injected into the protozoa Oxytricha trifallax were recently shown
to mediate correct and precise DNA rearrangements, suggesting
that RNA molecules can guide genome modifications [16], thus
supporting our results in yeast.
To further exploit the use of RNA-containing oligos, we have
set up a procedure to generate desired RNA/DNA hybrids at the
chromosomal level in vivo starting with the yeast system [18]. We
have thereafter established that, in yeast S. cerevisiae and bacteria
Escherichia coli cells, mispaired ribonucleotides embedded in chromosomal
DNA are sources of genetic modification (Shen et al., in
preparation). In the present study, we demonstrate that the capacity
of RNA to transfer genetic information to DNA is conserved from
a prokaryotic to higher eukaryotic cell system, i.e. human cells. We
also exclude the possibility that RNA-driven modification might
be mediated by a cDNA reverse transcript. The results we present,
deviating from the central dogma of molecular biology, shed light
on the capacity of RNA to play an active role in DNA editing and
remodeling, which could be the basis of a wholly unexplored process
of RNA-driven DNA evolution.