3 ms·
In defense of #1, I've read that retrotransposons can be irrelevant to the function of the cell. they survive random mutations through making more copies of th
by sterlind 5y ago
In defense of #1, I've read
that retrotransposons can be irrelevant to the function of the cell. they survive random mutations through making more copies of themselves, so mutations will select for retrotransposons that A) increase their number of copies and B) don't harm the fitness of the host. they don't need to actually benefit the host to survive selection pressure. if they do, that's gravy.
I suppose they could also survive selection pressure by hurting the organism if they're not expressed. for instance, by capturing a vital protein-coding gene from the host, and arranging things so the transposon must stay active for the gene to be transcribed.
- robwwilliams 5y agoYes, you are right. The genome is a battle field between human reproduction and viral sequence integration and reproduction in our “shared” genomes. We think of it as a human genome but it is hodgepodge of what we call “our” genome and half a million viral-derived sequence that also wants to replicate every once and a while. Eukaryotic genome are the worst noodle code you have ever seen—but miraculously they help to make humans and other creatures, bugs, and plants with some consistency. That is a miracle to even the most hardened atheist!