Parasites Acquired Beta Satellite DNAs from Hominid Hosts via Horizontal Gene Transfer

Beta satellite DNA (satDNA) sequences are repeated DNA elements located in primate centromeres and telomeres, and might play roles in genome stability and chromosome segregation. Beta satDNAs mainly exist in great apes. Previous studies suggested that beta satDNAs may originate in old world monkeys. In this study, we searched both GenBank and SRA database, and identified beta satDNA sequences from the genomic sequences of 22 species. The beta satDNA sequences found in Prosimian, Dermoptera and Scandentia indicated that the origin of beta satDNAs might be as early as 80 MYA. Strikingly, beta satDNA sequences were also found in a number of some species evolutionarily far from primates, including several endoparasites of human and other great apes, which could be the results of multiple horizontal gene transfer (HGT) events. The similar phylogenic profiles between beta satDNAs in the parasite genomes and the human genome indicates that the parasite beta satDNAs have undergone similar concerted evolution and play similar roles as the beta satDNAs in primates.nnHighlightsO_LIThe ever largest scale analysis on beta satDNAs.nC_LIO_LIThe origin of beta satDNAs was traced back to [~]80 MYA.nC_LIO_LIMass existence of beta satDNAs in non-primate species was contributed by multiple HGT events.nC_LI