Biological and Evolutionary Importance of Integrated Viral Elements in Agricultural Plants
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24925/turjaf.v14i2.591-598.8607Keywords:
Endogenous retroviruses , Integrated viral sequences , Pararetrovirus , Virus evolution , Virus-plant co-evolutionAbstract
The role of viruses is in the evolutionary process is difficult to trace. Because viruses cannot leave fossil traces like other organisms. However, thanks to viral sequences integrated into the host plant they can leave genetic residue. Within this context, these genomic sequences are genetic fossil traces of viruses in some way. Endogenous viral elements (EVEs) may be the entire or a part of the viral genome, where the genetic material of a virus has become permanent in a non-viral host organism’s genome. Sometimes these viral elements can occur in the plant’s reproductive cells, in this case the viral DNA is transmitted to the next generation and becomes a part of the host plant’s genome. Thus, finding traces of this viral genome in future generations is evidence of the virus’s involvement in the evolutionary process. However, this is not a very common occurrence. For genetic residue to be passed on to the next generation, the reproductive cell with the genetically modified information must develop into a zygote after the EVEs integrate into the host cell’s reproductive cells. EVEs are classified into two main groups, Endogenous Retroviruses (ERVs) and Endogenous Non-Retroviral Elements (ENREs), based on the type of virus they originate from. Endogenous viral elements in plants generally originate from pararetroviruses. As a vital natural component of the plant genome, endogenous pararetroviruses (EPRVs) serve a variety of biological and evolutionary functions. By affecting plant viral defense mechanisms, EPRVs can cause disease in agriculturally important plants through reactivation or by affecting gene expression. This review aims to summarize the origins of EPRVs, their biological and evolutionary roles, and their potential in agricultural production.
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