Open AccessPhylogeny of viroids, viroidlike satellite RNAs, and the viroidlike domain of hepatitis delta virus RNA.
Author(s) -
Santiago F. Elena,
Joaquı́n Dopazo,
Ricardo Flores,
T.O. Diener,
Andrés Moyá
Publication year - 1991
Publication title -
proceedings of the national academy of sciences of the united states of america
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.011
H-Index - 771
eISSN - 1091-6490
pISSN - 0027-8424
DOI - 10.1073/pnas.88.13.5631
Subject(s) - rna , biology , phylogenetic tree , phylogenetics , satellite , monophyly , virology , genetics , computational biology , evolutionary biology , gene , clade , engineering , aerospace engineering
We report a phylogenetic study of viroids, some plant satellite RNAs, and the viroidlike domain of human hepatitis delta virus RNA. Our results support a monophyletic origin of these RNAs and are consistent with the hypothesis that they may be "living fossils" of a precellular RNA world. Moreover, the viroidlike domain of human hepatitis delta virus RNA appears closely related to the viroidlike satellite RNAs of plants, with which it shares some structural and functional properties. On the basis of our phylogenetic analysis, we propose a taxonomic classification of these RNAs.