DNA can be a selfish parasite

@article{Hickey1984DNACB,
  title={DNA can be a selfish parasite},
  author={Donal A Hickey},
  journal={Nature},
  year={1984},
  volume={311},
  pages={417-418}
}
  • D. Hickey
  • Published 1 October 1984
  • Biology
  • Nature
View on Nature
6 Citations
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6 Citations

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Citation Type

Perpetuation of the hereditary sigma virus in populations of its host, Drosophila melanogaster. Geographical analysis of correlated polymorphisms
TLDR
Evidence of the self restraint exercised by the sigma virus at the population level is given, indicating that the characteristics of wild viral clones are likely to differ from those of laboratory strains and also from one population to another.
Sexuality of mitochondria: fusion, recombination, and plasmids.
Recombination: Sexual Reproduction — a Tool for Outcrossing and Recombination of Genetic Material
Sexual reproduction is characterized by karyogamy and meiosis and is associated with an alternation of haploid and diploid nuclear phases. Amongst evolutionary biologists and geneticists there is a…
A general model for the evolution of nuclear pre-mRNA introns.
Maintenance of a Hereditary Virus
TLDR
The CO2 sensitivity symptom, which makes identification of infected flies easy, and the genetic knowledge the authors have of the host and of the virus make it possible to analyze the population genetics of the Drosophila—sigma system.
Maintenance of the 2 micron circle plasmid of Saccharomyces cerevisiae by sexual transmission: an example of a selfish DNA.
TLDR
The 2 micron circle plasmid of Saccharomyces cerevisiae is used as a model system to investigate the maintenance of a cryptic genetic element, and it is found that under certain conditions this plasmids can spread through experimental populations despite demonstrable selection against it.

References

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Limits on the selfishness of DNA
Selfish DNAs with self-restraint
Evolution of hybrid dysgenesis determinants in Drosophila melanogaster.
  • M. G. Kidwell
  • Biology
    Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
  • 1983
TLDR
An extensive survey for dysgenic potential in Drosophila melanogaster strains reported, finding striking temporal trends in the distribution of strains were observed with respect to the two transposable element systems; in particular, the frequency of R and M strains is positively correlated with laboratory age.
The population dynamics of transposable elements
TLDR
Analytical and simulation models of the population dynamics of transposable elements in randomly mating populations, derived on the assumption of independence between different loci, and compared with simulation results show the general pattern seen in the simulations agrees quite well with theory.
Theoretical study on the accumulation of selfish DNA.
  • T. Ohta
  • Biology
    Genetical research
  • 1983
TLDR
It is shown that the process of self-replication (duplication–deletion) plays an essential role for the maintenance and elimination of selfish DNA.
Transposable elements in mendelian populations. I. A theory.
TLDR
A model of the evolution of transposable elements in Mendelian populations is proposed and formulas for the mean copy number and frequency spectrum are obtained.
Selfish DNA: a sexually-transmitted nuclear parasite.
A quantitative population genetics model for the evolution of transposable genetic elements is developed. This model shows that "selfish" DNA sequences do not have to be selectively neutral at the…