Laboratoire Evolution, Génomes, Comportement, Ecologie, CNRS Université Paris-Sud UMR 9191, IRD UMR 247, Avenue de la Terrasse, Bâtiment 13, Boite Postale 1, 91198 Gif sur Yvette, France.
Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA.
Curr Opin Genet Dev. 2018 Apr;49:15-24. doi: 10.1016/j.gde.2018.02.007. Epub 2018 Mar 2.
It is becoming clear that most eukaryotic transposable elements (TEs) owe their evolutionary success in part to horizontal transfer events, which enable them to invade new species. Recent large-scale studies are beginning to unravel the mechanisms and ecological factors underlying this mode of transmission. Viruses are increasingly recognized as vectors in the process but also as a direct source of genetic material horizontally acquired by eukaryotic organisms. Because TEs and endogenous viruses are major catalysts of variation and innovation in genomes, we argue that horizontal inheritance has had a more profound impact in eukaryotic evolution than is commonly appreciated. To support this proposal, we compile a list of examples, including some previously unrecognized, whereby new host functions and phenotypes can be directly attributed to horizontally acquired TE or viral sequences. We predict that the number of examples will rapidly grow in the future as the prevalence of horizontal transfer in the life cycle of TEs becomes even more apparent, firmly establishing this form of non-Mendelian inheritance as a consequential facet of eukaryotic evolution.
越来越明显的是，大多数真核转座元件（TEs）之所以能在进化上取得成功，部分原因是由于水平转移事件，这些事件使它们能够侵入新物种。最近的大规模研究开始揭示这种传播模式的机制和生态因素。病毒越来越被认为是该过程的载体，但也是真核生物通过水平获得的遗传物质的直接来源。由于转座子和内源性病毒是基因组变异和创新的主要催化剂，我们认为，水平遗传对真核生物进化的影响比人们通常认识到的更为深远。为了支持这一观点，我们列出了一些例子，包括一些以前未被识别的例子，其中新的宿主功能和表型可以直接归因于水平获得的转座子或病毒序列。我们预测，随着转座子生命周期中水平转移的普遍性变得更加明显，未来这方面的例子数量将迅速增加，从而将这种非孟德尔遗传形式确立为真核生物进化的一个重要方面。
