Researchers studying a methane-producing microbial community have documented an instance of a jumping gene transferring between different species, providing evidence for a previously undocumented route of genetic exchange.
The study focused on a slowly growing bacterial and archaeal community containing Candidatus Velamenicoccus archaeovorus, a small predatory bacterium that feeds on microorganisms living within filaments of Methanothrix soehngenii. Scientists observed dead cells within these filaments and hypothesized that the predatory bacterium might be responsible. To investigate, they searched for molecular evidence of the predator inside the dead prey cells.
While analyzing the genome of Ca. Velamenicoccus archaeovorus, researchers identified a self-splicing intron—a type of jumping gene capable of moving within genetic material. Using sensitive detection methods developed at the Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, the team employed specialized nucleic acid probes to create microscopic images revealing intron RNA present in living cells of the predatory bacterium and in dead cells of Methanothrix soehngenii. This marked the first documented instance of intron RNA being detected outside a cell, effectively capturing the jumping gene in the process of transferring between species.
The intron RNA’s survival in the dead cells proved crucial to this discovery. Ribonucleic acids typically degrade rapidly in cells due to enzymes that break them down from their exposed ends. However, the intron RNA formed a circular molecule with no open ends, a ring-shaped structure that protected it from degradation. This stability allowed scientists to detect the genetic element even after the host cell had died, though the gene transfer ultimately failed since the new host was no longer viable.
The findings suggest that jumping genes may transfer between species through mechanisms not involving viruses or plasmids as carriers, opening new avenues for understanding genetic exchange in microbial communities and potentially informing applications in RNA-based vaccines and therapeutic development.
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