites that interrupt protein-coding and structural RNA genes in all domains of life. They function as self-splicing ribozymes and thereby limit the phenotypic costs associated with disruption of a host gene while they act as mobile DNA elements to promote their spread within and between genomes. Once considered purely selfish DNA elements, they now seem, in the light of recent work on the molecular mechanisms regulating bacterial and phage group I and II intron dynamics, to show evidence of co-evolution with their hosts. These previously underappreciated relationships serve the co-evolving entities particularly well in times of environmental stress.

Comments

This is the Publisher’s PDF of the following article made available by BMC Biology: Edgell, D.R., Chalamcharla, V.R. & Belfort, M. Learning to live together: mutualism between self-splicing introns and their hosts. BMC Biol 9, 22 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1186/1741-7007-9-22

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Recommended Citation

Belfort, Marlene; Chalamcharla, Venkata R.; and Edgell, David R., "Learning to live together: mutualism between self-splicing introns and their hosts" (2011). Biological Sciences Faculty Scholarship. 17.
https://scholarsarchive.library.albany.edu/biology_fac_scholar/17