Open AccessEndogenous pararetroviruses of allotetraploid Nicotiana tabacum and its diploid progenitors, N. sylvestris and N. tomentosiformis
Author(s) -
MATZKE MARJORI,
GREGOR WOLFGANG,
METTE M. FLORIAN,
AUFSATZ WERNER,
KANNO TATSUO,
JAKOWITSCH JOHANNES,
MATZKE ANTONIUS J. M.
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
biological journal of the linnean society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.906
H-Index - 112
eISSN - 1095-8312
pISSN - 0024-4066
DOI - 10.1111/j.1095-8312.2004.00347.x
Subject(s) - biology , polyploid , ploidy , genome , nicotiana tabacum , genetics , plant evolution , nicotiana , retrotransposon , epigenetics , botany , evolutionary biology , solanaceae , gene , transposable element
Endogenous pararetroviruses (EPRVs) represent a new class of dispersed repetitive DNA in plants. The genomes of many Nicotiana species and other solanaceous plants are rich in EPRVs. Distinct EPRV families are present in N. sylvestris ( Ns ) and in N. tomentosiformis ( Nto ), the two diploid progenitors of allotetraploid N. tabacum . Nicotiana EPRVs represent an interesting type of repetitive sequence to analyse in polyploids because of their potential impact on plant fitness and the epigenetic architecture of plant genomes. The Ns EPRV family appears identical in N. sylvestris and N. tabacum , indicating little change has occurred in either species since polyploid formation. By contrast, the Nto EPRV family is larger in N. tomentosiformis than in N. tabacum , suggesting either preferential elimination from the polyploid genome or specific accumulation in the diploid genome following polyploidization. The lability of Nto EPRVs might be enhanced by a frequent association with gypsy retrotransposons. Although some EPRVs are probably benign, others are potentially pathogenic or, conversely, determinants of virus resistance. Normally quiescent EPRVs can be reactivated and cause symptoms of infection in hybrids of species that differ in their EPRV content. EPRVs that furnish immunity to the free virus exemplify the selective value of so‐called ‘junk’ DNA. Variation in the abundance and distribution of EPRVs among related species can be useful in taxonomic and evolutionary studies. © 2004 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society , 2004, 82 , 627–638.