Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40540573›Full record

ArticleScience advances2025

Structures of vertebrate R2 retrotransposon complexes during target-primed reverse transcription and after second-strand nicking.

Akanksha Thawani, Anthony Rodríguez-Vargas, Briana Van Treeck, Nozhat T Hassan, David L Adelson, Eva Nogales, Kathleen Collins

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Science advances, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 9 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
9citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

9 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
  2. DNA-bound avian R2 non-LTR retrotransposon protein recruits a second R2 protein for genome-protective second-strand nicking.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2026
    Article
  3. Article
  4. Article
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  7. Review
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Akanksha ThawaniCalifornia Institute for Quantitative Biosciences (QB3), Berkeley, CA, USA.ORCID 0000-0003-4168-128X
Anthony Rodríguez-VargasDepartment of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA.ORCID 0000-0003-0306-2015
Briana Van TreeckDepartment of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-9482-1656
Nozhat T HassanDepartment of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-3069-4117
David L AdelsonSchool of Biological Sciences, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, Australia.ORCID 0000-0003-2404-5636
Eva NogalesCalifornia Institute for Quantitative Biosciences (QB3), Berkeley, CA, USA.ORCID 0000-0001-9816-3681
Kathleen CollinsCalifornia Institute for Quantitative Biosciences (QB3), Berkeley, CA, USA.ORCID 0000-0003-3172-7088

Funding

Human genetic supplementation without donor DNA or a DNA breakDP1HL156819 · NHLBI · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA BERKELEY · PI COLLINS, KATHLEEN · 2020 to 2024
$5.8M
Towards Genome Engineering: Principles of precision in RNA-binding and cDNA-synthesis for a site-specifically targeted non-LTR retroelementF32GM139306 · NIGMS · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA BERKELEY · PI VAN TREECK, BRIANA NICOLE · 2021 to 2022
$136k
NHLBI NIH HHS DP1 HL156819NIGMS NIH HHS F32 GM139306
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

R2 retrotransposons are site-specific eukaryotic non-long terminal repeat retrotransposons that copy and paste into gene loci encoding ribosomal RNAs. Recently, we demonstrated that avian A-clade R2 proteins achieve efficient and precise insertion of transgenes into their native safe-harbor loci in human cells. The features of A-clade R2 proteins that support gene insertion are not well characterized. Here, we report high-resolution cryo-electron microscopy structures of two vertebrate A-clade R2 proteins at the initiation of target-primed reverse transcription and after cDNA synthesis and second-strand nicking. Using biochemical and cellular assays, we illuminate the basis for high selectivity of template use and unique roles for each of the three zinc-finger domains in nucleic acid recognition. Reverse transcriptase active site architecture is reinforced by an unanticipated insertion motif specific to vertebrate A-clade R2 proteins. Our work provides the first insights into A-clade R2 protein structure during gene insertion and may enable future improvement and adaptation of R2-based systems for precise transgene insertion.

Indexed as

RetroelementsReverse TranscriptionVertebratesAnimalsCryoelectron MicroscopyHumansModels, MolecularRNA-Directed DNA PolymeraseZinc FingersRetroelementsRNA-Directed DNA Polymerase

Identifiers

PMID40540573
PMCPMC12180492

What Socratic holds

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LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.