Publication title: “Phage-triggered reverse transcription assembles a toxic repetitive gene from a noncoding RNA”
Important takeaways:
- Reverse transcriptase function: Reverse transcriptase has been adapted for cellular defense in prokaryotes.
- DRT2 system: The DRT2 defense system involves a reverse transcriptase and a pseudoknotted noncoding RNA.
- Mechanism: Upon phage infection, the RNA template is reverse transcribed to produce tandem repeats, leading to expression of a toxic protein and abortive infection.
- Novel regulation: Gene synthesis from a noncoding RNA is a new mechanism in prokaryotes.
RNA-templated DNA synthesis, or reverse transcription, is a fundamental way the flow of genetic information can be reversed. Catalyzed by reverse transcriptases (RTs), this activity is commonly associated with the mobility of RNA-based mobile genetic elements like retroviruses, retrotransposons, and group II introns, but has also been co-opted several times for cellular functions…. read more @ https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adq3977
PHAGElogist 