Abstract
The ubiquity of the dut gene in Eukarya, Eubacteria, and Archaea implies its existence in the last common ancestor of the three domains of life. The dut gene exists as single, tandemly duplicated, and tandemly triplicated copies. The dUTPase is encoded as an auxiliary gene in the genomes of several DNA viruses and two distinct lineages of retroviruses. A comprehensive analysis of dUTPase amino acid sequence relationships explores the evolutionary dynamics of dut genes in viruses and their hosts. The data set was comprised of representative sequences from available Eukaryotes, Archaea, Eubacteria cells and viruses. A multiple alignment of these protein sequences was generated using a hidden Markov model (HMM) approach developed to align divergent data. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that horizontal transfer from hosts to virus genomes has occurred in all three domains of life. The evidence for horizontal transfers is particularly interesting in Eukaryotes as these dut genes have introns, while DNA vir us dut genes do not. This implies an intermediary Retroid Agent facilitated the horizontal transfer process, via reverse transcription, between host mRNA and DNA viruses. The horizontal transfer of the dut gene from Eukaryotic, Eubacterial, and Archaeal organisms to both DNA and RNA viruses is the first documented case of host to pathogen transfer that has occurred in all three domains of life.
Keywords: DUT Gene, horizontal gene transfer (HGT)
Current Protein & Peptide Science
Title: Evolution of the DUT Gene: Horizontal Transfer between Host and Pathogen in all Three Domains of Life
Volume: 2 Issue: 4
Author(s): Marcella A. McClure
Affiliation:
Keywords: DUT Gene, horizontal gene transfer (HGT)
Abstract: The ubiquity of the dut gene in Eukarya, Eubacteria, and Archaea implies its existence in the last common ancestor of the three domains of life. The dut gene exists as single, tandemly duplicated, and tandemly triplicated copies. The dUTPase is encoded as an auxiliary gene in the genomes of several DNA viruses and two distinct lineages of retroviruses. A comprehensive analysis of dUTPase amino acid sequence relationships explores the evolutionary dynamics of dut genes in viruses and their hosts. The data set was comprised of representative sequences from available Eukaryotes, Archaea, Eubacteria cells and viruses. A multiple alignment of these protein sequences was generated using a hidden Markov model (HMM) approach developed to align divergent data. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that horizontal transfer from hosts to virus genomes has occurred in all three domains of life. The evidence for horizontal transfers is particularly interesting in Eukaryotes as these dut genes have introns, while DNA vir us dut genes do not. This implies an intermediary Retroid Agent facilitated the horizontal transfer process, via reverse transcription, between host mRNA and DNA viruses. The horizontal transfer of the dut gene from Eukaryotic, Eubacterial, and Archaeal organisms to both DNA and RNA viruses is the first documented case of host to pathogen transfer that has occurred in all three domains of life.
Export Options
About this article
Cite this article as:
McClure A. Marcella, Evolution of the DUT Gene: Horizontal Transfer between Host and Pathogen in all Three Domains of Life, Current Protein & Peptide Science 2001; 2 (4) . https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/1389203013381062
DOI https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/1389203013381062 |
Print ISSN 1389-2037 |
Publisher Name Bentham Science Publisher |
Online ISSN 1875-5550 |
Call for Papers in Thematic Issues
Advancements in Proteomic and Peptidomic Approaches in Cancer Immunotherapy: Unveiling the Immune Microenvironment
The scope of this thematic issue centers on the integration of proteomic and peptidomic technologies into the field of cancer immunotherapy, with a particular emphasis on exploring the tumor immune microenvironment. This issue aims to gather contributions that illustrate the application of these advanced methodologies in unveiling the complex interplay ...read more
Artificial Intelligence for Protein Research
Protein research, essential for understanding biological processes and creating therapeutics, faces challenges due to the intricate nature of protein structures and functions. Traditional methods are limited in exploring the vast protein sequence space efficiently. Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) offer promising solutions by improving predictions and speeding up ...read more
Biomarkers in Diagnostics and Therapeutics: Advancements in Proteins and Peptides Across Preclinical and Clinical Studies
Biomarkers play a crucial role in the understanding and management of diseases, enabling clinicians and researchers to diagnose conditions earlier, predict disease outcomes, and develop personalized treatment strategies. Proteins and peptides, as key molecular entities, hold substantial promise in revolutionizing biomarker discovery, especially in the context of complex diseases such ...read more
Nutrition and Metabolism in Musculoskeletal Diseases
The musculoskeletal system consists mainly of cartilage, bone, muscles, tendons, connective tissue and ligaments. Balanced metabolism is of vital importance for the homeostasis of the musculoskeletal system. A series of musculoskeletal diseases (for example, sarcopenia, osteoporosis) are resulted from the dysregulated metabolism of the musculoskeletal system. Furthermore, metabolic diseases (such ...read more
Related Journals

- Author Guidelines
- Graphical Abstracts
- Fabricating and Stating False Information
- Research Misconduct
- Post Publication Discussions and Corrections
- Publishing Ethics and Rectitude
- Increase Visibility of Your Article
- Archiving Policies
- Peer Review Workflow
- Order Your Article Before Print
- Promote Your Article
- Manuscript Transfer Facility
- Editorial Policies
- Allegations from Whistleblowers
Related Articles
-
1,3,4-thiadiazole: A Privileged Scaffold for Drug Design and Development
Current Topics in Medicinal Chemistry Doxorubicin-Loaded Nanoparticles: New Advances in Breast Cancer Therapy
Anti-Cancer Agents in Medicinal Chemistry Medicinal Plants for the Treatment of Asthma: A Traditional Persian Medicine Perspective
Current Pharmaceutical Design Microwave-Assisted Synthesis of Benzo-fused Seven-membered Azaheterocycles
Mini-Reviews in Organic Chemistry Novel, Unifying Phagomimetic Mechanism of Vancomycin Therapeutic Action and Toxicity: Polyphenol, Electron Transfer and Reactive Oxygen Species
Anti-Infective Agents in Medicinal Chemistry Iminosugars and Relatives as Antiviral and Potential Anti-infective Agents
Current Topics in Medicinal Chemistry Advances in Targeted Gene Delivery
Current Drug Delivery Assessment of Structural Basis for Thiazolopyridine Derivatives as DNA Gyrase-B Inhibitors
Current Drug Discovery Technologies From Protein-Protein Interactions to Rational Drug Design: Are Computational Methods Up to the Challenge?
Current Topics in Medicinal Chemistry Lipoplexes Formulation and Optimisation: In Vitro Transfection Studies Reveal No Correlation with In Vivo Vaccination Studies
Current Drug Delivery Adhatoda vasica Nees: Phytochemical and Pharmacological Profile
The Natural Products Journal A Co-Module Regulated by Therapeutic Drugs in a Molecular Subnetwork of Alzheimer’s Disease Identified on the Basis of Traditional Chinese Medicine and SAMP8 Mice
Current Alzheimer Research Anionic Antimicrobial Peptides from Eukaryotic Organisms
Current Protein & Peptide Science Recent Advances Using Phosphodiesterase 4 (PDE4) Inhibitors to Treat Inflammatory Disorders: Animal and Clinical Studies
Current Drug Therapy An Unprecedented Revolution in Medicinal Chemistry Driven by the Progress of Biological Science
Current Topics in Medicinal Chemistry Regulation and Function of Antimicrobial Peptides in Immunity and Diseases of the Lung
Protein & Peptide Letters Use of Molecular Dynamics Simulations in Structure-Based Drug Discovery
Current Pharmaceutical Design Pseudomonas aeruginosa Cif Defines a Distinct Class of α/β Epoxide Hydrolases Utilizing a His/Tyr Ring-Opening Pair
Protein & Peptide Letters Antimicrobial and Biofilm Inhibiting Diketopiperazines
Current Medicinal Chemistry Current and Future Prospective of a Versatile Moiety: Imidazole
Current Drug Targets