Giant transposons as a crucible of evolution in fungi

SémIDEEV
 04/11/2024
 12:00:00
 Aaron Vogan, Uppsala University, Sweden
 IDEEV - Salle Rosalind Franklin

Transposable elements (TEs) are semi-autonomous genetic entities that proliferate in genomes. We recently discovered the Starships, a previously hidden superfamily of giant TEs found in a diverse subphylum of filamentous fungi. Starships are unlike other eukaryotic TEs because they have evolved mechanisms for both mobilizing entire genes, including those encoding conditionally beneficial phenotypes, and for horizontally transferring between individuals. Our results demonstrate that acquisition of host-beneficial cargo by Starships primes fungi for rapid and repeated adaptation via HGT, revealing and elevating the role of HGT in eukaryotic biology.