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Molecular Biology Tools> | RT-qPCR primers for cdtB and rpl32 were designed using GenScript Real-time PCR (TaqMan) Primer Design tool (https://www.genscript.com/tools/real-time-pcr-tagman-primer-design-tool). | Get A Quote |
Cytolethal distending toxins (CDTs) are tripartite eukaryotic genotoxins encoded in diverse bacterial and phage genomes. The cdtB subunit is a DNAse that causes eukaryotic cell cycle arrest and apoptosis, and in one context, is associated with resistance against parasitoid wasp infections. Here we report the discovery of functional cdtB copies in the nuclear genomes of insect species from two distantly related insect orders, including fruit flies (Diptera: Drosophilidae) and aphids (Hemiptera: Aphididae). Insect cdtB copies are most closely related to bacteriophage copies, were horizontally transferred to insect genomes > 40 million years ago and encode a protein that retains ancestral DNase activity. This ph... More