Figures
Image depicting mythological Iris
All retroviruses utilize their envelope genes to mediate infection. However, a host gene, Iris, that is highly conserved in many Drosophila species has itself been derived from a retroviral envelope gene (see Malik et al.) highlighting an evolutionarily intriguing acquisition event. In Greek mythology, Iris was the benevolent sibling of the malevolent winged monsters, the Harpies.
Image Credit: Photograph reproduced with permission of the Museum of Art, Rhode Island School of Design (bequest of Susan Martin Allien). Cover design by Liana Holmberg.
Citation: (2005) PLoS Genetics Issue Image | Vol. 1(4) October 2005. PLoS Genet 1(4): ev01.i04. https://doi.org/10.1371/image.pgen.v01.i04
Published: October 28, 2005
Copyright: © 2005 . This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
All retroviruses utilize their envelope genes to mediate infection. However, a host gene, Iris, that is highly conserved in many Drosophila species has itself been derived from a retroviral envelope gene (see Malik et al.) highlighting an evolutionarily intriguing acquisition event. In Greek mythology, Iris was the benevolent sibling of the malevolent winged monsters, the Harpies.
Image Credit: Photograph reproduced with permission of the Museum of Art, Rhode Island School of Design (bequest of Susan Martin Allien). Cover design by Liana Holmberg.