Domesticated LTR-Retrotransposon gag-Related Gene (Gagr) as a Member of the Stress Response Network in Drosophila
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Department of Genetics, M.V. Lomonosov Moscow State University, Leninskie Gory, 1, 119991 Moscow, Russia
2
Faculty of Biology, Shenzhen MSU-BIT University, Longgang District, Shenzhen 518172, China
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Academic Editor: Kyudong Han
Life 2022, 12(3), 364; https://doi.org/10.3390/life12030364
Received: 29 January 2022
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Revised: 27 February 2022
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Accepted: 27 February 2022
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Published: 3 March 2022
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Genomic Impact of Transposable Elements)
The most important sources of new components of genomes are transposable elements, which can occupy more than half of the nucleotide sequence of the genome in higher eukaryotes. Among the mobile components of a genome, a special place is occupied by retroelements, which are similar to retroviruses in terms of their mechanisms of integration into a host genome. The process of positive selection of certain sequences of transposable elements and retroviruses in a host genome is commonly called molecular domestication. There are many examples of evolutionary adaptations of gag (retroviral capsid) sequences as new regulatory sequences of different genes in mammals, where domesticated gag genes take part in placenta functioning and embryogenesis, regulation of apoptosis, hematopoiesis, and metabolism. The only gag-related gene has been found in the Drosophila genome—Gagr. According to the large-scale transcriptomic and proteomic analysis data, the Gagr gene in D. melanogaster is a component of the protein complex involved in the stress response. In this work, we consider the evolutionary processes that led to the formation of a new function of the domesticated gag gene and its adaptation to participation in the stress response. We discuss the possible functional role of the Gagr as part of the complex with its partners in Drosophila, and the pathway of evolution of proteins of the complex in eukaryotes to determine the benefit of the domesticated retroelement gag gene.
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Keywords:
molecular domestication; retroelements; Drosophila; evolution; stress response
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MDPI and ACS Style
Nefedova, L.; Gigin, A.; Kim, A. Domesticated LTR-Retrotransposon gag-Related Gene (Gagr) as a Member of the Stress Response Network in Drosophila. Life 2022, 12, 364. https://doi.org/10.3390/life12030364
AMA Style
Nefedova L, Gigin A, Kim A. Domesticated LTR-Retrotransposon gag-Related Gene (Gagr) as a Member of the Stress Response Network in Drosophila. Life. 2022; 12(3):364. https://doi.org/10.3390/life12030364
Chicago/Turabian StyleNefedova, Lidia, Alexey Gigin, and Alexander Kim. 2022. "Domesticated LTR-Retrotransposon gag-Related Gene (Gagr) as a Member of the Stress Response Network in Drosophila" Life 12, no. 3: 364. https://doi.org/10.3390/life12030364
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