Endogenous viral elements (EVEs) are widely present in the genomes of various organisms and have played an important role in evolution. Historically, research on EVE has focused primarily on those derived from retroviruses. However, the importance of non-retroviral EVE (nrEVE) is gradually being recognized. In this study, we employed a novel approach that combines protein structure prediction and sequence analysis to identify a large, previously unrecognized nrEVE group across spider genomes. Furthermore, we identified nrEVE-associated messenger RNAs, microRNAs, and PIWI-interacting RNAs in spiders, suggesting that these nrEVEs may be functionally active. We also experimentally confirmed the presence of spider nrEVE and its transcripts in individual spiders. Evolutionary analysis suggests that these spider nrEVEs are derived from the ancestral nuclear arthropod large DNA virus (NALDV), which belongs to the order Araneae. Refabilalesclass Nardaviritesapproximately 270 million years ago. The integration of these nrEVEs occurred before the last common ancestor of Araneae, indicating that there was a long-term coevolutionary relationship between these nrEVEs and spiders. Our findings reveal a new group of nrEVEs and provide valuable insights into their evolutionary relationships with arthropods.
Manli Wang, Hengrui Hu, Just Vlak and others Discovery of novel non-retroviral endogenous viral elements reveals long-term coevolution with spiders Preprint (version 1) available at Research Square, October 15, 2024 [https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-4996788/v1]
