Bacterial DRT10 System Writes Repeated DNA From RNA

Researchers have identified DRT10, a bacterial defense system that fights viruses by using an RNA template to make DNA with repeated sequences. Columbia University Irving Medical Center says the system’s reverse-transcribing enzyme works in a way that resembles telomerase, which maintains chromosome ends in many organisms. ^[2]

The researchers also report evidence that DRT10 and telomerase may share an evolutionary origin. That connection is an interpretation supported by evolutionary analyses, not proof of a specific path in life’s history. ^[2]

The team sees DRT10 as a possible starting point for future genome-engineering tools, but its potential applications remain exploratory. Columbia reports that researchers have used it to synthesize human telomeric DNA repeats in human cells; whether this can produce useful effects, such as preventing cell senescence, remains under investigation. ^[2]