ISSN 2756-3413
African Journal of Virology Research ISSN 2756-3413 Vol. 14 (7), pp. 001-004, July, 2020. © International Scholars Journals
Review
Plant retroviruses: structure, evolution and future applications
Essam A. Zaki*
Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology Research Institute, GEBRI, Research Area, Borg El Arab, Post Code 21934, Alexandria, Egypt.
Accepted 20 May 2020
Abstract
Retroelements, which replicate by reverse transcription, have been detected in higher plants, higher animals, fungi, insects and bacteria. They have been classified into viral retroelements, eukaryotic chromosomal non-viral retroelements and bacterial chromosomal retroelements. Until recently, retroviruses were thought to be restricted to vertebrates. Plant sequencing projects revealed that plant genomes contain retroviral-like sequences. This review aims to address the structure and evolution of plant retroviruses. In addition, it proposes future applications for these important key components of plant genomes.
Key words: Interspecies gene flow, plant genes vectors, plant retroviruses, retroelements, sequence divergence, transgenic plants.