An Unexplored Diversity of Reverse Transcriptases in Bacteria

2015 ◽  
pp. 1253-1269
Author(s):  
Steven Zimmerly ◽  
Li Wu
2019 ◽  
Vol 26 (31) ◽  
pp. 5849-5861 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pan Jiang ◽  
Feng Yan

tiRNAs & tRFs are a class of small molecular noncoding tRNA derived from precise processing of mature or precursor tRNAs. Most tiRNAs & tRFs described originate from nucleus-encoded tRNAs, and only a few tiRNAs and tRFs have been reported. They have been suggested to play important roles in inhibiting protein synthesis, regulating gene expression, priming viral reverse transcriptases, and the modulation of DNA damage responses. However, the regulatory mechanisms and potential function of tiRNAs & tRFs remain poorly understood. This review aims to describe tiRNAs & tRFs, including their structure, biological functions and subcellular localization. The regulatory roles of tiRNAs & tRFs in translation, neurodegeneration, metabolic diseases, viral infections, and carcinogenesis are also discussed in detail. Finally, the potential applications of these noncoding tRNAs as biomarkers and gene regulators in different diseases is also highlighted.


2010 ◽  
Vol 67 (16) ◽  
pp. 2717-2747 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alon Herschhorn ◽  
Amnon Hizi

2005 ◽  
Vol 79 (23) ◽  
pp. 14863-14875 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angela Atwood-Moore ◽  
Kenechi Ejebe ◽  
Henry L. Levin

ABSTRACT Reverse transcriptases (RTs) of retroviruses and long terminal repeat (LTR)-retrotransposons possess DNA polymerase and RNase H activities. During reverse transcription these activities are necessary for the programmed sequence of events that include template switching and primer processing. Integrase then inserts the completed cDNA into the genome of the host cell. The RT of the LTR-retrotransposon Tf1 was subjected to random mutagenesis, and the resulting transposons were screened with genetic assays to test which mutations reduced reverse transcription and which inhibited integration. We identified a cluster of mutations in the RNase H domain of RT that were surprising because they blocked integration without reducing cDNA levels. The results of immunoblots demonstrated that these mutations did not reduce levels of RT or integrase. DNA blots showed that the mutations did not lower the amounts of full-length cDNA. The sequences of the 3′ ends of the cDNA revealed that mutations within the cluster in RNase H specifically reduced the removal of the polypurine tract (PPT) primer from the ends of the cDNA. These results indicate that primer removal is not a necessary component of reverse transcription. The residues mutated in Tf1 RNase H are conserved in human immunodeficiency virus type 1 and make direct contact with DNA opposite the PPT. Thus, our results identify a conserved element in RT that contacts the PPT and is specifically required for PPT removal.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Alisa Alekseenko ◽  
Donal Barrett ◽  
Yerma Pareja-Sanchez ◽  
Rebecca J. Howard ◽  
Emilia Strandback ◽  
...  

AbstractRT-LAMP detection of SARS-CoV-2 has been shown to be a valuable approach to scale up COVID-19 diagnostics and thus contribute to limiting the spread of the disease. Here we present the optimization of highly cost-effective in-house produced enzymes, and we benchmark their performance against commercial alternatives. We explore the compatibility between multiple DNA polymerases with high strand-displacement activity and thermostable reverse transcriptases required for RT-LAMP. We optimize reaction conditions and demonstrate their applicability using both synthetic RNA and clinical patient samples. Finally, we validate the optimized RT-LAMP assay for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 in unextracted heat-inactivated nasopharyngeal samples from 184 patients. We anticipate that optimized and affordable reagents for RT-LAMP will facilitate the expansion of SARS-CoV-2 testing globally, especially in sites and settings where the need for large scale testing cannot be met by commercial alternatives.


Author(s):  
Paul L. Boyer ◽  
Catherine A. Rehm ◽  
Michael C. Sneller ◽  
JoAnn Mican ◽  
Margaret R. Caplan ◽  
...  

Resistance to anti-Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) drugs has been a problem from the beginning of antiviral drug treatments. The recent expansion of combination antiretroviral therapy worldwide has led to an increase in resistance to antiretrovirals; understanding the mechanisms of resistance is increasingly important. In this study, we analyzed reverse transcriptase (RT) variants based on sequences derived from an individual who had a low-level rebound viremia while undergoing therapy with abacavir, azidothymidine (AZT or Zidovudine), and (−)-L-2′,3′-dideoxy-3′-thiacytidine (Lamivudine or 3TC). The RT had mutations at positions 64, 67, 70, 184, 219, and a threonine insertion after amino acid 69 in RT. The virus remained partially susceptible to the nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NRTI) regimen. We show how these mutations affect the ability of NRTIs to inhibit DNA synthesis by RT. The presence of the inserted threonine reduced the susceptibility of the RT mutant to inhibition by Tenofovir.


1992 ◽  
Vol 12 (11) ◽  
pp. 5131-5144
Author(s):  
H Wang ◽  
J C Kennell ◽  
M T Kuiper ◽  
J R Sabourin ◽  
R Saldanha ◽  
...  

The Mauriceville and Varkud plasmids are retroid elements that propagate in the mitochondria of some Neurospora spp. strains. Previous studies of endogenous reactions in ribonucleoprotein particle preparations suggested that the plasmids use a novel mechanism of reverse transcription that involves synthesis of a full-length minus-strand DNA beginning at the 3' end of the plasmid transcript, which has a 3' tRNA-like structure (M. T. R. Kuiper and A. M. Lambowitz, Cell 55:693-704, 1988). In this study, we developed procedures for releasing the Mauriceville plasmid reverse transcriptase from mitochondrial ribonucleoprotein particles and partially purifying it by heparin-Sepharose chromatography. By using these soluble preparations, we show directly that the Mauriceville plasmid reverse transcriptase synthesizes full-length cDNA copies of in vitro transcripts beginning at the 3' end and has a preference for transcripts having the 3' tRNA-like structure. Further, unlike retroviral reverse transcriptases, the Mauriceville plasmid reverse transcriptase begins cDNA synthesis directly opposite the 3'-terminal nucleotide of the template RNA. The ability to initiate cDNA synthesis directly at the 3' end of template RNAs may also be relevant to the mechanisms of reverse transcription used by LINEs, group II introns, and other non-long terminal repeat retroid elements.


2007 ◽  
Vol 17 (16) ◽  
pp. 4437-4441 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexandre Gagnon ◽  
Ma’an H. Amad ◽  
Pierre R. Bonneau ◽  
René Coulombe ◽  
Patrick L. DeRoy ◽  
...  

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